guide

Research about Canada's indigenous peoples spans several academic disciplines, including sociology/anthropology, Canadian history and politics, health, and religious studies, as well as PEI local research tools.

Fall 2022 update: we now have a proper separate Indigenous Studies guide in support of the new Faculty and courses in that field. In addition to the advice below, please check that out for the latest updates and new research tools in this area.

Theatre Studies databases:

These sites provide access to a range of art related resources ...

Canadian Social Trends
Articles and statistics about the social issues and trends in Canada.

Statistics Canada: Families, households, and housing
Data and studies on households and housing as well as census families and economic families.

Statistics relating to women (e.g. demographics, health, education, violence)

For statistics specific to Canada, see Canadian women

United Nations - world statistics

Statistics on Women and Men

Directory of UN resources on gender and women's issues

Top choices to find research articles:

Covers the core disciplines in Women’s Studies to the latest scholarship in feminist research.  Coverage includes more than 871,000 records and spans from 1972 and earlier to present, from over 2,000 periodicals.

Resources for specific Canadian women and Canadian women's issues:

General:

Concise Glossary of Feminist Theory
Cross-referenced entries on terms relating to feminist theory; contains an extensive bibliography.

REF: HQ1115.L68 1997

Dictionary of Feminist Theory
"...guide to the terminology and history of feminist theory relating the categories of feminist thinking to mainstream scholarship as it is practised in the western world".

REF: HQ1115.H86 1995

Diversity and Social Justice Studies (DSJS) is an interdisciplinary area.
Also check the resources in sociology, psychology, history, business, education, and so on depending on your topic.

When information is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized, the source of that information must be documented and acknowledged.

Various standards have been created for citing sources in different disciplines such as AMA (American Medical Association) and CSE (Council of Science Editors). Please note that standards for citing electronic information are still evolving, and many print and electronic style guides may appear to be inconsistent in their instructions.

There are many web resources relating to Veterinary Medicine. To locate authoritative sites look for those created by professional organizations, academic institutions, research agencies, or government departments.

The most current research on any academic topic is usually found in journal articles. Indexes and databases pertinent to Veterinary Medicine include:

Find Books

To find books or video materials on a particular topic, begin with a keyword search in OneSearch and use the "Source Type" limiter under the search box to find Books, eBooks, and/or Videos as needed. 

You need to select both "Books" and "eBooks"--some of our ebooks are "eBooks" and some of our ebooks are "Books."

When you are doing research on a topic, you will often require a quick definition of a term, a specific fact, or condensed, detailed information about particular topics. Reference books and tools like dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, and manuals can be useful in those instances. Here are some of the reference tools we have:

 General Reference Tools

Welcome to the veterinary medicine subject guide. Here you will find sources for reliable veterinary medicine information in a variety of formats. Check the links below.

The A to Z Postmodernist Literature and Theater
“…examines the different areas of postmodernist literature and theater and the variety of forms that have been produced.  It contains a list of acronyms, a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and several hundred cross-referenced dictionary entries on individual writers, important aesthetic practices, significant texts, and important movements and ideas that have created a variety of literary approaches within the form.” (Publisher)
REF: PN771M36 2009

Analytical Sourcebook of Concepts in Dramatic Theory
Under 73 "categories" of dramatic theory (e.g., action, catharsis, unity, plot, tragedy) brief excerpts from the writings of some 33 theorists of drama from Aristotle to Brecht are arranged in chronological order. Hundreds of additional concepts are traceable through a terms and topics index. Brief biographies, bibliographies, and index to quotations for all authors cited.
REF: PN1631.B75 1981

To find print or electronic books or online videos, use OneSearch; to find print books, microforms, or physical audiovisual materials about your subject, use the Library Catalogue. Location codes and call numbers are included for each item.

Examples of subject headings to check:

• Finding Books: Theatre Studies
• Journal Articles: Theatre Studies
• Reference Sources - Companions, Guides, Videos, and Sourcebooks: Theatre Studies
• Reference Sources - Dictionaries and Encyclopedias: Theatre Studies

Tips and Resources for Sociology/Anthropology 3740 - Tourism

Best Bet: Use OneSearch to combine SocIndex, CAB Abstracts and many other useful indexes into a single search. Limit to peer-reviewed articles as needed.

Articles:

Tips and resources for Soc/Anth 3550: Globalization

Best Bet: Use OneSearch to search for books, scholarly articles, magazine articles, newspaper articles, etc.  Use the "show more" limit link to limit to the discipline of Sociology (or add Anthropology and Political Science as appropriate)

Articles:

SocINDEX, a comprehensive scholarly research database for sociology

The four most commonly used citation formats in Sociology and Anthropology are:

For help in evaluating Web information and using search tools, see Finding Quality Web Information.

Anthropology:

Anthropology on the Web
A great collection of links arranged by subdisciplines within anthropology.

Organizations and associations may supply specialized information on a topic. DIRECTORIES can be useful for identifying these, and provide information such as personnel, addresses, telephone numbers, and publications.

To locate information about sociology and anthropology organizations and associations, use directories such as:

Information about notable people in sociology or anthropology can be found in:

Books and E-Books:

Fifty key sociologists: the formative theorists

Fifty key sociologists: the contemporary theorists

Sociology

The first-choice search engine for finding scholarly sociology journal articles is:

SocINDEX with Full Text

All sociology/anthropology-related databases available through Robertson Library:

To find books or video materials on a particular topic, begin with a keyword search in OneSearch and use the limiter for Books Only, or do your search first then use the "Source Type" limiter on the left side for Books, eBooks, and/or Videos as needed.

Examples of subject headings (aka keyword phrases) to try, in combination with your own more specific terms:

• Best starting point for books and articles: OneSearch . Under the "Limits...Show more" link you can limit your results to "Sociology" or "Anthropology".
• The first-choice search engine for finding scholarly sociology journal articles is SocINDEX with Full Text
• Getting started narrowing a big paper topic down
• Materials on reserve for sociology/an

Any time you are using information from other sources (including articles, books, and websites), you must include a citation. A citation acknowledges the author(s) you learned from and gives the reader information about where to find their work.

The quality of information found on the Internet varies widely. It is important to choose sites that are scholarly and current. To locate authoritative sites look for those created by professional organizations, academic institutions, research agencies, and government departments. For help in using search tools and in evaluating information found on the Web, see Finding Quality Web Information.

Information about people can be found in books, journals, and websites. To see what information is available, try searching for the person's name in OneSearch. You may want to put their name in quotation marks ("Thomas Aquinas" or "Brigham Young"); if you are searching for books, you may also want to try searching with their surname first ("Aquinas, Thomas" or "Young, Brigham").

One of the most common ways that scholars share their research is through academic journal articles (which are also called "scholarly journal articles," "peer-reviewed journal articles," and other similar terms).

For most topics, OneSearch is a good place to start. 

To find a specific article (for example, if it's on a reading list or you have a citation), put the title in "quotation marks" and search.

The Library has introduced OneSearch as a single search option. Resources currently included in a OneSearch search are: the Library's catalogue (includes books, musical scores, audio recordings, etc.), all EBSCOhost products, all of the full text journals licensed from Elsevier/ScienceDirect, JSTOR, Sage, Wiley, Springer, ACS, IOP, BioOne, and ProjectMuse, many of the specialty historical full text databases (Alexander Street Press), and millions of index-only article and book records from various sources.

   General | Buddhism | Christianity | Islam | Judaism | Hinduism | Other Religions

• Background Information: Religious Studies
• Books: Religious Studies
• Journal Articles: Religious Studies
• Information About People: Religious Studies
• Web Resources: Religious Studies
• Citing Sources: General Resources

When information is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized, the source of that information must be documented. Otherwise, you are guilty of plagiarism. To help you in avoiding plagiarism, see this tutorial.

For help in evaluating Web information and using search tools, see Find Quality Web Information.

Sites created by research agencies, government departments, and professional organizations, such as the American Psychological Association and the Canadian Psychological Association can be regarded as authoritative.

Starting points for locating Psychology information on the Web. 

First, see the "background information" page and search Gale by the person's name.

Entire books: To find entire books on a single person, keyword search in OneSearch and use the limiter for Books Only, or do your search first then use the "Source Type" limiter on the left side for Books, eBooks, and/or Videos as needed.

Use databases to find articles on your topic.

The most important database for psychology is PsycINFO.

To find books or video materials on a particular topic, begin with a keyword search in OneSearch and use the limiter for Books Only, or do your search first then use the "Source Type" limiter on the left side for Books, eBooks, and/or Videos as needed.

Examples of subject headings (aka keyword phrases) to try, in combination with your own more specific terms:

Books with background info are often called "reference books".

Top Resources: 
PsycINFO and OneSearch (New Summer 2024 platform!)  
                          OneSearch (Classic). 
OneSearch includes PsycINFO, PsycArticles, and more.

Very quick guide to using PsycINFO at UPEI 

When information is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized, the source of that information must be documented. Otherwise, you are guilty of plagiarism. To help you in avoiding plagiarism, see this tutorial.

There are many WWW sites relating to Political Science. To locate authoritative sites look for those created by professional organizations, academic institutions, research agencies, and government departments. Evaluate the sites with a view to accuracy and currency.

Government documents can be useful in researching many Political Science topics. At the Robertson Library, some government documents are catalogued; use the Library Catalogue to locate these. For those government documents which are not catalogued, check Finding Government Information for sites which may be useful in identifying relevant documents.

Organizations and associations may supply specialized information on a topic. DIRECTORIES can be useful for identifying these, and provide information such as personnel, addresses, telephone numbers, and publications. To locate information about political organizations and associations, use directories such as:

Dictionary of Political Quotations on Ireland 1886-1987 Phrases Make History Here
"The quotations in this book have been selected to give a chronology of the remembered and the telling phrases of the last hundred years, touching on the great issues and arguments of the day, the political and social pre-occupations and the passing distractions" (Introduction). Begins with an historical summary and is followed by a chronological arrangement of the quotations. Includes an Index to Speakers and a Subject Index.
REF: DA959.O25 1987

Information about people can be found in books, journals, and websites.

Information about political parties and political movements can be located in books and journal articles. A number of political parties will also have a website.

Canadian Party Platforms 1867-1968 Provides a compilation of the platforms and policy statements issued by Canadian political parties or their leaders for federal elections from 1867-1968. Also includes a breakdown of the election results for each province.
REF: JL195.C3 1968b

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