Library Resources
Greetings from your librarian for Introduction to Political Theory: I can help you find articles or answer any other question.
I share office hours with an awesome team of librarians, so if you'd like some one-on-one help click here to book an appointment or let me know a time that works for you. We're here for you!
Jenny Castel | jcastel@jwu.edu | 401-598-1887
Did you know you can also chat or text with one of our on-duty librarians? It's anonymous, free, and super fast!
- Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
- A great place to start for most topics
- Mostly full-text articles from scholarly peer-reviewed journals, trade journals, popular magazines, and newspapers
- If full-text is not available, click link to Check for Full Text (Providence) to connect to Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request form
- JSTOR Arts & Sciences XI Collection This link opens in a new window
- For access to content that JWU subscribes to, please select "Advanced Search" from JSTOR's homepage, then select "Content I can access" from the "Select an access type" drop down menu
- Features a diverse group of humanities, language and literature, rhetoric and composition journals from 15 countries
- Millions of high-quality primary sources and images from around the world, including artworks, maps, photographs, and more
- SAGE Journals Online This link opens in a new window
- Full-text peer-reviewed journal articles from 1999-TO THE CURRENT YEAR
- Content covers fields such as Administration & Leadership, Business/Management, Clothing & Textiles, Criminal Justice, Cultures, Education, Entrepreneurship, Food Science, Hospitality, Information Science, Literature, Marketing, Sports, Travel & Tourism
How to Start a Search:
Step 1: Think about your topic/focus
Step 2: Extract the main keywords/concepts
Step 3: Open your database of choice (see "Databases" tab)
Step 4: Input each of the words into the search lines. Click 'Search'!
- Example Research Question: How does social media affect mental health?
- Search Terms: Social Media (and) Mental Health
Bonus Step: Select search limiters (left side of screen)
- Full Text
- Scholarly/Peer Reviewed
Your search page will look similar to this ....
Narrowing a Search / Preventing Information Overload
improve your results by adding another term to your search
Pro Tip 1:
- Use the Database Thesaurus. Click "subject thesaurus," then click "show more"
- It provides an extensive list of terms/themes that relate to your main topic.
- Once you select a term, it will automatically be added to your search.
Pro Tip 2:
- Read the "subjects" terms listed under each result.
- Make a list of the keywords that relate to your research. You can individually input them as search terms.
Your search page will look similar to this! ....
How to Choose an Article
Step 1:
Read the title: titles typically reveal the main theory or variables being investigated in the article
Step 2:
How to Read a Scholarly/Academic Article
Often, the contents of an academic article cannot be grasped by a single reading.
You have to engage with it several times, but in different ways.
