CRWR 340: Nonfiction Workshop

The following databases are useful for research on a wide variety of topics in the humanities.

For a complete list of Databases at Oberlin, check out our Databases A-Z.

To find scholarly articles when searching in a database, look for filters that allow you to limit results to scholarly & peer-reviewed articles.

Google Scholar is a great place to explore citing and cited articles (citation tracing or tracking).

For a resource in Google Scholar search results, you can view:

• Citing articles (Cited by [#]): Articles published subsequent to the resource, and which refer to the resource.
• Related articles: Articles which may be more or less recent than the resource, but which cover the same or closely related subjects, share citations with the resource, and/or are frequently cited together with the resource.

Google Scholar also allows you to limit your search to the subset of citing articles; to do so:

1. For a resource in the search results which includes citing article information, select Cited by [#];
2. Check the box beside Search within citing articles;
3. Enter your search term(s), and submit your search.

Learn more in Google Scholar Search Help.

1. Read The Abstract
The abstract will give you a general understanding of the article. Also, pay attention to the authors and their titles.

2. Read The Conclusion

The conclusion will summarize the author's findings including ways of improving the research.

3. Read The Introduction

The introduction will set up the layout of the article and the main argument of the article.

Tip #1: Highlight important ideas.

4. Read The First And Last Sentence Of Each Paragraph

The first and last sentence of each paragraph will give you a brief understanding of the discussion. 

Tip #2: Take notes on the margins.

5. Read The Rest Of The Article

After getting a general idea of the article, read the entire article to get a full picture of the author's argument.

Tip #3: Repeat steps one and two.

Original

An article that reports on original research such as an experiment, or analysis of data, a creative work, phenomena, or historical event.

Review

An article summarizing the results of many original articles investigating similar topics. May use analytic techniques such as meta-analysis to statistically compare data from multiple studies.

Tip #1 - Many scholarly journals, especially in the Humanities, also publish book reviews of scholarly books. These are not the same as review articles!

Theory

An article intended to contribute to the theoretical foundations of a field, providing explanations for phenomena and frameworks that can be used to guide the analysis of evidence.

Databases

The following databases may be useful for finding news, newspaper, and magazine articles related to your research. For a full list of databases at Oberlin, check out our Databases A-Z.

Try limiting results in Databases A-Z by Type > News & Newspapers.

NYT, WSJ, and Newspaper Access at Oberlin

For information on access to local, state, and national newspapers, including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, refer to the following research guides:

Typically, popular sources exhibit the following characteristics:

• Informal in tone and scope, with language that is easily understood by the general public
• Include illustrations or advertisements
• Written or created by journalists, staff writers, or freelance writers
• Do not report on original research, are not peer-reviewed, and rarely include citations

Are you having trouble distinguishing between scholarly and popular sources?

The worksheet below can help you decide!