Commonwealth Honors Seminar (Honors 201H)

Find information on topics related to this semester's readings.

About this Guide

Honors Seminar 1: Ideas That Changed the World

This is a library and online research guide for theCommonwealth Honors Seminar, Honors 291A. Here are resources and research tips that will be especially useful for researching topics related to this semester's readings.

Students and instructors are invited to use the comments feature on this site in order to share your own research tips and opinions with others in the Commonwealth Honors Seminar.

Finding Books

TIP: When you look for a particular book on the shelf, make sure to browse the shelf and nearby shelves for related books. Take your time! Open the books!

To find books at UMass Amherst, you have two options:

Start with the general search box on the library home page, www.library.umass.edu.
Advantages:
- This catalog gives you access to libraries and collections throughout North America and beyond! It starts with UMas,s but does not limit you to our catalog.
Use the Five Colleges Library Catalog.
Advantages:
- This catalog lets you search in some very specifc ways, for example, by Library of Congress Subject Heading. Be as specific as possible in your searching. Start with a subject search (use keyword if subject yields no results). Search by author, title, subject, keyword, call number, journal title, etc. For materials on a specific subject, enter your term(s) into the Subject or Keyword search boxes.

Article Databases

* All library databases
Browse the Libraries' 300+ research databases by subject or alphabetically.

Try out these databases, comment on them and rate them too! Over 300 research databases are available through the UMass Amherst Libraries. Here are a few that will be especially useful.

ABI/INFORM Complete This link opens in a new window
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Content type: Business journal articles. Description: ABI/INFORM is the library's largest online full-text business journal collection. 3,000 business periodicals - peer-reviewed journals, trade journals, business magazines, 1960 - present, including the Wall Street Journal, 1984 - present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
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Scholarly journals from all academic disciplines - an excellent starting point for multidisciplinary research projects. 3,200 full-text journals. Coverage from 1975 to present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
America: History & Life This link opens in a new window
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Journal articles, dissertations, and book reviews, many in full text, relating to United States and Canadian history and prehistory, 1954-present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
ATLA Religion Database This link opens in a new window
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Covers journal articles, essays and book reviews that make up the research literature of all major religious faiths and denominations, 1949-present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Communication and Mass Media Complete This link opens in a new window
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Communication scholarly journals and trade journals, plus articles on communication topics from related disciplines, 1915-present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
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Comprehensive reporting and analysis on issues in the news, including coverage of health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the economy, 1923-present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
ERIC This link opens in a new window
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Education journal articles (EJ references) and ERIC documents (ED references), 1967-present. EDs before 1997 are requestable using the Microforms Request page and usable in the Microforms Vewing Room in the LC.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.

Five Colleges Libraries Catalog
Search the collections of UMass and the Four Colleges: books, journals, DVDs, dissertations, and more.

Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Use to access many UMass online journal subscriptions.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.

You can access Google Scholar with UMLinks buttons from outside the UMass Amherst IP range ("off campus") by two methods:

1. Access Google Scholar through the Library web site by using this link.
2. Go to generic Google Scholar.
a. Click on "Settings."
b. Click on Library links.
c. Type in "University of Massachusetts" or "UMass Amherst" (or a few other variations).
d. Check "University of Massachusetts Amherst - UMass Check for Full Text" and Save.
e. You will be asked to authenticate somewhere along the way to full text.
Historical Abstracts Full Text This link opens in a new window
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Journal articles, many in full text, and citations to books and dissertations on world history from 1450, published 1954-present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
International Political Science Abstracts This link opens in a new window
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Citations to articles from international political science periodicals, 1951-present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
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An index to journal articles and other scholarly literature on literature, literary theory and criticism, linguistics, folklore, and (since 1996) film, 1920s -
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new window
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References to scholarly journal articles, dissertations, and conference papers on sociology and related disciplines, 1960-present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
WorldCat This link opens in a new window
The combined catalogs of most U.S. libraries.
Content is freely available for use by all.

Use RefWorks

Use a citation manager, such as RefWorks to keep track of your research.

Put all your references in RefWorks, create quick and easy bibliographies, build your knowledgebase.

1. Set up your account by clicking on the RefWorks link on the library homepage. From the RefWorks info page, choose "RefWorks Login & New Account Set up." From the login page, choosse "New to RefWorks? - Sign up for an Individual Account." Note: You get to choose your own username and password - make them easy to remember!

2. Get your book citations into RefWorks

Books from UMA WorldCat (a huge combined catalog that includes UMass books)

Go to www.library.umass.edu
Conduct a search and go to an individual item listing.
Click “Cite/Export.” Select "Export to RefWorks" in the pop-up box.
Log into RefWorks.

Books from the Five College Catalog

Conduct a search and go to an individual item listing.
Click "E-Mail/Save" link near the top of the screen.
Under Choose predefined format, select "RefWorks Format." Click "Go."
Click "RefWorks."
Log into RefWorks.

3. Get your journal article citations into RefWorks
Most databases have a way to export citations into RefWorks directly.

4. Print out your bibliography

1.     Click on Bibliography from the menu toolbar.
2.     Select Output Style (APA, MLA, etc.) .
3.     Select Format a Bibliography from a List of References
4.     Select File type to Create (HTML, Word, or text file)
5.     Select the Folder from which the citations are to be taken.
6.     Click Create Bibliography.
7.     Follow the instructions for viewing the file. Remember to save the document before closing.
Be sure to check the list for accuracy!

If you need more help or info on RefWorks, check out the FAQs.