Choosing a topic

When choosing a topic for your research paper, think about the following:

• Unless your instructor assigns a topic, try to select a topic that interests you.
• Make sure your topic is not too broad, or too narrow. You will find too much information when searching for a broad topic; and not enough information when searching for a narrow topic.
• If you already have a general topic, try searching the library's catalog or the library's databases for ideas on how to narrow that topic down.
• Visit the library's Reference Desk and request to view the following book: 10,000 ideas for term papers, projects, reports and speeches: Intriguing, original research topics for every student's need.
• For current events and issues in the news, try searching the library's database: CQ Researcher.
• For debatable or controversial issues, ask one of the librarians about the Opposing Viewpoints Series, the Taking Sides Series, Issues in Focus Series and/or the Current Controversies Series.
• Visit the Social Issues Research Guide. There you will find a list of current social issues to choose from.

Book Collections

Books will provide an excellent starting point for your research in the field of Women & Gender. Reference books often give you background information and a general overview on your topic so that you can proceed with greater understanding to a more detailed treatment of your subject in other books and periodicals. Reference books may include specialized dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, atlases and/or statistical reports. The librarian at the Reference Desk can help in locating an appropriate source. Listed below are the titles and call numbers of some of the Women & Gender books in the library's reference collection. The reference collection is located on the main level of the library. Books with a location of Reference cannot be checked out of the library. The Circulating Collection is on the second floor of the library. Books with a location of Circulating may be checked out.

Library Catalog

The library catalog is used to locate books both at RVCC, as well as from other libraries in the Somerset County Library System. Books will provide in-depth information not found in reference sources.

Quick Tips:

• Start with a Keyword search. Once you find one or two books about your topic, check the book's record to see what Subjects are being used. Once you find the appropriate Subject Heading, repeat your search using those headings. Generally, the results from a Subject search will always be more accurate than the results from a Keyword search.
• If you know the title of the book you are looking for, do a Title search.
• If you are looking for a book with a specific author, do an Author search (last name first).

Suggested Subject Headings for Women & Gender:

Click a subject heading below to use it as the search term for a Subject Search in the catalog.

Consult with the reference librarian to find the term best suited to your needs.

Browse the Collection:

Most of the books can be found in the following areas:

• HQ1-2044 -- The Family. Marriage. Women.
• HV6001 - 7220.5 -- Criminology
• PN441-1009.5 -- Literary history
• PR111-116 -- English literature -- Women authors
• PS147-152 -- American literature -- Women authors

All of the library's circulating books are located on the upper level of the library.

For additional library catalogs, including libraries in Hunterdon and Middlesex counties, consult the Additional Library Catalogs page. If you find a book in one of these catalogs that the library does not own, request the book using the library's Interlibrary Loan Service.

Research Databases - Finding Articles

The Evelyn S. Field Library has access to thousands of periodicals. (Periodicals can be magazines, scholarly journals, or newspapers.) Some periodicals are in the library's print (or hard copy) collection. However, the majority of periodicals are available in the Research Databases. These databases provide access to articles. This information is generally more current than material found in books.

Search for periodical articles on Women & Gender using the databases listed below. They can be accessed from the Library Database Page. (If you are using these databases from an off-campus location, you will be asked to identify yourself by logging in with your Username and Password. This is the same login you use on campus. The Research Databases are available only to registered RVCC students.)

• CQ Researcher
  

  The CQ Researcher explores a single issue in depth each week. The issues are chosen based on current news. This database is easy to check. If there is a relevant report, it's a great way to jump start your research. There are 44 reports each year including four expanded reports. Every 12,000-word report features comments from experts, lawmakers and citizens on all sides of every issue. Numerous charts, graphs and sidebar articles -- plus a pro/con feature, a chronology, bibliographies and a list of contacts.

• Credo Reference
  

  A full-text online reference service that includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, quotations, and many other sources of factual information. Use Credo to get background information on a research topic or become familiar with a new subject. Subjects covered include art, business, food and beverage, geography, history, language, law, literature, medicine, music, philosophy, psychology, religion, science, social sciences, and technology.

• Facts on File
  

  Provides general information on academic and career-related collections. This is an excellent source of graphics and encyclopedia length articles on general topics. Because it does not have a single interface, however, finding information may take some digging.

• JSTOR
  

  A reliable and comprehensive archive of important scholarly journal literature. JSTOR is important if you are doing a research project that needs older information in the arts and sciences. Due to its very nature as a retrospective journal archive, JSTOR does not contain current journal articles. The JSTOR database is unique because the complete back files of core scholarly journals have been digitized, starting with the very first issues, many of which date from the 1800's. Over 4 million pages are available.

• Literature Resource Center
  

  "The Literature Resource Center on GaleNet is a complete literature reference database designed for both the undergraduate and graduate student as well as the sophisticated casual user. Rich in biographical, bibliographical, and critical content, the Literature Resource Center is the premier Internet resource for information on literary figures from all time periods writing in such genres as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, journalism, and more."

• SocINDEX
  

  SocINDEX with Full Text contains full text for 397 "core" coverage journals dating back to 1908, and 150 "priority" coverage journals. This database also includes full text for more than 720 books and monographs, and full text for 6,743 conference papers.

After finding an article on your research topic, the database will either provide a citation and summary of the article, or it will provide the full-text (the complete article). If you are only given a citation and summary of the article, you can check the Periodical Locator to determine if the periodical you are looking for is available in another database. (The Periodical Locator is an alphabetical list of all the journals the library has access to. Feel free to talk with a librarian for assistance.) If the article is not available in any of the library's research databases, request the article using the library's Interlibrary Loan Service.

If, for your assignment, you are required to have sources from scholarly journals, use the Identifying Scholarly Articles guide to help you determine if your source is a magazine article or a scholarly article.

Professional Organizations

• National Organization for Women
  http://www.now.org

Internet Resources

• A Celebration of Women Writers
  http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/
  Source: Upenn Digital Library Project -- provides easy access to available on-line information, works and resources about and by women writers.
• American Women
  http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/awhhtml/
  Source: Library of Congress -- a gateway to Library of Congress resources for the study of women's history and culture in the United States.
• Census - Women in the United States
  http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/women.html
  Source: U.S. Census -- provides the latest statistical information about women in the United States.
• Early Modern Women Database
  http://www.lib.umd.edu/ETC/LOCAL/emw/emw.php3
  Source: University of Maryland -- provides links to web resources useful for the study of women in early modern Europe and the Americas (ca. 1500 to ca. 1800).
• Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index
  http://www.haverford.edu/library/reference/mschaus/mfi/whatis.html
  Source: Haverford College -- an index (not full text) of journal articles, book reviews, and essays in books about women, sexuality, and gender during the Middle Ages.
• Feminism and Women’s Studies
  http://feminism.eserver.org/index.html
  Source: Eserver & Carnegie Mellon University -- links to websites, programs, organizations and articles related to feminism and women’s studies.
• Gender Inn
  http://www.uni-koeln.de/phil-fak/englisch/datenbank/e_index.htm
  Source: University of Cologne (Germany) -- a searchable database providing access to over 8,400 records pertaining to feminist theory, feminist literary criticism and gender studies focusing on English and American literature.
• Gender Stats
  http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTGENDER/EXTANATOOLS/EXTSTATINDDATA/EXTGENDERSTATS/0,,menuPK:3237391~pagePK:64168427~piPK:64168435~theSitePK:3237336,00.html
  Source: Worldbank -- provides gender statistics at the country level.
• National Women’s History Project
  http://www.nwhp.org/
  Source: National Women's History Project -- founded in 1980, is an educational nonprofit organization. Their mission is to recognize and celebrate the diverse and historic accomplishments of women by providing information and educational materials and programs.
• National Council for Research on Women
  http://www.ncrw.org/
  Source: National Council for Research on Women -- a network of more than 100 leading U.S. research, advocacy, and policy centers with a growing global reach. The Council harnesses the resources of its network to ensure fully informed debate, policies, and practices to build a more inclusive and equitable world for women and girls.
• New Jersey Women's History Project
  http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njwomenshistory/
  Source: Rutgers University Scholarly Communication Center -- a resource for students, teachers, and all interested people who want to know more about the history of women in New Jersey.
• Other Women's Voices
  http://home.infionline.net/~ddisse/
  Source: Dorothy Disse -- makes translations of women's writing before 1700 available for research.
• Statistical Resources on the Web
  http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/statsnew.html
  Source: University of Michigan -- this award-winning site from the University of Michigan allows key word searching for tailored results. Offers statistics about women and gender in all aspects of life.
• Websites on Women
  http://www.iiav.nl/websites/eng/
  Source: International Information Centre and Archives for the Women's Movement (Netherlands) -- contains descriptions of and links to websites with information on the position of women and on women's studies, made accessible by subject and category.
• Women's Justice Center -- Pace Law school
  http://www.pace.edu/page.cfm?doc_id=23242
  Source: Pace Law School -- dedicated to eradicating domestic violence and furthering the legal rights of women, children and the elderly through the skillful and innovative use of the law.
• Women's Studies / Women's Issues Resource Sites
  http://userpages.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/links.html
  Source: Joan Korenman, UMBC -- a selective, annotated, highly acclaimed listing of web sites containing resources and information about women's studies / women's issues, with an emphasis on sites of particular use to an academic women's studies program.
• Women’s Studies Programs, Departments & Research Centers
  http://userpages.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/programs.html
  Source: Maintained by Joan Korenman, Founding Director of the Center for Women and Information Technology, Professor Emerita of English, and Affiliate Professor Emerita of Women's Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). -- List of links to Women’s studies programs across the United States.
• WomenWatch
  http://www.un.org/womenwatch/
  Source: United Nations -- United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality.
• WSSLinks Women and Gender Studies Web Sites
  http://libr.org/wss/wsslinks/index.html
  Source: Association of College & Research Libraries / American Library Association -- a portal to online resources for women and gender studies.

Additional Help

• Call or visit the Reference Desk to speak to one of the librarians. The Reference Desk is located on the main floor of the library. The phone number is 908-526-1200 x8350.
• Email your question to one of the librarians using the Ask-A-Librarian Service.
• For further information about this guide, please contact Megan Dempsey

Last Updated - 30 March 2009