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COM 4101 / WSM 4900: Media, Sexuality, and the City - Prof. Gillespie

Kinds of Sources

  • Books
  • Articles
    • scholarly journal articles = peer-reviewed articles = academic articles
    • magazine articles
    • newpaper articles
  • Videos
  • Datasets
  • Web pages

Authority and Relevance of Sources

  • Is contextual
  • Depends on your needs

Ways to Use Sources

  • Background
  • Evidence
  • Argument
  • Method

Scholarly vs. Popular Sources

Location of different kinds of sources on continuum

Expertise and authority of an author

  • What do we know about the author?
  • Have they written or spoken about this topic before?
  • Do they teach at college or university on this topic?
  • Are they affiliated with a research institution or agency or think tank?
  • What do other authors think of this one?

OneSearch on the Library Home Page

When you click "Define Your Search," you are presented with options you must select before you can type your search terms:

Search options within the search box

 

Books (print + ebooks) will search the OneSearch system.

Articles will search the OneSearch system for articles in journals, newspapers, and magazines.

Videos will search the OneSearch system for streaming videos and DVDs

Books + Articles + Videos will search OneSearch for all of the above format types and more.

Databases will link you to a page with an A-Z list of all library databases.

Journals will search the OneSearch system for journals we have online and in print.

Newspapers + Magazines will search the OneSearch system for newspapers and magazines we have online and in print.

Course Reserves will link you to a page listing all the courses where we have items on reserve.

Library Services & Policies will search just the library web pages for info about our services.

Top Search Tips for OneSearch

1. Quote marks around phrases = more precise results

quotation marks around phrases

2. Type AND in all caps between concepts

Search connector words in all caps

3. "Filter" your search results by resource type, date, and more. Use the "Limit to" option for "Peer Reviewed Journals" to get just scholarly journal articles.

Filter my results on left side

4. Use "Advanced Search" mode for greater control

Advanced search mode

Primary Sources