Fighting Against the Odds


Need help with your research? Contact:

Martha Stevenson
Reference Librarian
phone: x3601
email: msteven@muhlenberg.edu
IM (AIM): mlwstevenson
Reference desk IM: talktotrexler


How do I find scholarly introductions for my paper topic?

Greenwood Encyclopedia of Women's Issues Worldwide
(Trexler Library A level, Reference 305.4203 G816e)

Muslim Cultures Today: A Reference Guide
(Trexler Library A level, Reference 909.09767 C854m)
See bibliography for suggestions on websites, articles, and books.

Women's Roles and Statuses the World Over
(Trexler Library A level, Reference 305.4209 H529w)

How do I locate popular views and controversies?

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page)
A communally-written encyclopedia. Not authoritative, but useful in exposing controversies.

How do I find scholarly books and government documents?

Scholarly books pertaining to this subject area can be accessed from home or campus by visiting the Trexler Library Home Page - Find - Books,Videos,Music. See especially:

Trexler Library Catalog  
Catalog of all books and documents in Trexler Library at Muhlenberg College.

WorldCat
 Catalog of books and documents in libraries throughout the world. Watch especially for the AREA LIBRARIES designation. You can interlibrary loan from WorldCat, but E-ZBorrow has faster delivery.

E-ZBorrow
A catalog of books and documents in the libraries of the PALCI consortium to which Muhlenberg College belongs. Submit interlibrary loan requests here for rapid delivery.

How do I locate popular periodicals including news articles?

News articles pertaining to this subject area can be accessed from home or campus by visiting the Trexler Library Home Page - Find - Articles A-Z. See especially:

Academic Search Premier
A good starting place for popular periodicals, many full text.

LexisNexis Academic
1970s-present. Go to News. Once there Select Sources.

News and Newspapers Online (open access) (http://library.uncg.edu/news/)
A portal to web-presence newspapers.

WNC World News Connection
Many articles are published in another language, then translated into English.

How do I locate peer-reviewed (scholarly) journal articles?

Journal articles pertaining to this subject area can be accessed from home or campus by visiting the Trexler Library Home Page - Find - Articles A-Z. See especially:

general indexes with some full text. . .

Academic Search Premier
A good starting place for journals, and includes the full text of about 4000 journals. Limit to "peer reviewed" to find only scholarly articles. Back issues of journals begin as early as 1990. Recent issues may not be included yet, due to publisher agreement. Journals held in Trexler Library are marked accordingly.

Google Scholar (open access) (http://scholar.google.com)
A general index to "scholarly" resources, some of which may be full text.

Omnifile (WilsonWeb)
Includes extensive full text, from both popular and scholarly periodicals. Limit to "refereed" to find only scholarly articles.

subject-specialty indexes. . .

Historical Abstracts
World history database. Good for Middle East history and culture back to 1492.

JSTOR
Full text archival database of important schoarly journals in many disciplines. Many of the journals date back to the 1800s.

How do I get the article?

  1. When searching for articles, you may find the full-text of an article linked in the database.

  2. If not, you need to search the Trexler Library Catalog to see if we own the journal in which the article is published.
    • Most databases have a Get It! link embedded. Click the link to check our holdings.
    • Otherwise, search the catalog by journal title. Verify that we have online, print, or microform access to the year/volume you need.
  3. If we do not own the journal you need, request the article via Interlibrary Loan.
    • Some databases have a Request on Interlibrary Loan link embedded. Click the link to fill out the form. Click Submit.
    • Otherwise, use the Interlibrary Loan Journal Article Request Form (Library Homepage  --  ILL (in the Services & Forms box)  --  Articles request form). Fill out the form with as much information as possible. Ask for help, if you have questions.

How do I evaluate information resources for their scholarly value?

View a checklist of criteria for evaluating web and print resources at our Evaluating Resources Handout (http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/guides/evaluating.pdf).

How do I cite my sources in a bibliography?

For tips on citing print and electronic sources, follow the path Trexler Library Home Page - Research Help - Citation Guides.

© Muhlenberg College
Last modified: 19 February 2008