Conquering Call Numbers!
I've got a call #, now what?
Click the link below for more information.
Books, Articles and More!
Vanderbilt University Library Search
Selecting the best search scope for your research needs:
Everything vs. Library Catalog vs. Articles
| Search Scope | What is included? | When should I use it? |
| Everything |
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| Library Catalog |
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| Articles |
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For a more detailed explanation of your search scope options consult What am I searching?
Keyword vs. Subject Searching
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Step 1: Start your search process by brainstorming a list of keywords that describe the main concepts of your topic or question. |
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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. |
The following databases will help you find articles on your topic:
Anthropology/Archaeology Databases
- Anthropology Plus This link opens in a new windowIndex to journal articles, reports, commentaries, edited works, and obituaries in the fields of social, cultural, physical, biological, and linguistic anthropology, ethnology, archaeology, folklore, material culture, and interdisciplinary studies. Includes materials published in English and European languages from the late 19th century to the present. Compilation of the Royal Anthropological Institute’s Anthropological Index and Harvard University's Anthropological Literature databases.
- AnthroSource This link opens in a new windowArchive of all journals, newsletters, and bulletins of the American Anthropological Association.
- Handbook of Latin American Studies This link opens in a new windowPrimary database for research on Latin America, indexing books and articles on Latin America in the social sciences and humanities. Covers the principal research worldwide and is especially strong in its inclusion of Latin American publications, articles, etc. Includes abstracts. Includes unpublished volumes in draft form.
General Databases
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowLarge and important archive for academic journals, books, and primary sources in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Many journals do not have current issues.
- ProQuest This link opens in a new window
Search all ProQuest databases simultaneously. Includes arts, humanities, social sciences, news, and science and technology.
What is 
?
FindIt@VU provides direct links from a database citation to the fulltext of the article (if available) and other supporting resources.
Example 1: Book
To search for books use the 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, 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 your friend! 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.
