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English 2: Monstrous (Con)Texts Spring 2016: Exploring and Learning

Scholarly and Authoritative Sources

What make something "scholarly" and "authoritative"? 

  • Published by an academic journal
  • Author has expertise 
  • Peer reviewed

But also consider:

  • The criteria above define something that is authoritative in a scholarly context. Can something ever be authoritative, but not scholarly?
  • What are the criteria for "authority" in non-scholarly contexts?
  • What is your own authority? 

Think About What You Find

As you begin finding information about your topic, don't just think about the content (words, imagery, sound, etc.).

Also think about:

  • Who is putting this information out into the world? (consider both author and publisher, if they are separate people/entities)
  • Why does it exist? (consider potential bias, goals, and agendas)
  • Why is it important to your knowledge about and understanding of your topic?
  • How does it impact your overall ideas?

Background Learning

When you begin researching a topic, start at the level of your current knowledge about it. Maybe you've been studying facets of this topic for years, in which case you might not need to do much background reading and can jump right to resources intended for an informed, specialized audience.

If you're new to a topic, going right to dense books and academic articles isn't a great idea -- instead, spend some time gathering basic facts aimed at a general audience. 

Wikipedia is always a good starting place. Also try:

  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • ACI Scholarly Blog Index (link)

Deeper Learning: Explore Books

Search the FLO Library Catalog to find print and electronic books. For titles owned by the SMFA Library, select our location in the right-hand "Filter Your Search" box on the results page.



 

A keyword search will give you results where your search terms appear anywhere in the record (title, author, subject, description, etc.). This is usually the best option for searching.

Select title search if you are sure of the title you are looking for

Select author to see all titles in the FLO library collections by a specific person

A subject search will show all FLO titles on a given subject. The subject headings are defined by the Library of Congress; you might try finding a term in their subject headings database before plugging it into the FLO catalog. 

Deeper Learning: Explore Databases

The following databases are recommended for finding scholarly articles, exhibition reviews, and book reviews. Searching databases is a great way to find a diversity of opinions and scholarly interpretations of a given topic.

Tips

Database searches are most successful when you use precise and specific search terms:

  • Don't search: "what do zombies mean in caribbean culture?"
  • Do search: "zombies" AND "caribbean" AND "meaning OR symbolism OR symbol OR folklore"

Unlike Google, most databases aren't great at guessing what you mean. You may need to spend some time trying out different search terms. 

Contact a Librarian

Please feel free to get in touch with a librarian at absolutely any stage of your research process.

We encourage you to schedule a research consultation with Ashley Peterson (apeterson@smfa.edu, 617-369-3653)  for an in-depth discussion about your research goals. 

For quicker questions, please feel free to stop by the Library's front desk (located on the third floor of the B side of the Fenway building). You can also email or call the front desk at library@smfa.edu/617-369-3650.

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