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| Getting
Background Information |
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The resources listed here are only a sampling of what is available both online and in the General & Humanities and Social Science reference centers in Firestone. We have many more specialized reference works geared to particular discplines and topical areas, so be sure to consult with the reference staff early in your research! Dictionaries
Dictionaries provide definitions of terms and their usage. They help to clarify terminology and can provide clues to keywords that may be useful when it comes time to search for books and articles.  Mirriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth
Edition Online URL: www.m-w.com
Oxford English Dictionary (PU Only)
Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias provide more in-depth background information about specific topics. Articles found in encyclopedias often provide references to additional readings and serve as a good basic introduction to a topic. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online (PU Only)Online version of the
classic Encyclopaedia Britannica. Browse by
alphabet or subject as well as search by keyword. This site also allows
you to search the Mirriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary and Collegiate
Thesaurus; and provides access to a world atlas, year in review and
historical timelines.
International
Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (PU Only)An updated online version
of the classic encyclopedia of the social
sciences. Very good for clearing up terminology and identifying key
concepts.
Routledge Encyclopedia of
Philosophy Online (PU Only)Provides over 2,000
articles, from Aristotle to Nominalism and from Personal Identity to
Zeno of Elea. Very useful resource for getting background on
philosophical topics.
Almanacs
Almanacs provide basic factual information. Use almanacs to find statistical, tabular and general information about states and countries. Infoplease.com (PU Only)Includes the
contents of the Information Please Almanacs. Coverage includes the
world, United States, history & government, biography, sports, arts
& entertainment, business, society & culture, and health &
science.
World Almanac and Book of Facts. Publisher: New York: World Almanac
Education Group, Inc. Annual.
Location: Social Science Reference Center (SSRC) Call Number: AY67 .N5 W7 (1960- ) Current volume in General & Humanities Reference, Earlier volumes (1868-1959) held in Annex A An excellent general almanac that provides a wide range of useful information annually, including key political figures, events and historical facts. Also available online (PU Only) |
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| Using the
Main Catalog |
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The Main Catalog is your primary tool for finding books in the Princeton University Libraries. The catalog also helps you find other materials, including videos, sound recordings, internet sites, and journals (the journals themselves- not individual articles). You can search the catalog by title, journal title, author, subject, or keywords. Tips
for Searching the Main Catalog
To find an item when you know the title or author, use the Basic Search. Use the Guided Search when you want to discover library materials that deal with your topic. Start your search out using keywords, which tend to get more results. Use the Long View feature to see the full record displaying the subject headings that describe the subject matter of the item. When you find items that seem relevant to your topic, use these subject headings to find additional related items. When you find an item you'd like to see, be sure to pay attention to the location, call number, and status as indicated in the catalog record. See the list of location codes for help determining in which library collection the item is held. The call number shows where in the collection the item should be, and the status tells you whether the book is available or not. For more information on the call numbers used at Princeton and for help with locating a book in Firestone, see the Library Call Numbers & Locations page. If after several tries you still don't find good results, you might want to look at the Library of Congress Subject Headings, copies of which are located at the General & Humanities and Social Science reference desks. This set of large red volumes provides a listing of the appropriate subject headings that correspond to various topics. Be sure to ask the staff at the reference desk for help. You can also schedule a research consultation with myself or another subject specialist. Beyond the main catalog, you have access to other Princeton library catalogs, as well as regional and worldwide catalogs via the Library Catalogs page. For information on how to obtain books you find at other libraries that are not held at Princeton, see the Borrow Direct and Interlibrary Loan pages. |
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| Using
Index
Databases |
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The following databases
provide references to many scholarly journal articles and papers.
For additional databases, see the Article Indexes & Research Databases page. Click here for more tips on searching the databases. General
and Multi-Disciplinary Databases
EBSCO
Academic Search Premier (PU only)This is a
multi-disciplinary full text database covering over 7,000 scholarly and
peer-reviewed journals in nearly every area of academic study
including: social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences,
engineering, physics, chemistry, language & linguistics, arts &
literature, medical sciences, ethnic studies, and more. Coverage goes
back to 1965.
OmniFile Full Text Mega (PU
only)OmniFile
is a multi-disciplinary database that provides indexing, abstracts, and
select full text of articles in a wide variety of areas, including
education, the humanities, the social sciences, science and technology,
popular periodicals, business, legal periodicals, and library and
information science. Indexing begins in 1982, abstracts in 1984, and
full-text coverage in 1994.
ProQuest Research Library (PU only)Provides
(mostly) full-text access to a wide variety of newspapers, magazines,
and scholarly journals from 1986-present.
Specialized
Databases
America: History and Life (PU only)This database is
a comprehensive bibliography of articles published
from 1955 to present on the
history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to
today.
Historical Abstracts (PU only)This database has long
been recognized as the leading bibliography providing unmatched
coverage of world history (excluding North America) dealing with time
periods from 1450 to the present. It covers approximately 2,000
journals, as well as books and dissertations published worldwide
since the mid 1950s in history and related areas,
including anthropology, genealogy, multicultural studies, political
science, and sociology.
International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (PU only)Compiled by the British
Library of Political & Economic Science of the London School of
Economics & Political Science, this database provides bibliographic
information from an international selection of publications (including
over 2,600 journals) in the fields of economics, political science,
sociology, and anthropology. Indexing covers material published from
1951 to present.
Sociological Abstracts (PU only)
Provides access to the
world's literature in sociology and related disciplines, both
theoretical and applied. The database includes abstracts of journal
articles selected from over 2,500 journals, as well as books,
conference papers, dissertations, and book reviews. Coverage of this
database goes back to 1963.
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts (PU only)Provides citations,
abstracts, and indexing of the international serials literature in
political science, including international relations, law and public
policy. Indexing covers material from 1975 to present. Also provides
references to reliable web resources.
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