Web and Library Resources – College Rhetoric Research Project

Databases

  • For this assignment, EBSCO is probably your best bet for finding articles. Specifically, the Academic Search Premier, PsycINFO, PsycArticles, and SocINDEX. When in doubt, just select all of the databases!
  • Use a broad search term like “Interspecies Interactions”, and then add another term like “dogs” – feel free to keep adding terms (like “human”) by connecting with “and”.
  • You can browse these journals on EBSCO-Academic Search Premier by searching for their title under the “publications” tab:

Society & Animals

Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science

This journal can be found online for free: Humanimalia -

Books

  • I have provided some web addresses for bibliographies (lists of books and other resources) on the topic of Human/Animal Interaction. Browse these links for materials that might be useful for you. Both books and journal articles are listed in these bibliographies, so pay close attention to the resources you pick. You can search for books or journals in Miller Library’s catalog. If we don’t have them, you can find them and REQUEST them by using the Kansas Library Catalog or through WorldCat -

This site provides an excellent starting point for Human-Animal Interaction. Provided by the New Zealand Centre for Human-Animal Studies.

This site, provided by Michigan State University, also lists many excellent resources

Everything listed above should be great for academic research. That being said, don’t be afraid to do a Google search! You can find some great stuff, but you have to be a little more cautious when searching. You don’t want to cite poor research in your paper, but how do you figure out if an online resource is legit or not?

  • Figure out the purpose of the site: why was it written?
  • Who is the audience? You probably don’t want a website created for elementary science students if you are working on your senior project in biology.
  • Is the research objective or is it biased? Does it take sides without justification?
  • Does the site provide clear conclusions that are based on the provided research?
  • When was it published or posted online? Is it up-to-date?
  • How authoritative is the author? Are they a recognized expert in the field?
  • What kind of references did they use in their research? Did they utilize valid and accepted research as their basis?
  • Is it useful and relevant to your research?