Core 116   The Sacred Journey 
Research Guide

• Ask a Librarian (email reference)
• Research Assistance Program (RAP)
• Visit the Information Desk on the 1st floor of the Library or call 208-885-6584

Use reference works to:

• Get an overview or background information on a topic 
• Get ideas for focusing your own research
• Find bibliographies of more in-depth sources
• Find quick facts and statistics
• Find biographical information

Keep in Mind:

• Books on a broad topic may contain chapters or essays on your topic. Often these are not indicated by the title. When searching, think both broadly and narrowly. 
• The bibliography in a book can be a great place to find additional sources.

Sometimes, a subject search can work as well as a keyword search. Using subject headings that are part of a classification system can help you retrieve more resources. At the U of I, our library uses the Library of Congress (LC) classification scheme. Examples of some LC subject headings that might pertain to your course include:

Pilgrims and pilgrimages

Pilgrims and pilgrimages India

Pilgrims and pilgrimages in literature

Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages

Muslim pilgrims and pilgrimages

Islam- doctrines

Skitswish Indians- Religion

Ramanandis

Vaishnavism

Hindu ethics

Hindu shrines India

Goddesses, Hindu

God (Hinduism)

Upanishads

Philosophy, Hindu

Philosophy, Chinese

Philosophy, Buddhist

Spiritual life- Buddhism

Transcendentalism

Vedas

Buddhism

Buddhism- doctrines

Buddhism-China

Religious life- Mahayana Buddhism

Zen Buddhism

Taoism

Laozi. Dao de jing.

Brahmanism

Bhagavadgita- criticism, interpretation

Ramakrishna, 1836-1886

If you are unsure how to differentiate between a scholarly journal and a popular magazine, some helpful websites are:

• http://www.skidmore.edu/library/reference/scholarlypop1.htm
• http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill20.html 
• http://www.lib.utsa.edu/Research/Subject/scholarlyguide.html 

After selecting a database to search, type in search terms. Articles are generally more specific than books and may require a narrower search. Try synonyms for your search terms, and if you are not getting results, try another database. 

Selected Article Databases for The Sacred Journey

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

• http://www.bergen.cc.nj.us/pages/2443.asp

This webpage can help you learn how to critically analyze a publication:

• http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/instruction/evaluating_sources.htm         

Citing Sources

You will need to cite your sources properly in MLA or APA style. Here are some links that will be helpful:

APA Style      http://www.apastyle.org

UI Library's Page of Electronic Style Guides  http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/instruction/elec_style_guides.htm

Plagiarism

The ease of cutting and pasting from electronic resources can lead to putting your name on a work that is not really yours. This is both illegal and unethical. The following websites will help you understand how to avoid plagiarism and how to properly cite the work of others.

Duke University Libraries, Citing Sources, Documentation Guidelines for citing sources and avoiding plagiarism:  http://library.duke.edu/research/guides/citing

OWL, Purdue University Online Writing Lab, Avoiding Plagiarism:  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html

Preparing An Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography gives more information than merely a list of the authors, titles, publishers and dates of the works. For guidance on what you can choose to include in your annotations, see the following websites:

Cornell University, Olin & Uris Libraries, How to Prepare An Annotated Bibliography:  http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill28.htm

OWL, Purdue University Online Writing Lab, Annotated Bibliographies:   http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_annotatedbib.html

Last updated 8/25/06