ANTH 1201 - Introduction to Archaeology - Guengerich

Conquering Call Numbers!

I've got a call #, now what?

 

Click the link below for more information.

Dealing with Abbreviations

Journal names are often abbreviated in bibliographies, and deciphering them can be quite a chore.

Below is an online abbreviation lists from the American Journal of Archaeology as well as a more comprehensive print resource in our reference collection.

Books, Articles and More!

Vanderbilt University Library Catalog

Selecting the best search scope for your research needs:

Library Catalog vs. VU Collections vs. Articles

Search Scope What is included? When should I use it?
Library Catalog
  • Broadest search scope
  • Results will include books and ebooks, articles, and media like DVDs
  • A great option when you are just beginning your research process.
  • Use Library Catalog when you want to survey the research landscape for your topic
VU Collections
  • Focuses on VU owned items, physical and digital
  • Results will include books and ebooks, and media like DVDs
  • Digital collections like the TV News Archive will also be included in your results
  • You have defined your information needs
  • Use VU Collections when you are ready to create a tailored search for your topic
Articles
  • Content from selected VU databases
  • Popular and scholarly articles
  • Use Articles to find popular and scholarly articles on your topic.
  • The Articles scope does not search across all databases accessible to the Vanderbilt community.
  • Not finding the articles you need or want more database options?

For a more detailed explanation of your search scope options consult What am I searching?

 

Keyword vs. Subject Searching

Step 1:  Start your search process by brainstorming a list of keywords that describe the main concepts of your topic or question.

Step 2:  Use these keywords for your initial searches.

Step 3:  Use the Subject Heading links in the Library Catalog record to refine your search.

A Selection of Useful Subject Headings

Try a SUBJECT search using one of the Library of Congress Subject Headings listed below:

 

Material culture Social archaeology
Ethnoarchaeology Excavations (Archaeology)
Feminist archaeology Human remains (Archaeology)

 

The following databases will help you find articles on your topic:

General Databases for Archaeology

Area Specific Databases for Archaeology

 What is ?

FindIt@VU provides direct links from a database citation to the fulltext of the article (if available) and other supporting resources.

An FAQ for FindIt@VU is also available.

Example 1:  Book

To search for books use the library catalog, either Library Catalog or Library Catalog.  You can search by author or title.

Conde Feitosa, L.

2013  The Archaeology of Gender, Love, and Sexuality in Pompeii. British Archaeological Reports.  International Series 2533. Archaeopress, Oxford.

Example 2:  Journal Article

Your first stop is the library catalog, either Library Catalog or Library Catalog, to see if we have a subscription to the journal. Search by the journal name.  Once you access the journal, either online or in print, you'll be able to navigate to your specific article. Remember, you will not be able to search for individual articles in Library Catalog, only the journal titles. While Library Catalog may return individual articles in a search, it is not searching all of our subscriptions, so searching by the journal title is the safer bet.

Dolfini, A.

2013  The Gendered House.  Exploring Domestic Space in Later Italian Prehistory. Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology 26(2): 131–157.

Example 3:  Chapter from an edited Volume

The library catalog is definitely your friend, either Library Catalog or Library Catalog.  When searching for a chapter in an edited volume, remember you must search by the title of the work that contains the chapter or the editors of the work

Olson, K.

2014  Roman Sexuality and Gender. In Themes in Roman Society and Culture.  An Introduction to Ancient Rome, edited by M. Gibbs, M. Nikolic, and P. Ripat, pp. 164–188. Oxford University Press, Oxford.