Here is a good, basic formula for getting started with your research in Comparative American Studies.
- Begin by using the keyword brainstorming worksheet
to help you tweak your research question, identify keywords and related terms, and keep track of what you find.
- Search in a library catalog (Summon, OBIS, OhioLINK and/or WorldCat) to find books and reference sources. They provide BACKGROUND and CONTEXT, review and SUMMARIZE earlier work, help you FOCUS your topic and provide CITATIONS to important books, journal articles, conference papers, interviews, etc.
- Next, search research databases to find articles. The Library has hundreds of databases available, but the ones listed below are good places to begin.
- You may also wish to use Google or Google Scholar to search the Internet. Take advantage of Google's advanced search features!
- Finally, use the CRAAP test worksheet
to evaluate the sources you find!
Gender Studies Database 
-- Combines Women’s Studies International and Men’s Studies databases with the coverage of sexual diversity issues. GSD covers the full spectrum of gender-engaged scholarship inside and outside academia. Includes some full text.
LGBT Life 
-- The definitive index to the world's literature regarding Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender issues. Includes LGBT-specific periodicals, books and reference works, with full text of the most important and historically significant LGBT journals, magazines and regional newspapers, as well as grey literature, including newsletters, case studies, speeches, etc.
SocINDEX
Provides full text of some journal articles, and indexing and abstracts for journals, books and conference papers. Covers all sub-fields of sociology, including criminology, gender, marriage & family studies, social work, social psychology, addictions, violence, and more.
Women's Studies International -- Covers the core disciplines in Women’s Studies to the latest scholarship in feminist research. Nearly 800 essential sources include: journals, newspapers, newsletters, bulletins, books, book chapters, proceedings, reports, theses, dissertations, and grey literature.
-- Combines Women’s Studies International and Men’s Studies databases with the coverage of sexual diversity issues. GSD covers the full spectrum of gender-engaged scholarship inside and outside academia. Includes some full text.LGBT Life
-- The definitive index to the world's literature regarding Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender issues. Includes LGBT-specific periodicals, books and reference works, with full text of the most important and historically significant LGBT journals, magazines and regional newspapers, as well as grey literature, including newsletters, case studies, speeches, etc.SocINDEX
Provides full text of some journal articles, and indexing and abstracts for journals, books and conference papers. Covers all sub-fields of sociology, including criminology, gender, marriage & family studies, social work, social psychology, addictions, violence, and more.
Women's Studies International
-- Covers the core disciplines in Women’s Studies to the latest scholarship in feminist research. Nearly 800 essential sources include: journals, newspapers, newsletters, bulletins, books, book chapters, proceedings, reports, theses, dissertations, and grey literature.
- Become a better researcher!
- Drop in at the Research Help Desk or call 440-775-5031 during research desk hours
- Email us at reference@oberlin.edu
- Chat / IM with a librarian
- Sign up for a Research Appointment
- Contact Eboni directly -- ejohnson@oberlin.edu or 440-775-5026
GLQ: A Journal of Gay and Lesbian Studies
GLQ publishes scholarship, criticism, and commentary in areas as diverse as law, science studies, religion, political science, and literary studies. Its aim is to offer queer perspectives on all issues touching on sex and sexuality.
Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society
Signs publishes pathbreaking articles, review essays, comparative perspectives, and retrospectives of interdisciplinary interest addressing gender, race, culture, class, nation, and sexuality. Special issue and section topics cover a broad range of geopolitical processes, conditions, and effects; cultural and social configurations; and scholarly and theoretical developments.
Transgender Studies Quarterly
TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly offers a high-profile venue for innovative research and scholarship that contest the objectification, pathologization, and exoticization of transgender lives.
GLQ publishes scholarship, criticism, and commentary in areas as diverse as law, science studies, religion, political science, and literary studies. Its aim is to offer queer perspectives on all issues touching on sex and sexuality.
Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society
Signs publishes pathbreaking articles, review essays, comparative perspectives, and retrospectives of interdisciplinary interest addressing gender, race, culture, class, nation, and sexuality. Special issue and section topics cover a broad range of geopolitical processes, conditions, and effects; cultural and social configurations; and scholarly and theoretical developments.
Transgender Studies Quarterly
TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly offers a high-profile venue for innovative research and scholarship that contest the objectification, pathologization, and exoticization of transgender lives.
Literature review intro -- this page explains what it is/its purpose, strategies for approaching it, and questions to consider along the way.
Literature review worksheet -- a tool to help you examine each source that you are considering including in your literature review. Also gives you a chance to practice your critical evaluation skills by writing a brief appraisal of each source.
The literature review : a step-by-step guide for students
Main Library LB2369 .R525 2008
The literature review : six steps to success
Main Reference LB1047.3 .M33 2009 -- Library use only
Main Library LB1047.3 .M33 2009 c.2
-- this page explains what it is/its purpose, strategies for approaching it, and questions to consider along the way.Literature review worksheet
-- a tool to help you examine each source that you are considering including in your literature review. Also gives you a chance to practice your critical evaluation skills by writing a brief appraisal of each source.The literature review : a step-by-step guide for students
Main Library LB2369 .R525 2008
The literature review : six steps to success
Main Reference LB1047.3 .M33 2009 -- Library use only
Main Library LB1047.3 .M33 2009 c.2
WRITING HELP
KEEPING TRACK OF YOUR SOURCES
ProQuest RefWorks is a citation management tool that helps researchers gather, manage, store and share information, as well as generate citations and bibliographies in a wide variety of styles.
- Oberlin College Writing Center -- Located in the Academic Commons of Mudd (first floor)
- Citation Help -- Print sources at Oberlin
- Citation Help -- Online sources
- Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL)
KEEPING TRACK OF YOUR SOURCES
ProQuest RefWorks is a citation management tool that helps researchers gather, manage, store and share information, as well as generate citations and bibliographies in a wide variety of styles.
- Search - OBIS, OhioLink, PubMed & Scopus
- Share - Folders via URL
- Store - PDFs online and take notes
- Read - Search your references fulltext and save searches
- Write - Create a simple reference list and use Write-N-Cite to format paper in Microsoft Word
- Check out our video tutorial!
