Reformation & Medieval History Research

Is your progress report for Reformation or Medieval History due soon? Find more sources to include in your paper with the help of Concordia Library.

1. Get background information to understand your topic by looking it up in an encyclopedia about that time period.

For example, you can find The Encyclopedia of the Reformation In the library's REFERENCE collection, on the ground floor of the library, the call number is BR 302.8 O93 1996. Or Medieval England an Encyclopedia, call number DA 129 M43 1998.

2. Once you know a bit more about your topic, choose some keywords to search such as the names of important people, or groups of people, involved. To find books, search the library catalogue using these general terms about your topic.

For example, if your topic is how the Reformation led to the development of the Hutterites and other religious groups you use the keywords: Hutterites, Anabaptists, Reformation, John Hutter. Try different combinations of these keywords. Make sure to try both the plural and singular forms of your keywords.

3. To find Articles Open the library's E-Resources page for History and choose an article database to search. I suggest Historical Abstracts and Academic Search Complete. (If you are connecting from off-campus your User ID is the barcode from your ID card and your PIN is the last 4 digits of your student ID number) Use some of the same keywords you used to search the library catalogue. Articles tend to be on very specific topics, so read the article summary (sometimes called an abstract) to make sure that the article is relevant to your project.

For example, searching the keyword "Hutterites" finds many articles but some of them are about Hutterites in North America and not about Hutterites in Europe during the Reformation.

To read the full article, click on the Full Text link. If there is no full text link, click on the "Where can I find this" link to see if Concordia has a copy of the article in another database. If you have any difficulties, contact the Info Desk for assistance. We'd love to help you find some good sources for your essay.

The October issue of The Corner Shelf is up on the library website. Find out about our Librarian Trading Cards, Canadian Library Month Contest, and the upcoming Governor General's Awards.

Scholarly Articles for Your History Paper

History Students: looking for scholarly articles and primary resources for your essay?

Try searching your topic in these databases - they can all be accessedfrom the History E-Resources page on the library website. (If you are connecting from off-campus your User ID is the barcode from your ID card and your PIN is the last 4 digits of your student ID number)

Historical Abstracts - TIP: Click on the "Choose Databases" Link above the search boxes and check off "Academic Search Complete" and "Humanities International Complete" to search 3 databases all at once.

Cambridge Histories Online, JSTOR, or Project Muse may also have good articles for you.

For Primary Sources try searching World History in Context or the World Digital Library

For articles, books, e-books, and other formats try the WorldCat Library Catalogue - Seach Concordia's holdings or All NEOS Libraries to see what's at the UofA, Grant MacEwan, and other libraries. You can place a hold on non-Concordia books and they will be delivered to Concordia for FREE!

If you would like assistance with your research (such as choosing keywords, finding the full-text of an article, or locating books and e-books) contact the Info Desk in person, via telephone at 780-479-9324, or online using our chat window.

Effect of Temperature on Cell Membranes

Attention Biology Students: Do you need information on the effect of temperature on cell membranes for your latest lab?

Step 1: Open the Scopus database from the library's Biology E-Resources page.

!!! If you are off-campus, you will need to log in with your library barcode and PIN# (the barcode is 13 digits long and can be found on your ID card, the PIN is the last 4 numbers of your student ID#) !!!

Step 2: Search with the terms: plant cell membrane fluidity temperature.

Step 3: Look through the results for helpful articles. If you see one you like, click on the title to read a summary of that article.

Step 4: Click on the PDF link to open the article. If there is no PDF full text available, click on the FIND IT  button to see if Concordia has that article in another database or in print. Our staff can help you if you have any difficulties or if you need to order an article in from another library.

Step 5: Once you find an article you like, look at the references the author used - they will probably help you too. You can also use keywords from this article to find similar articles.

Step 6: Download the PDF then print, save, or e-mail the article to yourself. Make sure to keep the information about the article such as what journal it was published in, the author(s), and other details.

Here's an article to get you started: Ruelland, E., and A. Zachowski. 2010. How plants sense temperature. Environmental and experimental botany 69, (3): 225-232, www.scopus.com (accessed October 13, 2011).

Wikipedia: Beneath the Surface.

Wiki-what? Whether you think Wikipedia is your friend or your foe - learn more about how Wikipedia works in this video from NCSU Libraries.

Scholarly Articles for English Class

Writing a paper for English? Get scholarly articles from the English E-Resources page

Step 1: Click on one of the databases listed here - I suggest MLA, Literature Resource Center or Literature Reference Center. Try the Canadian Literary Center if you are studing a Canadian author.
(If you are connecting from off-campus your User ID is the barcode from your ID card and your PIN is the last 4 digits of your student ID number)

Step 2: Type in the name of the novel, poem, or short story that you are studying then click the Search button.

Step 3: From the list that comes up, click on the title of the article to read a summary about it and decide if you want to view the whole article.

Step 4: If there is a Full-Text link, click on that to open the article. If there is no Full-Text link, click on the "Where can I find this" link to see if Concordia has that article in a different database, then open the full-text.

Step 5: If Concordia doesn't have the article, use the Request feature to order it in.

Step 6: Need more? Try searching the author's name or the theme/topic you are discussing, such as Responsibility in Frankenstein or feminism in Virginia Woolf

If you need help with your research, contact the library Information Desk in person, via telephone at 780-479-9324, or online using our chat window.

German Propaganda Archive

Looking for primary sources about life in a totalitarian regime? Try the German Propaganda Archive, a website of documents from both Nazi Germany and East Germany.