REL 234:

Chinese Religious Traditions

Spring 2008 /Prof. Jonathan Stockdale

• Liaison Librarian: Peggy Burge
• Collins Library, room 117
• Telephone: x3512

[Students with questions about the research process are encouraged to contact the liaison librarian for assistance. Ask quick questions by e-mail or call or drop by. In-depth research consultations are also available by appointment.]

Research Basics

• Research is a complex process. It does not proceed in a linear fashion, but rather is a cumulative endeavor. Give yourself plenty of time for your project. It is a good idea to map out on a calendar the specific stages of your researching and writing schedule. Your course syllabus offers some guidance with assignments and due dates; you also may wish to use Tuft University's Research Paper Navigator tool to get a general idea of what to include in your timeline.
  

• Keep careful records of your research journey: write down complete bibliographic information for the sources you find; note what keywords and subject headings you have used in your searches and which databases you have utilized. You can use a simple notebook as a research journal, or you might consider using an online knowledge management tool. The library provides a subscription to RefWorks. The Center for History and New Media at George Mason University offers a free Firefox extension, Zotero, which is a research management tool that is especially conducive to note-taking.
  

• Cast a wide net initially, and only then begin to winnow out treasures.  By developing a context for your research you will be able make your close readings, analysis and interpretation richer in detail and more sophisticated.

• Real research requires real effort. Do not limit yourself to only those resources that are most convenient to access, such as full-text articles.

• Develop the cognitive flexibility to appreciate nuances and handle ambiguities. The end product of research--the thesis-driven written paper--is your chance to contribute to the world of ideas and knowledge!

It's a good idea to browse through entries on your topic in more than one encyclopedia. Some encyclopedias have in-depth articles, while others have just short entries.

• Companion Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy / Reference 121 C66 1997
• Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy / Reference B 121 E53 2001
• Encyclopedia of Buddhismi (2 v.) / Reference BQ 128 E62 2004
• Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy / Reference B 126 E496 2002
• Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World (2 v.) / Reference BP 40 E525 2004
• Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion / Reference BL 1005 L4813 1989
• Encyclopedia of Religion, 2nd ed. (15 v.) / Reference BL 31 E46 2005
• Encyclopedia of Taoism (2 v.) / Reference BL 1920 E 539 2008
• Mythologies (2 v.) / Reference BL 311 D513 1991 (Chinese mythology is in volume 2)
• RoutledgeCurzon Encyclopedia of Confucianism (2 v.) / Reference BL 1840 R68 2003

General Histories/Overviews

In addition to your required texts for this course, you may also wish to consult these titles:

• Cambridge History of China (several volumes) / Books DS735 .C3145 (If the volume you need is checked out, you can request it through SUMMIT--21 other libraries in the consortium have the set available for borrowing.)
• Daily Life in Traditional China: The Tang Dynasty / Reference DS 721 B44 2002
• De Bary, William Theodore, Sources of Chinese Tradition, 2 v. / Books DS721 .D37 1999
• Encyclopedia of China / Reference DS 705 P47 1999

If you are looking for a specific book:

Begin by searching SIMON, which is a catalog of all items Collins Library owns, subscribes to, or provides access to.

Should SIMON not have the book you are looking for, search SUMMIT, which is a catalog of items owned by several regional partner academic libraries. Most books requested from another SUMMIT library will arrive in just a few days..

Titles not in SIMON or SUMMIT can be located in WorldCat, which most likely will find a library (or libraries) which hold the book you want. Simply click on the "Interlibrary Loan (ILLIAD)" button within the item record page to place a request for an Interlibrary Loan. You may also go directly to ILLiad to request a book via Interlibrary Loan. Books requested through ILL can take anywhere between a week to several weeks, depending on the availability of the item and the location of the library sending the materials.

If you are looking for books on a particular topic::

Keyword Searches: Enter a variety of terms in SIMON that you think describe your topic. When you call up a record that seems promising, mine its subject terms to find similar items. To do this, simply click on one of the subject headings listed in the record for the book; the next screen will list all the books in Collins Library that share this subject term. You may also mine subject headings in SUMMIT.

Subject Searches: Familiarize yourself with the Library of Congress Subject Headings and the call numbers associated with them. When you find a subject heading that describes what you are looking for, you can run searches on SIMON or SUMMIT and/or go up to the stacks and browse the shelves within that call number range. Some specific examples of Library of Congress Subject Headings on selected aspects of religion in China include:

• Asceticism -- Taoism
• China -- Civilization -- Taoist influences
• China -- Religion
• Muslims -- China
• Philosophy, Taoist
• Taoism
• Taoism -- Relations -- Buddhism

Your research process must include a search of the relevant periodical literature. Books, valuable as they are, cannot contain all of the information and scholarly study and interpretation out there. The library subscribes to thousands of journals, whether in print or electronic versions (or sometimes both). Through Interlibrary Loan, you also have access to thousands more journal titles.

Before you begin:

Make sure you understand the difference between scholarly and popular journals.

Browsing for Articles (in paper journals or electronically):

Journals that are particularly appropriate for this course include the following:*

• Eastern Buddhist
• Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies
• History of Religions
• Journal of Asian Studies
• Journal of Chinese Religions (Because this journal is an annual, it is shelved with books instead of journals; call number BL 1802 S66.)
• Journal of Religion
• Modern China
• Positions: East Asia Cultures Critique

*After plugging the journal title into Journal Locator, note carefully the "Holdings" section of the record for these periodicals. Issues can be in paper, microform, microfiche, or electronic full-text versions, depending on the date of publication!

Database Searching:

Always search more than one database!

How to select a database: A to Z list, by subject, general and reference, full text. If you have no idea where to start, go to the Research Gateway, select the appropriate subject, and see what databases are listed there. If you are doing interdisciplinary research, you should consult more than one subject on the research gateway.

 

Relevant databases for REL234:

Start your search with some or all of these databases. Then branch out, as necessary.

(ATLA) Religion Index An excellent launching point for research on religion and theology.

Anthropological Literature Index. Useful for finding articles on religious studies and studies of myth and folklore.

Bibliography of Asian Studies. This database references Western-language articles related to Asia; its strengths are mainly in the humanities and social sciences.

Historical Abstracts. World history, excluding the United States and Canada, from 1450 forward.

Getting Your Hands on the Actual Article:

Many databases are just indexes--you'll get just the citation, sometimes with an abstract. Other databases contain a mixture of citations and full-text articles.

Method 1: In some databases, you will be able to link directly to the full-text article. If given the choice between a PDF or HTML version of the article, always choose the PDF format. This will give you an exact image, including page numbers, of the article as it appears in the paper journal.

Method 2: If a direct link to full text is not available, then you will need to check Journal Locator. A link to the Journal Locator is available within each database.

When you pull up the Journal Locator record for the periodical, note carefully the "Holdings" section. Periodical issues can be in paper, microform, microfiche, or electronic full-text formats, depending on the date of publication. If the article is available full text, a link to it will be provided. If the periodical is available only in paper or microfilm, you will need to check either the current periodicals area on the first floor, or go downstairs to the basement to find the bound volumes of periodicals or the microfiche/microform.

Method 3: If the article you want is not available full text through the database nor is available in paper format in the library, then request the article through Interlibrary Loan by filling through ILLiad, or, if available, clicking on the "ILL" or "Interlibrary Loan" button in the database. Often you will receive an electronic version of the article less than a week.

Tip!

Never, ever give up! If you are not finding what you need and are feeling frustrated, please ask a librarian!