Fall 2008 - Rosemary McNaughton
Reference contact: Josephine Hernandez x2885

FINDING BOOKS

You will also find the Reference Books at the Young Science Library very helpful for this assignment. The reference section is on the first floor of the library. Browse the following call numbers to find excellent encyclopedias:

QB - Astronomy

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Library Databases

Begin your research using this list of databases. For a more comprehensive list of astronomy-focused databases, visit the Astronomy Subject Resources Page.

Scholarly Journals vs. Popular Magainzes (Duke University)

Look for SC Links: , or use Smith's Journal Locator to access journals by title. Connect to the Five College Library Catalog to find call numbers for bound periodicals kept in the basement floor of the Young Science Library.

Journal Finding Tools

Journal Locator
Search by journal title to find full text of a KNOWN item.

Only have a journal abbreviation? Look up the full title of a journal using one of the following resources.

JAKE (Jointly Administered Knowledge Environment)
PubMed Journals Database
All that JAS: Journal Abbreviation Sources

INTERNET SITES

Evaluating Internet Resources (University of Maryland)

Five College Astronomy Dept @ Smith (LINKS)
Information under "Research" and "Worth a Look" may be helpful in finding images and current news stories about your topic.

National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Women-Related Web Sites in Science/Technology

SEARCHING TIPS

Whether you are searching for books in the Five College Library Catalog, or searching for scholarly literature in a library database, it pays to be organized as you start your search. You can break down searching into a three step process:

STEP 1
Write down as much information about your topic as possible. Answer the following questions:

• What is your topic?
• What questions do you have?
• What do you know? What don't you know?

Then, try to summarize what you are looking for in one or two sentences.

EXAMPLE: I am interested in learning more about brown dwarfs. What are the different types of brown dwarfs? When were they discovered, and how do they form?

STEP 2
Using the information in Step 1, list the main concepts of your topic.

EXAMPLE: brown dwarf, history, formation

STEP 3
Now create a list of synonyms of your key concepts. Think broadly, think narrowly! This step is helping you expand your search by expressing your query in a variety of ways. If you get too many results, then you can work on focusing your search.

You will use the word lists you developed in Step 3 to create search strategies. Use "OR" between synonyms and "AND" between concepts. For instance:

"brown dwarf" AND (history OR discovery)

DOWNLOAD this worksheet (with *bonus* search tips!) to help organize your search strategy.

HELP WITH CITATION STYLE

You are expected to select a standard citation style and to document sources correctly and consistently. Please see Citation Guides & Style Manuals, the Smith College Libraries' web page with links to different citation styles.

HELP FROM A LIBRARIAN

See Need Help? Ask a Librarian! to send a question via e-mail at any time or live (chat) during reference desk hours. Or contact Reference librarian Josephine Hernandez directly.

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