LibGuides: Writing an Annotated Bibliography: Finding Sources

Library Resources

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
This large multi-disciplinary database provides full text for more than 4,770 journals, including full text for over 4,000 peer-reviewed titles.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR provides access to full-text academic electronic journals in various disciplines including economics and finance, political science, history, literature, anthropology, mathematics, sociology, statistics, and education.

MEDIA

Kanopy Streaming This link opens in a new window
A collection of more than 19,000 streaming documentaries and foreign/indie feature films, available on a patron-driven acquisition model (all titles are available to you, Butler University Libraries pays for licenses that hit usage triggers)
Films on Demand This link opens in a new window
Films on Demand is a state-of-the-art streaming video platform for a variety of educational media content.

World History in Context This link opens in a new window
From ancient Europe to Latin America and from the Far East to the Renaissance, World History in Context is a collection of reference, full-text articles from leading scholarly publications, an array of primary sources, and images, maps and charts which provide expansive geographic and chronological research materials for the study of world history.
Cambridge Histories Online This link opens in a new window
The Cambridge Histories is a globally respected series of over 400 volumes spanning fifteen subject areas across the humanities and social sciences, with a concentration on political and cultural history, literature, philosophy, religious studies, music and the arts.
Global Road Warrior This link opens in a new window
Use this database to find cultural, economic, and travel information for over 170 countries. Includes statistics, maps, and photos.
Global Issues in Context This link opens in a new window
Global Issues in Context covers a wide variety of subject areas, including sociology, current events, civics, politics, science, economics, cultural/religious studies, women's studies, human rights, English composition and many more.
Art & Architecture (Oxford Reference Online) This link opens in a new window
Oxford Reference provides definitions and in-depth, specialist encyclopedic entries across the broad disciplines of Art and Architecture.
Alt-Press Watch This link opens in a new window
Alt-Press Watch showcases unique, independent voices from a variety grassroots newspapers, magazines, and journals.

UN Data
Statistics from United Nations members states on a variety of topics

SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new window
SocINDEX with Full Text is the world's most comprehensive and highest quality sociology research database.
Cambridge Companions to Philosophy, Religion, & Culture This link opens in a new window
This online collection serves as reference works for an inter-disciplinary audience, and contains over 900 downloadable essays taken from the Cambridge Companions to Philosophy, Religion and Culture (more than 90 volumes).

U.N. Human Development Reports
2018 Statistical Update: Includes information related to the development of a country's society, including information related to health, education, income, and poverty.

GenderWatch This link opens in a new window
This is a database of unique and diverse publications that focus on how gender impacts a broad spectrum of subject areas. With its archival material, dating back to 1970 in some cases, GenderWatch is a repository of important historical perspectives on the evolution of the women's movement, men's studies, the transgendered community and the changes in gender roles over the years.
History Reference Center This link opens in a new window
This database features full text for thousands of primary source documents and informational texts.
PressReader This link opens in a new window
Access to 7000 newspapers and magazines, including international sources.

ScienceDirect (Elsevier) This link opens in a new window

World Health Organization
Trying to find international health information and statistics? This site contains statistics on - "Road safety," "Air pollution," "Water, sanitation, and hygiene," "Chemicals and second-hand smoke," and "Epidemic prone diseases," to name a few.

International Financial Statistics (International Monetary Fund) This link opens in a new window
The IFS includes data on the following topics: balance of payments, banking and financial systems, labor, exchange rates, fund position, government finance, interest rates, international liquidity, national accounts, population, prices, production, and trade.
One Business (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
ProQuest One Business is a business library containing millions of full-text items across scholarly and popular periodicals, newspapers, market research reports, dissertations, books, videos and more.

Brainstorming Keywords

To come up with keywords, identify the most important words in your research question or topic.

How do migrant workers affect agricultural economies in America?

In the research question above, the most important keywords are: "migrant workers," "America, “agricultural economies."

You could start searching the library's databases with just these keywords, but you may need to expand your search by brainstorming related words for each keyword. These could be:

Narrow words
Broader words
Ideas that are related to your topic
Synonyms (words that mean the same thing)

Take a look at the table below to see what other words we could use for 2 of our keywords.

Keyword 1: Migrant workers	Keyword 2: America
Broader: Undocumented	Synonym: USA, United States
Broader: Immigration	Broader: North America
Synonym: Day laborer	Narrower: California

As you search for sources using the keywords, you will identify new keywords from abstracts, subject terms, and titles. You can revise your searches with new keywords and continue the process until you find relevant sources.

When using a database, use "OR" to include our broader terms. When we search using OR it brings all relevant sources into our search results. When we use "AND", it allows us to pull sources that include both keywords, which can help us focus our search results on our thesis topic.

Writing an Annotated Bibliography

Understanding Keywords

Library Resources

Brainstorming Keywords

CONTACT

QUICK LINKS