Where to Search
So where do you search to find the best resources to write your research paper?
Don't start with Google to do your research. You aren't going to find the scholarly sources that are best for your research there because scholarly research costs money and isn't freely available online for the most part. Luckily, the library pays to access a lot of scholarly research and makes it available through a variety of different search tools.
Search Everything
Search everything searches does just what it says - it searches all of the library's collections at once. This can be great to get a comprehensive overview of what is out there on your topic but it can also be a little overwhelming because there is so much. It is a great place to start your research.
Search Everything
Research Databases
If you want to narrow down your search a little more, you can do a search in one database at a time. Here are some that I recommend for anthropology research.
- SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new windowThis database has full-text articles that cover all aspects of sociology and closely related areas of study.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Scholarly journals in the arts, humanities, general science and social sciences dating back to the late 17th century. JSTOR is great for historical research but not for current research.
MCLA's access to JSTOR is made possible by support from the Hardman Family Endowment. - Diversity Studies (Gale OneFile) This link opens in a new windowProvides access to scholarly journals and magazines that explore cultural differences, contributions, and influences in the global community.
- Library CatalogSearch MCLA's collection of print books, electronic books, DVDs, streaming videos and more.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar is another resource for finding scholarly research. Look on the right hand side of the screen for the "Full-Text@MCLA" links that will bring you to the article in one of our databases. You can also look for the free PDFs listed on the right hand side. The best tool in Google Scholar is the citation link under each result. This will show you other articles that cited that article in their references. If you find a great article, be sure to check what else has cited it for more relevant results.
