The purpose of this page is to guide you through the research process, but if you have any problems or questions, please contact a librarian by:

     1) going to the library,
     2) calling 425-5312, or
     3) using the Ask a Librarian option.

Happy hunting!

All the books listed in this section are in the Reference area of the library unless otherwise indicated.

• Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (Ref BL 31 O84 1997)
• Dictionary of Native American Mythology (Ref E 98 R3 G46 1994; also available as an Ebook)

• Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara (Ref DT 351 E53 1997 -- 4 vols.)
• Encyclopedia of African and African-American Religions (Ref BL 2462.5 E53 2001)
• Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History (Ref E 185 E54 1996 -- 5 vols. + supplement)
• Encyclopedia of Native American Religions: An Introduction. (Ref E 98 R3 H73 2000)
• Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America (Ref BL 458 E52 2006)
• Encyclopedia of Women and World Religion (Ref BL 458 E53 1999 -- 2 vols.)
• Encyclopedia of World Cultures. (Ref GN 307 E53 1991 -- 10 vols. + supplement)
• Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America. (Ref E 184 A1 G14 2000 -- 3 vols.)
• Macmillan Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. (Ref E 76.2 J63 1999)
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East. (Ref DS 56 O9 1997 -- 5 vols.)

• Encyclopedia of Japan (Check out at front desk)

Write down the main concepts or keywords that have to do with your topic, then try to think of other words or phrases that are related. When you’re searching the library catalog and online databases, you sometimes have to try several different words or phrases before you find what you’re looking for. For example, if your topic is “How does television violence affect children?” you might write:

Searching Tips:

Boolean operators

• AND - will retrieve articles that have both terms. Example: If you search on "televison AND violence," you'll get articles about both television and violence.
  
  
• OR - will retrieve articles that have either term. (Be sure to put parentheses around words connected by OR.) Example: If you search on "television OR violence," you'll get articles about television, about violence, and about television and violence.
  
  
• Use Boolean operators and the search terms that you listed above to create a search, such as:
  
  "television AND violence AND children."
  If you wanted to include all of the related terms, you might try:
  
  "(television OR cartoons OR ninja) AND
  
  (violence OR aggression OR fighting) AND
  
  (children OR youth OR adolescents)."

• Truncation allows you to search for different versions of the same word. Basically, you substitute an asterisk (*) for one or more letters. This is a quick and easy way to include plurals, tense variations and alternate spellings. Example: "violen*" will find violence, violent, etc.
  
  
• Be careful when using truncation; "cat*" will find cat, cats, catastrophe, catalog, catapult, etc.
  
  
• When you're searching the OC Catalog, you'll need to use "$" instead of "*" (e.g., "violen$").

To access these resources, go to the library's Web site (www.oc.edu/library). NetLibrary and WorldCat are available off campus only to OC students, faculty, and staff, who must use their OC login and password to access the databases. If you have an OC login but are having problems logging into these databases, please call the reference desk at 425-5322 or Ask a Librarian.

OC Library Catalog (books in the OC Library)

• Select: OC Catalog
• Search by author, title, or keyword

• Select: NetLibrary

• Select: WorldCat
• TIP: If you find a book in WorldCat that is not in the OC library, you can request it on interlibrary loan (i.e., we’ll borrow it from another library) by clicking on the ILL button at the top left and typing in your name and information. The book will usually arrive in around 2 weeks, and the service is usually free.

• Select: Other Library Catalogs
• Select the desired library
• TIP: Other local libraries are a good option when you don’t have time to wait for a book on interlibrary loan. Through the OK-Share program, OC students and faculty can check out books from over 40 university & college libraries in Oklahoma.

To access all databases, go the library's Web page (www.oc.edu/library) and click on "Find Articles." All databases are available on campus, but most databases are available off campus only to OC students, faculty, and staff, who must use their OC login and password to access the databases. If you have an OC login but are having problems logging into the databases, please call the reference desk at 425-5322 or Ask a Librarian.

Anthropological Index Online (listed under History)

Citations to articles in journals held by The Anthropology Library at The British Museum, which receives periodicals in all branches of anthropology.

ATLA Religion Database (listed under Religion)

Indexes articles from scholarly journals in the religious field worldwide, essays in books, and book reviews. Provides citation and abstracts for articles as well as the full text for many (but not all!) of the articles.

TIP: If you find an article in ATLA that is not in the OC library, you can request it on interlibrary loan (i.e., we'll borrow it from another library) by clicking on the ILL icon and typing in your name and information. Articles cost $0.10/page and usually arrive in around 2 weeks. The article fee is due even if the article arrives too late, so please do not order articles unless you think they will arrive in time.

Includes articles from all disciplines including religion. Provides citation and abstracts for articles as well as the full text for many (but not all!) of the articles.

TIP: If you find an article in Academic Search that is not in the OC library, you can request it on interlibrary loan (i.e., we'll borrow it from another library) by clicking on the ILL icon and typing in your name and information. Articles cost $0.10/page and usually arrive in around 2 weeks. The article fee is due even if the article arrives too late, so please do not order articles unless you think they will arrive in time.

Includes articles from all disciplines including religion. Entries are citations. Allows you to limit your search to articles in journals that are in the OC Library.

TIP: If you find an article in ArticleFirst that is not in the OC library, you can request it on interlibrary loan (i.e., we'll borrow it from another library) by clicking on the ILL button at the top left and typing in your name and information. Articles cost $0.10/page and usually arrive in around 2 weeks. The article fee is due even if the article arrives too late, so please do not order articles unless you think they will arrive in time.

PsycInfo (listed under Psychology)

Indexes articles from scholarly journals in the area of psychology back to 1840. Many of the entries have abstracts, but some are just citations.

TIP: If you find an article in PsycInfo that is not in the OC library, you can request it on interlibrary loan (i.e., we'll borrow it from another library) by clicking on the ILL icon and typing in your name and information. Articles cost $0.10/page and usually arrive in around 2 weeks. The article fee is due even if the article arrives too late, so please do not order articles unless you think they will arrive in time.

PsycArticles (listed under Psychology)

Full text of articles from scholarly journals in the area of psychology from 1985 to the present.

Newspaper articles from various newspapers published in the United States. All articles are full text.

Newspaper articles from various newspapers published in the United States and abroad. All articles are full text.

Indexes articles from scholarly journals that are related to the history of the United States and Canada from prehistoric times to the present. Many of the entries have abstracts, but some are just citations.

Indexes articles from scholarly journals that are related to the history of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding the United States and Canada). Many of the entries have abstracts, but some are just citations.

Humanities Index 1974- (Third floor index table)

A subject index to periodical literature in the humanities.

Social Sciences 1974-94 (Third floor index table)

A subject index to periodical literature in the social sciences.

Social Sciences & Humanities Index 1966-74 (Third floor index table)

A subject index to periodical literature in the humanities and social sciences. This index was divided in 1974 to become the Humanities Index and the Social Sciences Index.

Religion Index One 1949- (Third floor index table)

A subject index to periodical literature including an author/editor and a scripture index. Included in ATLA Religion Database.

• Take a look at the Library’s recommended links about international studies and religion.
  
  
• Some particularly useful sites are:
  1. Virtual Religion Index (virtualreligion.net/vri/)
  2. Anthropology Gateway—Directory of Online Anthropology Resources (www.academicinfo.net/anth.html)
  3. Academic Info: Chinese Religions (www.academicinfo.net/chinarelig.html)
         Academic Info provides a list of online resources with information about Chinese religions.
  4. Academic Info: Jewish Studies ( www.academicinfo.us/judaism.html)
          Information and links about Judaism.
  5. Academic Info: Religion Gateway ( www.academicinfo.net/religindex.html)
          Starting point for links to multiple religious traditions.
  6. Lanic: Anthropology and Archaeology (www1.lanic.utexas.edu/la/region/anthropology/)
          Lanic's (Latin American Network Information Center) site for Anthropological and Archaeological resources on Latin American cultures.
  7. Native Web (www.nativeweb.org/)
          Guide to sources on indigenous cultures around the world.
  8. Religion in Japan (www.japan-guide.com/e/e629.html)
          Information and links about religion in Japan.
  9. WWW Virtual Library: Regional Studies (www.vlib.org/Regional)
          Links to information on specific regions around the world (unfortunately, many of the links no longer are operative).
  10. Wabash Center Guide to Internet Resources for Teaching and Learning on Theology and Religion (www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/resources/guide_headings.aspx)
           Selective, annotated guide to electronic resources for those involved in the study and practice of religion. Includes syllabi, electronic texts, electronic journals, and more.
       
  
  
• Do a search in WorldCat that is limited to "Internet Resources."
  
  
• Use the following sites to search for scholarly information on the Web
  1. Infomine
  2. Google Scholar
  3. Directory of Open Access Journals (a list of free online scientific & scholarly journals)


• Search the Web for sites that provide information on your topic, but remember that many Web sites are not reliable and may provide false or misleading information. Some good search engines are:
  1. Google (a search engine that emphasizes academic sites)
  2. Altavista
  3. Alltheweb
  4. Yahoo!