reference databases

reference databases

Psychology Questions

Psychology Questions

, , , Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Research
This week, in our ongoing series on how to do research in the major disciplines at IU East, we will look at psychology.  Psychology courses can have a lot of potential research topics – you might be looking for a theorist, a type of treatment, historical issues in psychology, or approach from a mental health perspective. Most types of psychology research are well supported by the general techniques we explored at the beginning of this series.  Several databases are tailored for this, including PsycINFO and ProQuest Psychology.  If you are interested in a historical topic, a database like JSTOR may also be of value.  All of our other psychology-related databases can be found here. So, for example, if we were … Continued
Math Questions

Math Questions

, , Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Research
This week, we will continue our series on the research needs of the major disciplines taught at IU East with a look at mathematics.  People approach math for numerous reasons – studying historical mathematics or mathematicians, practical math (including solving problems and learning formulas), using math as a ‘language’ for another discipline, such as engineering or one of the sciences, or for researching new or unproven hypotheses.  Studying these disparate elements requires different approaches.  Math is also a diverse field, and the needs and goals of, say, calculus are much different from those of geometry or statistics.  They use a common ‘language’, but their purpose and what each subfield describes are quite distinct.  Some tacks are similar to research performed … Continued
Social Work Questions

Social Work Questions

, , Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Research
In the tenth part of our summer research series, we’ll be looking at social work.  Like the other disciplines we’ve examined so far, the study of social work will benefit from knowledge of the general techniques we covered in the first week.  But there is plenty more to understand about this field, and how to get the best information available. For general research, you would want to start with one of our academic databases.  SocIndex, ProQuest Social Science Journals, or Social Theory are good places to begin.  If you need ebooks, the Social Sciences eBook Collection and eBrary both have solid collections.  And for videos, try Counseling and Therapy in Video.  All our social work and social science databases can be found … Continued
Fine Arts Questions

Fine Arts Questions

, , , Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Research
This summer, we’ve been examining the tools available to you to perform the best possible research at IU East – from broadly applicable general techniques to in-depth tools for specific disciplines.  This week, we’ll explore the fine arts. Fine arts is a broad subject, including the graphic arts, music, and performance art.  You might be looking at a specific creator, or a creation.  Or, you might be exploring a technique, instead.  We have plenty of good arts databases for examining theory, execution, or artist.  Some, like JSTOR, Humanities International Index, or ProQuest Arts are good for any of the fine arts. Others are more specific – ones like International Index to Performing Arts, Film Index International, Garland Encyclopedia of World Music … Continued
History Questions

History Questions

, , Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Research
Over the course of the summer, we have been looking at how to perform high quality, academic research in all of the major disciplines IU East teaches.  While we started with general techniques usable in any research, that’s only the tip of the iceberg.  Each area of study has its own quirks and special types of knowledge, and we want you to be good at whatever type of scholarship you choose to major in.  This week, we’ll dig into the study of history. History is an area of scholarship with a broad scope – you might be researching something that happened five years ago, or five thousand.  Few other subjects have as wide of potential range.  Fortunately, there are a … Continued