How do I get started?
1. Choose a topic. Your instructor might give you a topic or ask you to choose one.
2. Learn more about your topic and what the different sides of the issues are by finding background information in
dictionaries, encyclopedias and books.
o World Book Encyclopedia (Ref AE 5.W55 2008) – Good place to start for most topics.
o Dictionary of classical mythology (Ref BL715.B44 1982) Specialized reference materials
o Mythology : an illustrated encyclopedia (Ref BL311.M95 1992)
3. Write your topic on a sheet of paper.
4. Break the topic down into keywords. Think of as many words as you can to describe your topic.
o Example: Legend of King Arthur
5. Keywords: King Arthur; Sir Lancelot; Knights of the Round Table; Grail
6. Find out what kinds of sources you can use: books, e-books, magazines, journals, websites…
Library Website: www.epcc.edu/library
Books
1. Go to the library website.
2. Click on “Library Catalog.”
3. Search for books by Keyword, Subject, Title, or Author.
o Keyword – Enter the keywords that describe your topic. Use the word “AND” in between words.
 Mythology
 Chupacabra
o Subject – Enter the main idea of your topic.
 Arthur, King
 Aztec mythology, Mayan mythology
o Title - Enter the title of the book you want to find. Bulfinch's mythology
o Author - Enter the name of the author (last name, first name)
4. Check the location of the book (campus where it is located). You can request that another campus send the book
to your campus (may take a week).
5. Write down the call number of the book so you can look for the book on the shelf.
E-books
o
o
If the book is an e-book, click on the title. Then click on the link to the electronic book.
Click on “View e-book.” You can turn the pages at the top right using “previous” or “next.” You can also
use the table of contents and index down the side to jump to another section in the book.
Articles
1.
2.
3.
4.
Go to the library website.
Click on “Online Databases.”
These are listings of databases. Databases are just magazine, journals, and newspapers on the computer.
The databases are divided up by subject. Choose the subject closest to your topic.
o (Social Science; General Interest; Newspapers)
5. Good databases to try for your topics:
o Database Collections:
o EBSCO Databases– Provides journals, magazines, newspapers from 1887-Present
 EBSCOhostWeb – All Databases (Check Select at top), Continue
 Search by keyword
 Topic: King Arthur
 Enter Keywords: King Arthur (checkmark Full-Text)
o Narrow choices by source type (see left column) – ex. Books

Galenet/InfoTrac Collections Menu Search the cross-searchable databases
 Search by keyword or subject of your choice. Then narrow by material type
 Topic: Zeus and god
 Topic: leprechauns
Engl 1302 – Spring 2011 – Mythology cwh 2/1/11
o
Lexis Nexis Academic – Provides access to over 10,000 news, business, and legal sources including
access to the full-text of the El Paso Times from 1999-Present
1. Click on Lexis Nexis Academic
2. Under “Search the News”
3. In “Search for” enter your keywords
4. In “Source type” enter “All News”
5. Click on “Go.”
 Topic: chupacabra (Keywords: chupacabra)
 Enter keywords: chupacabra
 On the left side, you can limit to Sources or specific Subjects
o
SIRS Knowledge Source – Provides magazines, newspapers, reference materials, and images. Can
also select primary sources
 Database opens to a subject search--- Arthur, King (Legendary Character) - Can also
select a keyword search.
 Topic: Greek Mythology (Keywords: Greek gods, Greek goddesses, Artemis, Hera)
 Enter keywords: Aphrodite (Greek deity), Mythology, Greek;
6. Select the database you would like to use by clicking on the title. (If you are off-campus, click on “Off-campus
access.”)
7. Enter your keywords in the search box.
Examples:
o Roman deities
8. Checkmark the Full-Text box (limits to articles with article attached)
9. Click on search.
10. Find the article you want to read and click on the title.
11. To read the article, click on pdf or html full-text link provided.
12. You can e-mail, print, or save the article.
13. If you don’t find what you need or get too many hits, try changing the words in the search box - - add more words,
take words away, use different words. ASK FOR HELP!
Primary and Secondary Sources (description):
Internet:
http://www.princeton.edu/~refdesk/primary2.html
Criteria for Evaluating Resources on the Web: Authority, Accuracy, Objectivity, Currency, Coverage
The Internet has a lot of great resources. It is important, however, to evaluate the website to make sure it has reliable
information before using it in your paper.
Author: Who is the author of the website? Do they have a degree in the topic they are writing about? Who are they
affiliated with? (Look for author name, “about us,” “who we are,” etc… for this information)
Date: How old is the information? Has it been updated recently? (Look for the publication date somewhere
on the page.)
Bias: Is the information biased? Are they taking a side of the issue and trying to push their opinion or trying to sell you
something? Is it fact or opinion? It is important to use unbiased sources for informational papers.
Sources listed: Did the author list where they got their information?
 MYTH*ING LINKS -http://www.mythinglinks.org/ct~creation.html (watch for high risk pop-ups!)
CITATION HELP:
 Library> Citation Help and Tutorials> MLA Citing - Online Databases (PDF) (Seventh Edition)
 Library> Citation Help and Tutorials> Diana Hacker - Research and Documentation Online (Humanities
gives MLA sample paper, Works Cited, and citation examples.)
 KnightCite (Calvin College)
http://www.knightcite.com
NEED HELP - ASK A LIBRARIAN
Engl 1302 – Spring 2011 – Mythology cwh 2/1/11