Collins Memorial Library: FREN 380: Studies in French and Francophone Culture: Secondary Sources

Recommended Databases

Secondary sources in the form of scholarly articles can be found by searching subscription databases. Depending on the parameters of your topic, you should search one or more of the databases listed below.

America: History & Life This link opens in a new window
Indexes scholarly work on the land currently covered by the U.S. and Canada from prehistorical times to the present. Very useful for topics related to New France; French colonial practices; French attitudes toward Native Americans, etc.
Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Covers all aspects of world history from 1450 to the present. Almost all topics for the research project in French 380 will have relevant materials in this database.
Arts & Humanities Database This link opens in a new window
Features hundreds of titles covering Art, Architecture, Design, History, Philosophy, Music, Literature, Theatre and Cultural Studies.
History of Science, Technology and Medicine (HSTM)
Helpful for research topics that relate to technological infrastructure in early modern France (like plumbing), scientific discoveries, and the history of diseases and treatment.
Humanities Abstracts
Covers topics including art, classical studies, dance, film, journalism, philosophy, religion and much more.
MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
Indexes scholarly work in literary studies, including drama.
Music Periodicals Database
Covers the full spectrum of music related topics in international music periodicals from many countries.

How to Search for French Language Material in Databases

Depending on the database, there are a few strategies to find resources written in French:

You can:

conduct your search in English and then, once you have a list of results, click on the Search Options and then from the Language list, select French.
search using French search terms.
locate the Thesaurus or Subject Terms and appropriate French terms.

Be aware of databases that auto correct French words to similar English words.

Electronic Journal Collections

In most cases, you'll be better served by searching the subject databases to the left. However, if you have a topic that is very multidisciplinary, searching these electronic journal collections might be useful.

JSTOR
Multidisciplinary archive of scholarly journals. Includes both English- and French-language articles.
Project MUSE
Multidisciplinary collection of articles in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

General Database Search Tips

Try these strategies to become a better, more efficient searcher -- and help you find articles that you can actually use:

Build your search vocabulary -- keep a running list of key words, phrases, concepts, synonyms, and any related terms or ideas that you find.
Use advanced search features -- narrow your search with "AND," expand your search with "OR," or search in specified fields (i.e., author, title, publication, abstract).
Use search limits -- control the types of results you get (academic journals? language?) and how they are displayed (date? relevance?) so that you're only looking at results you can use.
Try multiple searches and evaluate your results -- try to figure out why you got the results you did, and adjust your search until you get closer to results you can use.
Use database descriptors -- once you find an article that looks good, see what descriptors or "subject headings" were assigned to it in the database. You can use these to search only for articles that have the same descriptors attached.

Tipasa: Interlibrary Loan

If your article is not available at Collins Library, you've got another option for getting it. Use Tipasa, our interlibrary loan service.

Tipasa is linked to your library account so you'll need to log in to use it.

Once you are logged in, either go directly to Tipasa and manually enter the information, or, if you're using a database, look for a shortcut link to automatically fill out the form:

Allow at least a week for the article to come. If your article is delivered in electronic format, you'll receive an email with a link to follow as soon as it's arrived.