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CITY 360: Borderlands (BMC): Finding articles

CITY 360: Topics in Urban Culture & Society: Borderlands (Reyes)

Finding Full-Text Articles

 find it button from Tripod 

Use the Find It button to get the PDF of an article from the Libraries' subscriptions.

(Feel free to ask a librarian for help.)

Choosing Search Terms

Choose search terms that you expect to find in written documents about your topic. 

If you're looking for secondary sources (including journal articles or books written by scholars), use the language you would expect to find in a scholarly publication. 

If you're looking for sources aimed at the public (newspapers, TV news transcripts, blogs), use more colloquial language when searching.

Especially when researching in political science, keep in mind that individuals with different opinions on an issue may use very different language to discuss it.  For example, think about who uses the term anti-choice and who uses the term pro-life.  

Here are some other ideas to consider:

  • Synonyms, technical terms
  • Transliterations and alternate spellings
  • Alternate or historical place names (e.g. Beijing / Peking)
  • Maiden names
  • Initials and full names
  • British spellings
  • Spellings and terms in use during the time period or in the region/country
  • Abbreviations vs. full words

Once you have found a few sources on your topic, take note of the language that is being used and incorporate it into your search.

How to Find Relevant Journal Articles

Research tools like JSTOR and Web of Science can help you find scholarly journal articles.

 

Research tools (multiple academic disciplines):
 

 

Political science-specific research tools:

Subject Guide

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Laura Surtees
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Contact:
lsurtees@brynmawr.edu