Reference: Subject Reading Materials
Reference materials can be good resources for subject overviews and a means to collect useful keywords. The bibliographies frequently include key texts and thinkers that are associated with a specific subject. To discover more reference materials held in the Stanford Libraries, search Reference Universe, Searchworks, consult with a librarian, or browse the libraries' reference collections.
Tips for using reference sources:
1. Look at the cross-references that many entries provide. These can be helpful in pointing you toward a related or more accurate idea/term.
2. One of the most important elements of any good reference source entry is its bibliography. Take note of the books or articles that the entry's author deems elementary to understanding the individual or idea.
The Body
Communication and Rhetoric
Drama, Performance, and Theatre
Life Writing, Oral Storytelling, and Speeches
Psychology
Selected Subject Searches using Searchworks Catalogue
Listed below are Library of Congress subject terms, which search only the subject field(s) of the Searchworks catalogue.
- You can refine your results by using the limiting facets with the left frame.
- Narrow by SUL (Stanford University Libraries) location, publication year, language, etc.
Databases
"Offers information from over 600 journals in communication, mass media and related fields; includes abstracts, indexing, bibliographical citations and author profiles, as well as full text from more 240 titles."
"Provides in-depth indexing of more than 2,500 collections of oral history in English from around the world. With future releases, the index will broaden to identify other first-person content, including letters, diaries, memoirs, and autobiographies, and other personal narratives."
"Contains bibliographic information from an international selection of publications (including over 2600 journals and books, book reviews, and book chapters) in the fields of economics, political science, sociology, and anthropology."
"MLA International Bibliography offers a detailed bibliography of journal articles, books and dissertations. Produced by the Modern Language Association, the electronic version of the bibliography dates back to the 1920's and contains over 2.3 million citations from more than 4,400 journals & series and 1,000 book publishers. The indexed materials coverage is international and includes almost 60 titles from J-STOR’s language and literature collection as well as links to full text."
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Contains citations and summaries of journal articles, book chapters, books, and technical reports in the field of psychology and psychological aspects of related disciplines including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, anthropology, business and law."
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Inspired by Vanderbilt University's Television News Archive project (http://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/6287777), the Internet Archive collects and preserves television news. Like library collections of books and newspapers, this accessible archive of TV news enables anyone to reference and compare statements from this influential medium. The collection now contains 350,000 news programs collected 2009 - present from national U.S. networks and stations in San Francisco and Washington D.C. The archive is updated with new broadcasts 24 hours after they are aired. Older materials are also being added. Use the index of searchable text and short, streamed clips to find programs to borrow on DVD-ROM or view at the Internet Archive's library in San Francisco."
Proquest Social Science Databases
Proquest Social Sciences Database--Searches across multiple social science subject databases. Among those included: Alternative Presses; Psycinfo; Sociological Abstracts; Social Services Abstracts; International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS); ERIC (Education); PAIS (Public Policy)."

