Mazzucchelli

A welcome message form the Modern Languages subject librarian.

Greetings! I'm John Venecek, the Modern Languages librarian at UCF. I created this research guide and I strive to provide the best possible research support for students. The Libraries offers many services for students, which can be accessed on our Services for Undergrads page, but you should also feel free to contact me directly with any questions or to schedule an appointment to review your research project.

The best method is to contact me through my profile page.

Good luck with your research, and don't forget, we're here to support you every step of the way.

I look forward to seeing you in the library soon!

John

Primo is the name of the UCF libraries' online catalog. The key access point is located in the center of the UCF Libraries’ homepage. Primo provides access to books, e-books, videos, journals, documents, and other resources owned by the UCF Libraries. For an overview of how to start searching Primo, let's watch this short video:

Introduction: People often ask if you can search our subject databases in Primo. The answer is yes, but not all. For more comprehensive database searches, it’s recommended that you access those databases individually and use Primo primarily as a catalog search for books, media, course reserves, and other material owned by the UCF Libraries.

Basic Searching (0:27): Covers the most basic aspects of Primo searching such as using the main search bar and limiting your results by format and type of material you want such as books, articles, and videos.

Search Filters (0:56): Once you run a simple search, you’ll be taken to a results page where you have more search options and filters to help you refine your results by criteria such as date, language, and subject. You can use these filters to both include and exclude criteria to meet your needs. One important tool is the Subject Filter, which will break your search into more refined subcategories.

For example, a basic search on "Italian literature" yields 1,873 results:

That's a lot to wade through, but browsing the Subject limiter will help you focus on the subcategories that most interest you.

My Account (1:45): You can use the My Account feature to save books or articles you want to come back to, manage material you have checked out, and request items we don’t have.

Primo Search Tools (2:07): This part of the video covers some useful tools to help you manage your research. These appear in the tool bar next to each record that shows what you can do with that item. Options include pinning it to save it for later as well as a list of other sources that cite that book or article, sources cited within that item, a citation template, a permalink, email options, and more.

Everything vs. UCF Library Catalog: One important point not covered in the videos is that, when you run a Primo search, the default setting is "Everything" rather than the UCF Library Catalog. This means your search will display items that UCF does not own but you can request through Resource Sharing & Document Delivery. This is a good service that we highly recommend, but it's also a source of confusion when users don't realize we won't have everything in their results unless they select the UCF Library Catalog at the top of the page. Here's a screenshot of where this option is located:

Using the everything option is a fast and easy way to expand your search beyond what is owned by UCF, which will make your literature review more comprehensive. Any item not owned by UCF can be requested in this way.

The UCF Libraries subscribes to hundreds of databases in a wide array of subject areas. Some are subject specific while others are ore general. For a subject like Italian Literature, you'll need to explore a variety of databases that are relevant to your research interests. For a quick overview of how to access and begin searching our databases, let's watch this short video:

Here are a few databases with significant art-related content:

Before you begin searching, take some time to think about your keywords. This is a step that may students skip and, as a result, it’s easy to be led astray. Unlike common search engines, databases are not designed to handle long phrases and queries. They’re built around subject terms. If you have a research question in mind, break it into strategic keywords before you start searching and continue to refine those terms as you review your results. For a quick overview about how to generate keywords, please watch this short video:

Note the emphasis on breaking your research question into keywords and thinking strategically about synonyms. Here are some other key points to consider:

• Take some time to brainstorm keywords before you start searching.
• Note that when you enter a term into a search field, many databases will provide a list of related terms. For example, entering “Race” in the MLA database generates terms such as Race AND gender, ethnicity, minority, discrimination, relations, education, and America.  
• Start broad and use the limiters to help you narrow and focus as you go. This refining process will continue until you start hitting on results that meet your needs. Being strategic about your keywords and learning the language of the field you’re researching is essential. For example, the subject limiter in the sidebar is designed to help researchers narrow and focus as they’re searching and there may be some new terms in there as well. See the video for a demo on how that process works.
• Once you start finding some relevant result, dig deeper by mining the article record and noting the subject terms and author-supplied keywords (if any), then read the abstract and introduction and highlight any new terms you find there. Pay particular attention to author-supplied keywords when they appear because those are there to attracts like-minded scholars to that article and they can provide clues as to what types of terms other researchers are using.
• Remember this is an exploratory process that involves a lot of trial and error. Be prepared to explore multiple database and tweak your keywords as you go.  

A key component of the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework or Information Literacy is the idea that Authority Is Constructed and Contextual. In other words, what makes a useful resource will differ by discipline and by the scope of your project. For example, currency, meaning the work was published more recently, is extremely important in the sciences but less so in the humanities where scholars work with old and classic texts.

As you conduct your literature review, consider criteria such as purpose, relevance, intended audience, and authority with what the ACRL calls an “attitude of informed skepticism and an openness to new perspectives, additional voices, and changes in schools of thought.” Effective researchers “understand the need to determine the validity of the information created by different authorities and to acknowledge biases that privilege some sources of authority over others, especially in terms of others’ worldviews, gender, sexual orientation, and cultural orientations.”

Watch this short video for an overview of evaluating scholarly resources:

Let’s review some of the main points from the video:

The CRAAP Test: Use this to glean some basic information including author affiliation as well as the journal’s history, policy, and procedures regarding submission guidelines, publishing schedule, editorial board, and their peer review process. The transparency of this kind of information says a lot about the credibility of the author and the journal.

• Ask Critical Questions: Dig deeper by asking critical questions about the article such as:
• What is the purpose of the book or article you’re evaluating?
• Who is the author’s intended audience?
• How are they adding to the discourse in their field?
• How relevant is that discussion to your project?
• How complete or accurate is the information?
• Should you be concerned about bias?

Note that you’re an active participant in this process, not a passive receiver of information. Remember that those who read your paper want to know what you think and how you think. Show them how you think by leading them through a series of inferences. Imagine your work as a conversation with others in the field, be engaged and engaging, and always keep in mind why your argument is important.

In the intended audience section, I introduced the idea of the scholarly conversation. This analogy will be useful again as we discuss synthesizing resources. This concept can be difficult for undergraduate researchers who are naturally less experienced than the scholars they’re reading. Nevertheless, it will help to imagine yourself as a participant in the conversation as you synthesize your sources. Your readers want to know what you think and how you think. Demonstrate your thinking process by taking them on a tour through your research materials and leading them through a series of inferences. Always comment on quotes and incorporate them into your argument. Really think about conversing with others in the field, be engaged, tell your audience why this is so important.

For more about this concept, watch this short video on Creating the Ultimate Mashup: Synthesizing Information: