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You will find many types of resources in this tutorial. Listed below are explanations of the different types of resources available. Each has its own value in the research process. |
| Abstract | |
| In the traditional paper format an abstract is generally defined as a volume that lists articles published over the course of a given year. In this tutorial the abstracts referred to are limited to either general social science and humanities or are subject specific. Traditionally, the entries are organized in broad subject categories and then by entry number, that is, from the first article entered into the abstract by the editors to the last. An abstract generally lists the bibliographic information: author's name, title of the article, title of the journal or magazine, volume number, issue number, and page number and also a paragraph description of the article. The traditional arrangement has little relevance in the electronic environment. In the traditional paper formats indexes were published in 4 or more issues over the course of a year. Now that most are available electronically the number of times new information is added to the database varies widely. Check the description of the database provided by the databases publishers or the description found in this tutorial. Warning: No one abstract covers all that is published in any subject or discipline. | |
| Atlas | |
| An atlas is a collection of maps in book form. | |
| Bibliography | |
| A bibliography is simply a list of works on a topic. The list may or may not be comprehensive and are organized generally by the last name of the author. The list may contain a variety of types of resources, books, articles, conference papers, etc. Bibliographies may not be updated once published. Use them with some caution. | |
| Biography | |
| In whatever format, paper or electronic, a biographical resource generally contains entries that describe the careers and accomplishments of important researchers in a discipline. The entries may list the major works of the researcher or a list of other works about the individual. | |
| Dictionary | |
| A dictionary, and in this case a subject specific dictionary, contains words used in the discipline and the literature of that discipline. Like most dictionaries the words are arranged alphabetically and the definitions are short and concise. | |
| Encyclopedia | |
| The word encyclopedia comes from the Greek and means roughly "general education." Whatever its scope or subject, the intent of the editors of an encyclopedia is to cover in individual articles the most important elements of the subject. This gives the reader an opportunity to explore the topic in detail. Encyclopedias are organized either alphabetically or topically. In using an encyclopedia the reader should look at the introduction to understand the intended audience (are the articles intended for general audiences or audiences with a good understanding of the topic), the date of the publication (to insure what you are reading is current knowledge), and the scope of the work (time period covered, geographic coverage, cultures covered, etc.) Finally, most of the faculty will expect you to use an encyclopedia as a reference tool and they intend you to use it only to get acquainted with the topic and not as a source for your paper. | |
| Full Text Database | |
| Beginning in 1949, the eHRAF Collection of Ethnography, published annually by Human Relations Area Files (HRAF), is a web-based collection of full-text, fully-indexed ethnographies. It focuses on mostly pre-industrial cultures from around the world, and on North American immigrant groups. eHRAF differs from and other databases because the documents (e.g. books, journal articles, dissertations) are indexed at the paragraph-level with over 700 subject codes from the Outline of Cultural Materials (OCM). There is also an extensive encyclopedic microform collection of ethnographic material which describes individual cultures throughout the world. It is intended to serve students´ needs in cross-cultural research. To ease this type of research the HRAF files are numerically coded on the left margin of each page. Each code number represents a different cultural activity. Manuals describing the use of the file can be found with the microforms. If you are looking for contemporary information you may need to look elsewhere. | |
| Government Documents | |
| The United States Government has, from almost the beginning of the country, published laws, treaties, expedition reports, and other documents related to Native Americans. In 1778, for example, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs published several treaties. One of the first scholarly research reports was the monumental Squire and Davis Survey which resulted in the first Smithsonian Institution report Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley in 1848. The United States Government has continued to publish a vast amount of material since then from a number of agencies such as the Bureau of American Ethnology that published many important classics in Native American Studies from 1887 to 1971 to the United States Park Service that has published many works dealing with archaeological sites and historical events specific to lands under their jurisdiction. For help with Government Documents you may wish to consult the Purdue Libraries' Government Documents page and a number of bibliographies found under Subject Guides, such as American Indians and American Indians: Legal and Regulatory Sources. You may wish to consult with the Reference staff in HSSE or the bibliographers for Anthropology or Government Documents if you need help in locating materials in this area. | |
| Index | |
| In the traditional paper format an index is generally defined as a volume that lists articles published over the course of a given year. In this tutorial the indexes referred to are limited to either general social science or are subject specific. Traditionally, the entries are organized alphabetically by author and subject. An index generally only lists the bibliographic information: author's name, title of the article, title of the journal or magazine, volume number, issue number, and page number. The traditional alphabetic arrangement has little relevance in the electronic environment excepting the fact, in many electronic indexes, you can request the results be arranged alphabetically by author, title, etc. In the traditional paper formats indexes were published in 4 or more issues over the course of a year. Now that most are available electronically the number of times new information is added to the database varies widely. Check the description of the database provided by the databases publishers or the description found in this tutorial. Warning: No one index covers all that is published in any subject or discipline. | |
| Web sites | |
| Web sites are tricky things to use. They range widely in authority, quality, and content. Generally, the web sites found in this tutorial are of professional quality. However, simply because you found them in this tutorial, on a professional organization's web site, a library web site, and especially on a list provided by a search engine that doesn't mean they are 100 % an authority on the topic. Unfortunately, because publishing and editing on the web is so easy that anyone can do it, there are tens of thousands of web sites that are simply trash. Even those web sites listed by me or another professional can be modified without our knowledge. Please use the guidelines provided in this web site in evaluating whether the author(s) of the web site speak with any authority or have any real knowledge of the topic. Use these sites with caution. It is important to remember that electronically available journal articles from THOR and material found in eHRAF are not in the same category as a web site. These resources have the same content as the material available in paper or microfiche. You may be wish to consult the following web sites that can help you determine a web site´s quality and authority Evaluating Electronic Resources and Techniques for Evaluating American Indian Web Sites). | |
resources: Cultural Anthropology | Physical Anthropology | Archaeology | Anthropological Linguistics |
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