Anthropology: Background Research
A guide for students in Anthropology
Research Tip - Keywords
Developing the proper keywords is a crucial step in the research process. Use the overview stage to help you find the best terms for searching and to develop a search strategy. Look carefully for synonyms as well as broader and narrower ways to refer to your topic.
- Choosing and Using Keywords TutorialMaui College librarians created this tutorial on choosing and using keywords.
- Identifying Keywords (From Indiana University)A simple one-page handout on discovering and using keywords.
- Search Strategy Worksheet (From Hunter College)A simple worksheet to help you identify relevant keywords as well as put them together to search for information.
- Hunter College video on keywords and search strategyThis 5 1/2 minute video offers a nice introduction to keywords an their power when searching.
Getting Started: Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
Begin your research by searching for background information on your topic, using one of the Reference Databases listed below:
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Mainly encyclopedias. A large digital collection of reference materials including dictionaries, encyclopedias, biographies, maps and images.
- Britannica Online This link opens in a new window
Provides access to the complete encyclopedia and includes many copyright-free illustrations, photographs, and audio & video clips.
Online Research Tools
Biographical Dictionary of Social and Cultural Anthropology by Call Number: ONLINEISBN: 9780415223799Spanning the period from the late nineteenth to the early twenty-first centuries, The Biographical Dictionary of Social and Cultural Anthropology contains almost six hundred individually-signed entries from a global team of contributors and offers an important, and fascinating overview of the historical and contemporary reach of anthropological research.
The Routledge Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology by Call Number: ONLINEISBN: 9780415809368Publication Date: 2011-12-07Written by leading scholars in the field, this comprehensive and readable resource gives anthropology students a unique guide to the ideas, arguments and history of the discipline. The fully revised and expanded second edition reflects major changes in anthropology in the past decade.
