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history 200 - west african societies Teachers: dr. dalton Librarian: David Hegarty Term/Year: winter 2007 |
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Before you begin your research follow these crucial steps:
| 1. Understand the assignment. |
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| 2. Choose a broad topic or area of interest. |
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| 3. Get an overview of the topic. |
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| 4. Narrow the topic. |
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| 5. Write a thesis statement or statement of purpose. |
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Plan your time wisely. Try the OWHL's Planning Assignment Calculator (adapted from the University of Minnesota’s QuickStudy: Library Research Guide). This tool will help you set deadlines for yourself so that you can complete the entire project on time.
Definitions of frequently confused concepts are just a click away: Helpful Explanations.
There is no one perfect source. The best source for you depends on your particular information need. This discussion of Choosing the Right Sources can save you time by helping you to match your information need with one or more source types.
Don’t forget to capture the information you will need for your bibliography the first time you use each source. Use these handy forms for collecting all the data elements you will need.
Here's a list of selected specialized reference books (available in the Garver Room) you may want to consider:
| Ref 403 D15d | Dictionary of Languages |
| Ref 409 At65 | Atlas of Languages |
| Ref 305.8 En19 | Encyclopedia of Peoples of the World |
| Ref 305.8 W88 | Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life |
| Ref 306 Il6 | Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mankind |
| Ref 306.3 H62 | Historical Encyclopedia of World Slavery |
| Ref 960 En192 | Encyclopedia of African Peoples |
| Ref 960 En193 | Encyclopedia of African Nations and Civilizations |
| Ref 960 H27f | From Afar to Zulu a Dictionary of African Cultures |
| Ref 960.03 P146e | Encyclopedia of African History and Culture |
| Ref 967 En19 | Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara |
The reference books will give you an overview of your subject; check the bibliographies for further information. Remember to use cross references, indexes, and tables of contents to help you locate information.
Desk Reserve Books:
To see the materials on desk reserves please CLICK HERE , and then search for History 200. For other books check the catlogs below and:| Search a library catalog if you have a title or subject in mind. Plan ahead as books that are requested from NOBLE libraries take about 3 days to arrive and books from outside of our consortium can take more than a week. | ||||
| The OWH Library Catalog | ||||
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Noble's new Super Search gives one the ability to search a variety of resources (the A to Z list of databases and the OWH library catalog) from a single interface. Super Search provides citations and abstracts, as well as linking opportunities to full-text articles. |
Finding Journal Articles:
| OWHL Subscription Database(s) best suited to your project. |
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With any source, remember to look at it critically. Check out Evaluating the Sources for more information.
Now that you’ve found your resource material, follow these steps to get the most out it.
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For more information, go the citing your sources section of the library's homepage
The next step is to bring structure to your notes by creating an outline.
You’ve now reached the stage where you’re ready to pull everything together into a finished product. Write your paper, prepare your oral report, put together your PowerPoint presentation. Don’t forget to proofread!
Are you satisfied with your efforts and outcome? If not, be sure to review this process thoroughly before your next assignment. Make an appointment with an Instructional Librarian as soon as you receive your assignment to make sure that you get off on the right track next time.
