Selecting the best or most appropriate finding aid for identifying sources depends almost entirely on the context of your research assignment. There is no single database or web search interface that will work for every research context; instead, you'll need to match your specific research needs to a variety of options. As ecocriticism is a subject that crosses over many disciplines, finding an ecocritical article may require searching in multiple databases.
Library catalog searches (i.e., Primo) can be the better choice when you are seeking in-depth, book-length treatments of a topic.
Multidisciplinary databases (i.e., JSTOR) cover a wide variety of subject areas and may include a mix of popular and scholarly sources. They can be the most appropriate choice when you just want to get a sense of what's available on a topic and when it isn't so important that you pay attention to disciplinary lenses.
Subject databases (i.e., MLA International Bibliography) cover a specific discipline and provide the widest range of access to scholarly sources. They are used for in-depth research. Which subject databases you search will be determined by who may be writing about your topic. Recommended subject databases for each discipline can be found on the "articles" tab in each library subject guide.
Try these strategies to become a better, more efficient searcher -- and help you find articles that you can actually use:
Try combining one of these terms with other keywords describing your topic. This is not a comprehensive list :
If you are searching in a multidisciplinary database, adding discipline-specific keywords can help. For example:
If you're not sure yet what you're interested in, or you're interested in so many different aspects of the environment that you can't decide where to focus, you might want to browse through scholarly journals to see what catches your eye. Collins Library provides access to several relevant scholarly journals, including those listed below.
The databases listed below are examples of multidisciplinary finding aids.
Note: If you need discipline-specific resources, it is better to use the recommended subject databases under the "articles" tab in the library subject guides.
Books in Primo are assigned Library of Congress Subject Headings. In many ways, subject headings are a form of tagging, in that they represent the content of the material and provide ways for you to efficiently locate more materials that are conceptually related.
Here are several examples of the various ways you can use LCSH to help pinpoint what you need:
Some databases use LCSH subject headings, or they may have subject headings of their own.
These subject databases may be especially useful for your research projects for this class. Depending on your topic and your angle, you may wish to search additional subject databases.
