HIST 1010Europe and the Early Modern WorldLibrary Research Strategies

Dave HudsonLearning & Curriculum Support Librarian

October 23rd, 2012

Bean

RESEARCH?

Poor Dawson!

AgendaGrounding & focusing your research1. Identifying key concepts & search

terms2. Using background information tools

Finding Secondary Sources◦Books and journal articles

Getting further helpDave’s email address: dhudson@uoguelph.ca

Main focus of today’ssession

If time permits …

Return to this presentation

when you’re about to start your research.

(I’ll upload it to Courselink)

STEP 1:TAKE STOCK OF WHAT YOU

ALREADY KNOW

Dave’s email address: dhudson@uoguelph.ca

First move: Read document, then take 5 minutes to circle key terms and concepts

People, events, ideas, places, time periods, dates, phenomena, etc.

Document: Duc de Saint-Simon: The Court of Louis XIV

Step 1: Take stock of what you already knowIdentify key concepts & search terms

Step 1: Take stock of what you already knowIdentify key concepts & search terms

Document: Duc de Saint-Simon: The Court of Louis XIV

Key Concepts & Search Terms List

Duc de Saint-SimonLouis XIVCourtFlattery, vanityVersaillesControl of ministers, generals, mistresses

and courtiers, powerWhat time period exactly???

Dave’s email address: dhudson@uoguelph.ca

The initial facets of your topic

Duc de Saint-SimonLouis XIV, king, royaltyCourt, courtiersFlattery, vanityVersailles, France, French, Europe,

EuropeanControl of ministers, generals, mistresses

and courtiers, powerWhat time period exactly???Dave’s email address: dhudson@uoguelph.ca

Step 1: Take stock of what you already knowIdentify key concepts & search terms

Document: Duc de Saint-Simon: The Court of Louis XIV

Key Concepts & Search Terms List

Add synonyms, broader, narrower, and related terms

STEP 2:CONSULTGENERAL

INFORMATION SOURCES

Step 2: Before you look for journal articles and full-length books ...

Dave’s email address: dhudson@uoguelph.ca

Scholarly Journal Article

Scholarly Book

400+ pages

Sometimes called “reference sources”

Include encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, maps

◦ Specialized and general sources

Other good sources to start with: textbooks, other class readings, introductory guides

Dave’s email address: dhudson@uoguelph.ca

Background Information Tools

Step 2: Background Information ToolsWhat are they good for?

◦Quickly expanding understanding of basic facets and details of a topic Who was Duc de Saint-Simon? What was

Louis XIV’s court like?

◦Confirming assumptions Was Versailles indeed the main court at the

time?

◦Identifying new terms to use in searches

◦Helping to focus and refine your ideas What is the context for this document that

I’m looking at? What are the main issues connected to this topic?

◦Leading you to more detailed sources

Dave’s email address: dhudson@uoguelph.ca

Step 2: Background Information Tools

Dave’s email address: dhudson@uoguelph.ca

Why notWikipedia?

Advantages?

Disadvantages?

Wikipedia entry for “Louis XIV of France” at 8:48pm on October 17, 2012

Wikipedia entry for “Louis XIV of France” at 5:05pm on September 12, 2008

Step 2: Using Background Information Tools Strategically

Oxford Reference: great background information tool

My strategy: find general information on …◦Duc de Saint-Simon◦Louis XIV◦Life at the court in France at that time

Dave’s email address: dhudson@uoguelph.ca

Document: Duc de Saint-Simon: The Court of Louis XIV

Library homepage: www.lib.uoguelph.ca

If accessing from off-campus, then log in first …

To access Oxford Reference and other tools for this class, click here …

There’s a specific HIST1010 course guide on the Library website: click “Expand All” to access …

Accessing Oxford Reference: Subject & Course Guides main page

Click the link to your course…

Accessing Oxford Reference: Course Guides List

HIST 1010 course guide on Library website

Collections of research tools suggested as starting points for this course

“Background Information” section of HIST 1010 course guide

Click on title for access

Print tool & location

Online tool

Quotation marks around a set of words searches only for those words as a phrase

(i.e. side by side in given order)

Searching Oxford Reference

Searching Oxford Reference

Different ways of arranging and refining your search results …

Results from different sources in Oxford Reference

Entry for “Aristocracy” in Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment

Navigation on left includes links to related topics (e.g. entries called “French Revolution” and “Royal Courts and Dynasties”)

This entry mentions “Duc de Saint-Simon” … and provides context for his writing about court life!

Automatic “Find this resource” functions in Oxford Reference not yet working properly with new interface. Copy and paste titles of resources into Primo to check to see if we have them!

Longer entries in Oxford Reference sources sometimes include bibliographies that lead to more detail critical sources.

Bottom of entry for “Aristocracy” in Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment

Trying a search without quotation marks around my terms

Searching Oxford Reference

Article on duc de Saint-Simon that wasn’t picked up in earlier search

“Saint-Simon, Louis de Rouvroy, duc de” entry in The Oxford Companion to English Literature in Oxford Reference

Avoid simply searching around the author or title of your document, but expand searches to include related concepts …

“Royal Courts and Dynasties” entry in Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment in Oxford Reference

“France” entry in Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment in Oxford Reference

Dave’s email address: dhudson@uoguelph.ca

Step 3: Refocus your search

I now have a better sense of the historical significance of my document and can proceed with more focus

New strategy: look for scholarly books & journal articles on …Louis XIV and his approach to power &

governanceCourt lifeFrench nobility in the 17th & 18th

centuries

Document: Duc de Saint-Simon: The Court of Louis XIV

Dave’s email address: dhudson@uoguelph.ca

Reorganized and revised search concept list reflects refocused search

Louis de Rouvroy, Duc de Saint-Simon (1675-1755)

Memoires as observations of court lifeCourt culture, etiquette, protocolLouis XIV, king, royalty, royalCourt, courtiers, aristocracy, aristocrats,

nobilityVersailles, France, French, Europe,

EuropeanControl, power, social and political

centralizationMilitary, army, wars18th century, eighteenth century, 1700s,

17th century, seventeenth century, 1600s

Step 3: Refocus your search

Dave’s email address: dhudson@uoguelph.ca

Which of the following best describes your understanding of the usefulness of consulting background information sources (like Oxford Reference)?

A. I totally get it.B. I still have some

questions.C. I’m completely lost.

iClicker Question #1:

There’s no right answer to this.

STEP 3:MOVE ON

TO MORE DETAILEDSECONDARY

SOURCES(i.e. your five scholarly

sources)

• Databases generally organized into records

Dave’s email address: dhudson@uoguelph.ca

Secondary sources

Sample record from Primo

Information in records organized into individually searchable fields

Dave’s email address: dhudson@uoguelph.ca

Topic-Based Search Strategy

... searches for any mention of term anywhere in database (in all fields).

“Subject” search ...

“Full record” search (a.k.a. “anywhere” search) ...

... searches for any mention of term only in official language used to classify item.

e.g. “France – Court and courtiers -- History”

Dave’s email address: dhudson@uoguelph.ca

What type of search would you tend to start with when searching for material on a given topic?

A. An “anywhere” search

B. A “subject” search.

iClicker Question #2:

There’s no right answer to this.

Dave’s email address: dhudson@uoguelph.ca

1. … books (slides 39-46) Recommendation: Use Primo’s

“Books+” search.

2. … journal articles (slides 47-57) Recommendation: Start with one of the

scholarly databases listed in the “journal articles” section of your course guide.

Next slides: How to find …

Reminder: Return to theseslides through Courselink

Library homepage: www.lib.uoguelph.ca

To access Primo, click “Search Primo”

Finding books through Primo’s “Books+” search

“Articles+” searches many different article databases at once. Can also be messy ...

Default tab searches all collections at once. Can produce messy, overwhelming results ...

“Books+” is best option for searching our collections of books, videos, journal titles, and more.

Primo “Basic Search” Screen

I’ve set the database to search “Books+” …

… and am clicking through to the “Advanced Search” option.

Use of asterisk (*) after a word in PRIMO (and other databases) will search for all words that start with letters that precede the asterisk: authority, authorities, authoritarian, authoritarianism, etc.

Use of OR between words searches for instances of any of these words. Think of it as a way of expanding your options.

Primo “Advanced Search” Screen, set to “Books+”

Results list in Primo

Options for refining result set by type of work, publication year, author, subject, etc.

To view more full record, click on the “Details” tab …

Results list in Primo

Full record for book in Primo

You also have access to items from other Guelph campuses, from Wilfrid Laurier (WLU), or from University of Waterloo (UW).

Use this function to request these items. Delivery time is 1-3 business days.

Click here to link to

instructions on how to make

requests through Primo

Note official subject headings used to classify relevant material in Primo

Click on a subject heading to be taken to a list of other items classified in the same way.

Journal articles section of History 1010 course guide on library website

Click on title for access

Databases suggested for looking up journal articles related to HIST1010

… and search limits

Search boxes …

Search screen in Historical Abstracts

Enter search terms …

Top of advanced search screen in Historical Abstracts

Bottom of advanced search screen in Historical Abstracts

Impose any search limits …

Limiting myself to articles … …published in academic journals.

… written in English

… peer-reviewed.

Results list in Historical Abstracts search

We got 17 results

How could we limit our search to get

even fewer results?

How could we expand our search

to get more results?

The Get it! Guelph function checks other databases for

full-text of the article. Click here for

“How to” video

Link to video showing use of Get it! Guelph

Item from results list

Title of article

Title of journal

Click on article title to view full record details

Click to access detailed record

Accessing the article record for quick information …

Look in the record for an abstract,

which provides a quick summary of

the article.

If the article looks relevant, make not

of the subject headings, which can lead you to similar articles.

Record for article in Historical Abstracts

Returning to read full text of article in Historical Abstracts

Historical Abstracts database

Crucial: Remember to try a variety of different searches from different angles.

Getting More Help (Part A)Ask Us DeskChat with a librarian

onlineLearning Commons◦Learning and writing◦Academic integrity &

plagiarism◦Various library research skills

workshopsLook for the “First” logo

Dave’s email address: dhudson@uoguelph.ca

Getting More Help (Part B)

Get in touch!Dave HudsonLearning & Curriculum Support Librarian, Historydhudson@uoguelph.ca Ext. 58221I’m ready to help!

Dave as young librarian

“Let’s collaborate!”