DEFINE TOPIC

This first part is designed to assist you in limiting or defining your research topic. These sources are some of the SAC reference materials that can be used to do art research. Be sure to use the index of reference books!

DEVISE STRATEGY

Once you have defined your topic, you will need to know where to search for additional information. The sources you use are often determined by the instructor or assignment. You will need to make a list of keywords to search the library catalog, databases, and the Web.

SEARCH SOURCES

Begin at the library's home page at http://www.accd.edu/sac/library/

Searching these sources can be as easy as using the index of a book or it may involve advanced searching methods used in the catalog, databases, or Web search engines. Use your list of keywords to search in the following:

Click on Books & Media to search the catalog for books, government documents, microforms, audiovisuals, and electronic/digital resources. You may search by author, title, subject, and keyword. On the keyword search page on the right are examples of boolean operators (and, or, and not) and wildcards (*) (**) (?).

Examples of keyword searches:

• petroglyph* or "rock art"
• hellenistic and art*
• (greek or greece) and vase*
• greek and theater
• bronze and statue*
• hellenistic and sculpture
• greek art and classic*
• india* and art
• (pottery or ceramics) and (china or Chinese)

Examples of subject searches:

• art, greek
• art, mycenaean
• art, minoan
• art, aegean
• aegean islands
• civilization, aegean
• santorini volcano
• labyrinths
• architecture greece
• civilization, mycenaean
• temples, greek
• athens (greece)
• marble sculpture, greek
• bronze sculpture, greek

Click on View eBooks to access eBooks only.

Click on Articles & Reference to search for magazine, journal, newspaper articles, reference, and more. The following databases may be helpful for your assignment: