HIST 102 - Kristin Leaf
- Subject Heading Browse
- Advanced K eyword Searching
- Reference Books
- Online Databases
- Web Sites
- Getting Research Help
- Citing Sources
- Avoiding Plagiarism
Subject Heading Browse Related to Your Topics
Use the GCC Library Online Catalog to find print and electronic books as well as other items such as web sites on your subject. The example below is a Subject Browse search, which allows you to explore your topic in the catalog.
Notice in your results how the list becomes more specific by the addition of terms.
Below are Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) you may use to conduct a Subject Heading search for your research assignment for HIST 102. Select different subject headings to explore the sources the GCC Library owns for any particular topic. But how do you know which Subject Headings to use when searching for books? Below are some suggested examples, chosen specifically for your assignment, but remember that there are many more. Also notice that some Subject Headings can be guessed; for example, since there is a Subject Heading for English fiction - 19th century, you can assume that there is also a Subject Heading for German fiction - 19th century, etc.
Anarchism |
Ideology |
Notice that in the example below, you may conduct a combined search in the Subject field and in the a Keyword field to refine your search. The figure below shows that we entered World War, 1914-1918 from the list of LCSH terms. In the second search box, we entered operations as a keyword anywhere search .
**When searching a library catalog, database, or search engine, you do not need to add capital letters or punctuation.**
Reference Books
Reference books are a great place to find information on your topics, and one of the best ways to locate reference books is to browse the appropriate call number range. Use the call number ranges listed below to decide which area of the reference collection to browse. For example, if you're writing about architecture during the period of the Soviet Union, you should start with the 700s because that's where the music reference books are. Note that the reference books are on the main floor of the library near the reference desk. Reference books cannot be checked out.
DEWEY DECIMAL CALL NUMBER RANGES
000 Generalities
100 Philosophy & psychology
200 Religion
300 Social sciences
400 Language
500 Natural sciences & mathematics
600 Technology (Applied sciences)
700 The arts
800 Literature & rhetoric
900 Geography & history
Searching Online Databases
The GCC Library subscribes to various online databases that you can search from both on and off campus. (When searching from off campus, you will be prompted to enter your student ID number and your password). There are databases that have articles from reference sources and others that have articles from journals and newspapers. To locate the database that is right for your topic, look at the Database Descriptions & Guides page.
One database may look different than another, but they all work in basically the same ways. They all have:
- A text box where you type your search terms
- Limiting options that allow you to specialize your search
- A Search button that you click to start your search
- Help features in case you're confused
Below are some examples of GCC Library databases search screens. These are not the only databases available; they are just examples to get you started.
Notice all the areas of the search screen that give you information to conduct a search in this database. In most databases, try to select the Advanced Search option, which allows you more flexibility and control as to where you want your terms to be found as in the Options section below; or, you may be able to limit your search to the type of resources you want searched like those offered through the tabbed links in the figure below.
ProQuest is a popular database among students, but it can also be a tricky one to use depending on your assignment or topic. It is important to be patient and try out different search terms to compare your results. A couple of things to keep in mind: 1) Avoid entering more than two words in a search box and avoid using more than two search boxes per search. you can always narrow once you get an idea of what is available to you. 2) If you feel lost, find the Help menu or link. Using the help menu will acquaint you to the specific database and provide you with some good tips to improve your results.
3) Finally, there are many book review sources in ProQuest, but they are not appropriate for research because they are sources about sources. You may, however, use a source mentioned in the book review, but only if you have access to the actual source mentioned. Below is a figure to show you how to avoid book reviews.
Web Sites
These are just a few recommended web sites to get you started.
Art Images for College Teaching (AICT) -- Covers ancient times to 20th century.
The Classical Music Pages -- Includes history, biographical information about composers (with portraits and short sound examples), explanations of the various musical forms and a dictionary of musical terminologies.
Cold War International History Project -- Includes a virtual archive, documents and papers, etc.
Creating French Culture -- Covers the 8th to the 20th centuries.
Encycopedia of 1848 Revolutions -- Click on Table of Contents or Introduction to begin.
Islamic Culture and the Medical Arts -- Information from the National Library of Medicine.
Jewish History Resource Center -- Search by time period, topic, etc.
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution -- Includes topical essays, images, documents, songs, maps, etc.
Web Gallery of Art -- Covers European painting and sculpture of the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods (1100-1850).
Getting Help with Your Research
The GCC Library provides research assistance in various formats.
INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH ASSISTANCE:
You can always come to the reference desk to get individualized assistance whenever the library is open. To learn more about research help, visit our Ask A Librarian web page.
The GCC Library offers free, one-hour workshops to help students become better researchers. You can sign up for workshops and attend at your convenience. To see a workshop schedule and to sign up for workshops online, visit the Workshop Schedule web page.
ONLINE RESEARCH GUIDES AND TUTORIALS:
Check out the Research Guides and Tutorials web page for more online tools to help you do research.
FINDING BOOKS AND ARTICLES FROM OTHER LIBRARIES:
As a student at GCC, you are also able to check out books at the Pasadena City College Library and the California State University Los Angeles Library. To search their online catalogs, go to the Search Other Libraries web page.
If you still cannot find the book you need, or if you need an article not available in the GCC Library, you can use Interlibrary Loan (ILL) to request the book or article from another library. The book or article will be sent to the GCC Library for your use.
Citing Sources
The GCC Library provides some brief, online guides about the MLA and APA citation styles. Notice that there are separate guides for citing print sources and electronic sources. You can also use the library catalog to search for style manuals, which have more in-depth information. The two most frequently used style manuals for MLA and APA styles are:
- MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
(808.02 G437m, 2003) - Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
(808.06615 P976, 2001)
Another good source of information for citing sources and writing research papers is the Online Writing Lab (OWL) from Purdue University. Check out the various links available at this site.
Avoiding Plagiarism
Glendale Community College has a Policy on Academic Honesty that all students are required to follow. It is your responsibility to know this policy (it's available in the GCC Class Schedule). When doing research, you must be particularly careful that you do not plagiarize another writer's ideas or words. The GCC Library provides an online guide to Avoiding Plagiarism to help students recognize what is acceptable when quoting, paraphrasing, and citing other people's work.
The free Adobe Acrobat Reader is required.
To download a free copy click here.
Last Updated 10/20/09 sch
