This guide suggests resources and strategies for research on anthropology.

Background Information  |  Facts & Figures  |  Find Articles  |  Find Books  |  Primary Sources  |  People  |  Organizations  |  Web Resources 

Background Information (Overview Sources)

Encyclopedias and other reference works are an excellent place to start a research project or simply learn more about a particular topic.  They provide topic summaries, context, and bibliographies for further reading.

Collins Dictionary of Archaeology (R 930.103 C692)
Companion Encyclopedia of Archaeology (R 930.1 C73816)
A Dictionary of African Mythology
A Dictionary of Asian Mythology
Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology (R 306.03 En182)
Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology (R 306.03 En186)
Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt (R 932.003 En197)
Encyclopedia of World Cultures (R 306.03 En19)
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mankind (R 306.0321 Il6)
International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (R 303 In8)
The Oxford Companion to Archaeology (R 930.103 Ox2)
Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life (R 305.8003 W893)

Use dictionaries, statistical works, atlases, handbooks and similar works to find and check facts about topics, people, or events.

A-Z of Countries of the World
Countries and Their Cultures (R 306.03 C83265)
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology
Culturegrams: The Nations Around Us (R 909.828 C899)
Dictionary of Anthropology (306.0321 D561)
A Dictionary of Superstitions
A Dictionary of World Mythology
The Europa World Year Book (R 314 Eu741)
The Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes (R 973.0497 G131)
Statistical Yearbook (R 310 Un2)
Women in the Third World (R 305.4209172 W8425)
The World Almanac (R 310 W893)

Search indexes, abstracts, and databases to find journal, magazine, and newspaper articles.  For a complete list of Kent Library's online indexes and databases, see the Find: articles page (http://library.semo.edu/find/articles.asp).

To find historical/source materials, such as newspaper and magazine articles, use the following print sources:

Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, 1900+
   (located in the Indexes/Abstracts area, main floor)
Social Sciences Index, 1974+
   (located in the Indexes/Abstracts area, main floor)
Social Sciences and Humanities Index, 1966-1974
   (located in the Indexes/Abstracts area, main floor)
International Index to Periodicals, 1907 - 1965
   (located in the Indexes/Abstracts area, main floor)
New York Times Index, 1851+
  (located in the Indexes/Abstracts area, main floor)
Official Index to the Times & The Times Index, 1906+
  (located in the Indexes/Abstracts area, main floor)

To find recent articles and scholarly/peer-reviewed articles use the following online databases:

Academic Search Premier
Anthropological Index Online
JSTOR  
ProQuest Research Library
Project Muse
Wilson OmniFile

Use the Kent Library Catalog (http://library.semo.edu/find/books.shtml) to find books, periodicals (journals, magazines, & newspapers), videos, government documents and other materials.

Keyword searches allow you to use your own words as search terms.
Subject heading searches use Library of Congress subject headings. Printed volumes of these headings are located near the Reference Desk on the main floor.

Some anthropology subject headings include -
Anthropology
Archaeology
Archaeological dating
Ethnology
Indigenous peoples
Political anthropology
Social evolution

Browse the shelves by call number.  Use the Dewey Decimal chart (http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/fi_books_dd_list.htm) to get you in the right subject areas or try the following:

300-309 Social Sciences, Sociology, and Anthropology

An Anthropologist at Work; Writings of Ruth Benedict (572 B434a)
Coming of Age in Samoa; A Psychological Study of Primitive Youth for Western Civilization (572.9961 M461c)
New Lives for Old; Cultural Transformation--Manus, 1928-1953 (572.995 M461)

Learn about important people, such as authors, researchers & historical figures related to this topic or field.

Biography Index, 1946+
   (located in the Indexes/Abstracts area, main floor)

Professional organizations and/or societies often provide very useful topic related information.

American Anthropological Association
   (http://www.aaanet.org)
American Association of Physical Anthropologists
   (http://www.physanth.org/newsletter/physanthnews.html)
Archaeological Institute of America
   (http://www.archaeological.org/webinfo.php?page=10000)
The Royal Anthropological Institute
   (http://www.therai.org.uk)
The Society for Historical Archaeology
   (http://www.sha.org)
The Society of Applied Anthropology
   (http://www.sfaa.net)
Society of American Archaeology
   (http://saa.org)

Anthro.Net
   (http://www.anthro.net)
Anthropology on the Internet For K-12
   (http://www.sil.si.edu/SILPublications/Anthropology-K12)
Anthropology Resources on the Internet
    (http://www.anthropologie.net)
Anthropology Resources on the Internet (American Anthropological Association)
   (http://www.aaanet.org/resinet.htm)
Internet Resources for Social and Cultural Anthropology
   (http://www2.lib.udel.edu/subj/anth/soccult/internet.htm)
National Anthropological Archives
   (http://www.nmnh.si.edu/naa)
National Archeological Database
   (http://www.cast.uark.edu/other/nps/nadb)
The Tribal Photography Resource and Gallery
   (http://tribalphoto.com)

For a list of Web searching tools, see the Find: web resources page (http://library.semo.edu/find/webpages.html).