TRAD 101: Colonial Latin America
For further assistance, please contact Jen Tellman, tellmanj@u.library.arizona.edu
This guide will help you locate 3 good scholary articles from research journals on your chosen topic. First, you will learn how to prepare for a search of library databases that will get you to the best historical journals, and then, be given instructions on how to search Historical Abstracts and JSTOR to find articles. Follow the steps.
STEP 1. Write down your research topic.
e.g. silver mining in Peru during the Conquest and early colonial years
STEP 2. List your keywords and under keywords, put alternate terms
silver mining peru colonial silver mines new spain conquest
STEP 3. Plan your search strategy. The computer systems your will be searching require you to use AND between unlike terms.
e.g silver mining AND peru AND colonial or
silver mines AND peru AND new spain or
silver mining AND peru AND conquest
If one strategy does not work, try another group of terms.
For help in developing your search strategy use Search Stategy Builder
STEP 4. Conduct Search. Below are directions for Searching two different databases that will either contain the article in full text, link you to the article, or link you to the library's call number for a paper version of the journal. Beware: Not all article will be availalbe electronically.
Provides information about what articles have been published in important history research journals and sometimes links to the article. Covers world history from 1450 to the present. It does not include American and Candadian history.
HA STEP 1. Type your search strategy into the top search box. Because you can put in your time period in another part of the search screen, you do not need to use "colonial" or "new spain" or "conquest." The dates will pick this up. Remember to use AND between different search concepts.
HA STEP 2. If you can only read English, type English in the box for language.
HA Step 3. Fill in appropriate dates for the time period.
HA STEP 4. Check the box to "limit to" Articles: See example below:
HA Step 5. Click the Search button. You will get a list of citations giving you information about an article title, journal title, volume and issue number, and date. To read more about the article, click "group" under Expand [record/group] (see below right side of record.)
HA STEP 5. Find the article (easy way)
Below the line marked Citation is a line Fulltext. Click the link to the full article located in JSTOR. (Make sure you copy all of the information from the author/title-article/citation lines for your bibliogprahy)
HA SEPT 6. Find the article (less easy)
Not all articles will link to the full text from Historical Abstracts. In the citation below, you will want to know if the library subscribes to the journal Past Imperfect in paper or electronically. Click on "Article Linker"
You will either connect to the article, or a window will open that will let you search the library catalog. If the library has this journal, you will be given the call number. If the library does not own this journal, you can then request that InterLibrary loan find a copy of the article and send it to you by email.
A major collection of exact replicas of many of the most imporant scholarly journals in many different disciplines.
JSTOR Step 1.
Click on JSTOR (Electronic Journals) to open JSTOR.
JSTOR Step 2. Getting into JSTOR
When JSTOR opens, click on “SEARCH”
You are put into the “easy search” page.
JSTOR Step 3. Using Advanced Search
- Use the Advanced Search option (look above list of citations or go back to first search screen and select “Advanced Search”)
- Type your search terms into the search box. Use options below found below the search box
- To avoid retreiving book reviews, use the check box "ARTICLE"
- Dates are for date of publication, not historical date of article content
- Search Hints:
Phrase Searching To search for an exact phrase, use double quote marks around the phrase:"new spain " "silver mines"
Wildcards Use an asterisk (*) to match more than one letter. A search on mine* will find mine, mines, miner, miners.
JSTOR Step 4. Searching JSTOR
- Type the complete search strategy as you planned it in Step 3 using the special JSTOR search hints.
e.g. silver mine* and peru and "new spain"
JSTOR Step 5. Interpreting a citation and linking to the article
- You will get a list of "hits" (articles that match your search query
- Going from the list of search hits to the article. Choices
Article Information | Page of First Match | Print | Download | Save Citation
Article Information = Information to use in citing this article
Page of First Match = Links to first page where search terms appear
Print = Link to printing choices (see printing directions below)
Download= Save article
Save citation= You can save several citations and email all citations at once.
To view complete article= click on article title.
- Hint: If you want to email an article, save it on the computer and then send the article on email as an attachment. You cannot email an article from within JSTOR.
JSTOR Step 6. Printing
To print an article either from the citation list or from within an article, click on PRINT. A new window will open. First select a printing application. JPRINT Economy will be the fastest. You only need to make the selection the first time you print.
- Click Set your printing preferences.
- Select JPRINT Economy