There are several databases from which to choose when you are seeking scholarly work. For this course, most of you will want to start your search with MLAIB (literature and linguistics) or America: History & Life (U.S. and Canadian history). Always make sure that you've selected the most appropriate database to search!
Try these strategies to become a better, more efficient searcher -- and help you find articles that you can actually use:
When reading a citation, break it down into parts. Check out the color-coded example below:
Hamilton, Caroline V. "The Erotic Charisma Of Alexander Hamilton." Journal Of American Studies, vol. 45, no.1, 2011, pp. 1-19.
Author. Article Title. Journal Title, Volume, Issue, Year of Publication, page numbers.
Tip: The most common pitfall of reading citations is mixing up the article and journal titles. Remember when searching Primo to find out if we have access to an article: it will be most efficient to search for the journal title.
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.
