I've got a call #, now what?
Click the link below for more information.
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.
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 |
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VU Collections |
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Articles |
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For a more detailed explanation of your search scope options consult What am I 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.