Gender Studies / History 186B: Global Feminism, 1850 to Present

• Truncation: Use truncation symbols (usually an asterisk) building on the root of a word or within a term to expand your retrieval. Specific symbol depends on the system you're using (UCLA Library Catalog, article database).
  • Example: 
    • sex* = sex, sexual, sexuality, sexualized, etc.
• Some things to consider when assessing the quality and usefulness of an item (for print and electronic resources):
  Author: Credentials? Scholar? Academic field? Other publications? First-hand participant?
  Publisher: University press? Other scholarly publisher? Trade? Other?
  Notes, etc.: Bibliography? Footnotes? Use to refine and/or expand research, and to identify potential primary source materials
  Periodical: Scholarly journal? Popular magazine?
  Date: Original publication date?
  Reviews: If a book, can you locate book reviews?
  Language: If you are working on an international topic, some relevant materials may not be written in English or available in translation. With primary sources, you may need to rely more heavily on English-language coverage of the period if you can't read the original language.

 Identify a topic of interest and describe it as narrowly/focused as possible. Consider:

• Subtopics (for instance, if you are interested in "prostitution," think about what aspects you could potentially cover--human trafficking? a specific set of laws? where and when?
• Theoretical perspective you wish to take.
• Geographical and/or chronological focus.
• Ask: What? Who? When? Where? Why?
• What type of organization or disciplinary approach would be most likely to collect the information you are seeking? You may need to find resources in several different places.
• Search Vocabulary: Make a list of search terms (keywords) that describe your topic. Include synonyms, relevant proper names, etc. Avoid very common words if possible, but also include some general (e.g., feminism) as well as precise (e.g., Stanton, Elizabeth Cady) descriptors