Starting Your Research
Art 311
Library Instruction
Fall 2006
mary.woodley@csun.edu
818-677-6302
What is the assignment?
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Paper, Presentation, Annotated Bibliography?
Due date – when is the last date for ILL?
Citation Style? APA? MLA? Chicago?
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http://library.csun.edu/Find_Resources/e-books/estylegd.html
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Types of publications?
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Annotated Bibliography
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Citation in the correct format
A descriptive summary or analytical
note concerning the book, article,
movie, etc. Important for evaluating
whether resource will be useful for
paper or not. Include scope, biases,
timeliness. See evaluating resources
slide.
Example
Woodley, Mary. Learning How to Conduct
Research in Art History. Northridge: CSUN
Press, 2006.
This book provides the step by step process
of finding, evaluating, and writing a master’s
thesis in art history. Use with Sylvan Barnet
book and advisor’s handout.
Types of Resources
Most Internet
sources
Encyclopaedia
entries
Art survey books
ART OBJECTS
Catalogues
Letters
Documents
Monographs on
artists
Stylistic Analysis
Journal articles
http://www.newcastle.edu.au/school/fine-art/arttheoryessaywritingguide/essaywritingguide.html
Basic Search Strategies:
Words to Search by
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Jargon
Keyword
Controlled vocabulary – Subject
words/phrases
Key Words
Controlled Vocabulary
Basic Search Strategies:
Putting concepts together
Boolean operator and
Filippo
Tommaso
Marinetti
Futurism
Venn diagrams serve as a visual expression of the Boolean
operations
Basic Search Strategies:
Putting concepts together
Boolean operator or
Architecture,
Byzantine
Architecture,
Early Christian.
Basic Search Strategies:
Putting concepts together
Boolean operator not
and
Medieval
architecture
Architecture,
Byzantine
not
Church architecture
Truncation
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Symbol used at the end of a word to retrieve variant endings of
that word.
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Allows you to search the "root" form of a word with all its
different endings.
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Broadens or increases search results. Truncation = OR
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Example: teen* retrieves teen OR teens OR teenager OR
teenagers
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However: cat* retrieves cat, cats, but also cataclysm,
catacomb, catalepsy, catalog, etc.
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Use OR instead to maintain meaning: cat or cats
Wildcards
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Some databases allow for wildcards to be
embedded within a word to replace a
single character. For example:
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Colo?r retrieves color, colour
wom?n retrieves woman, women
Need a book?
1. Search the Library's online catalog. Try
searching using the keyword search.
2. Write down the floor location of the
book and the call number where the
book will be found on the shelf
How Call Numbers Work
Need an article?
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Popular magazines
Trade publications
Scholarly publications
All three may be available in print or
online or both
Popular Magazines
and Newpapers
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Authors are magazine staff members
or free lance writers.
Authors often mention sources, but rarely formally
cite them in bibliographies.
Individual issues contain numerous
advertisements.
There is no peer review process.
Articles are meant to inform and entertain.
Illustrations may be numerous and colorful.
Language is geared to the general adult audience
(no specialized knowledge of jargon needed).
Types of Periodicals:
Scholarly Journals

Articles must go through a peer-review or
refereed process.
Scholarly/academic articles that are read by academic or scholar
"referees" for advice and evaluation of content when submitted for
publication. Referees recommend to the editor/editorial board
whether the article should be published as is, revised, or rejected. Also
sometimes know as "peer-reviewed" articles.
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Articles are usually reports on scholarly
research.
Articles use jargon of the discipline.
Types of Periodicals:
Scholarly Journals
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Authors are authorities in their fields.
Authors cite their sources in endnotes,
footnotes, or bibliographies.
Individual issues have little or no
advertising.
Illustrations usually take the form of charts
and graphs.
Internet Resources vs.
Surfing the Web
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Internet Resources include:
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Internet accessible databases and journals
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Use a Web interface
Usually require subscription
 Exception: ERIC Wizard
Equivalent to print indexes and journals
Authoritative and reliable
Surfing the Web:
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Use free search engines
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E.G.: Yahoo, Google, HotBot
Critical evaluation required
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Anyone can put up a Web page!
Evaluating Web pages
(http://library.csun.edu/mwoodley/Webeval.html)
Evaluating Print & Electronic
Resources
World Wide Web sites come in many sizes and styles. How do you distinguish a
site that gives reliable information from one that gives incorrect information?
Below are some guidelines to help.
Types of Web Sites: the url is a key
.gov
.edu
.org
.com
Authority
Content & Coverage
Timeliness
Accuracy
Objectivity