INTL 4302: SPECIAL TOPICS
        WORLD CITIES             

Cities: Strasbourg, Havana, Buenos Aires, Vienna and Madrid

Topics: Effect of Argentine economic crash of 2002, effect of immigration on Vienna, changing identity of Strasbourg, effect of urbanization on birth rates

RESEARCH PROCESS

1. Breaking down your topic:

Even if you think you know your topic, spend a minute or two breaking it down into relevant keywords—take into account both the smaller (city) and larger (country) subjects. Keep this list of words handy as you progress through sources.

2. Background information:

Use Reference sources to get a good understanding of the country and city you are studying, including demographic & cultural information. Using these sources may add more keywords to your topic as well.

• Examples of Reference sources to use for this assignment:
  • Europa World Year Book REF JN1.E85 (most recent in Reference; 1989-2003 in stacks)
  • Encyclopedia of Cuba: People, History, Culture REF F1754.E53 2003 (2 volumes)
  • Encyclopedia of World Cultures REF GN307.E53 1991 (10 volumes plus supplement)
  • Nations of the World: A Political, Economic, & Business Handbook REF HC10.N37 2004
  • HA area of the Reference Section
• To find other useful Reference books, try keyword searching in Quest. Use your city or country as a generic keyword or SUBJECT keyword AND try ENCYCLOPEDIA OR DICTIONARY as a SUBJECT keyword.

3. Books:

• Use Quest to find monographs on your topic. The “keyword” search function will be most helpful. When you find a good record, use the subject headings listed. Don’t forget to shelf browse when you find that book that fits your topic perfectly.
• WorldCat: This is a worldwide materials catalog which will let you search for items beyond what Trinity owns. NOTE: You need to allow at least 14 days to receive monographs and other materials through Interlibrary Loan.

4. Articles:

When researching a multidisciplinary topic, remember to consult the tools of each discipline. For this class, you will want to look at the following subjects: International Relations, Economics, Sociology, Political Science, History, and Business. If you think your topic touches something else, explore that subject as well. For guidance, use the library’s “Resources by Subject” link.

Databases to try (all available from the library homepage, http://lib.trinity.edu, under 'Databases':

• Academic Search Premier (good, general starting point; has scholarly and popular)
• PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service)
• World Wide Political Science Abstracts
• Columbia International Affairs Online
• Lexis-Nexis

5. Mining Bibliographies:

Remember, when you find useful monographs and articles, go through the bibliographies, endnotes/footnotes to find what else could be of use to you.

6. Internet sources:

The Internet will often provide you with the most current information. Remember to check these sources (depending on your topic):

SPECIFIC WEB SITES: Some of these may be useful, depending on your topic

• United Nations Bibliographic Information System: can find citations to articles, books, UN documents
• United Nations Statistical Division: social indicators
• World Health Organization: Often has statistical and demographic information
• Council on Foreign Relations

DIRECTORIES

• Foreign Governments Country Information
• WWWVirtual Library: International Affairs Resources
• INFOMINE: Scholarly Internet Resource Collection
• Invisible Web: Provides easy to navigate categories; good site for population information

METASEARCH

• ixquick
• Metacrawler

7. Government Documents:

The Coates Library is a government repository library. You may find documents in Quest or use another index. These are often packed full of statistical data.

Other ways to find government documents (available through the library homepage):

• GPO Access
• GPO Monthly Catalog

You can also look through the Government Information Subject Guide.

*Helpful hints regarding SUDOC classification*

Need help? Any librarian at the Help Desk can assist you or feel free to make a Research Appointment with Michelle Millet.

Printable Version of Page

Research Log

Prepared by:
Michelle S. Millet
Assistant Professor
Information Literacy Coordinator
Elizabeth Huth Coates Library
9-28-04