The purpose of this guide is to familiarize you with research sources for your paper on Tanizaki's reaction to the Japanese art style known as 'Superflat'.

	Getting Started
	Books
	Articles
	Searching the Internet
	Citing Your Sources
	Need More?

Getting Started

Review your syllabus, ancillary prompt and course notes to clarify what is expected and what help you need to inform your writing. Make notes about authors, artists, ideas, and alternative terms you have come across in your reading and class discussions. Keep in mind that there is more than one way to describe the art you are expected to include ('Superflat' is a subset of Japanese contemporary art)

What you are doing in your paper is examining how Tanizaki's ideas of beauty from "In Praise of Shadows" compare or conflict with this art style.

You are required to include three sources as shown as quotations in your analysis. Professor Bailey has provided e-res and web page resources, so you need to locate one scholarly article from a CSUSM research database. For help on what is a scholarly source, click here.

Books

To find books, either do KEYWORD searches using terms from your class readings and notes, TITLE searches for specific works, or SUBJECT searches for your author or the topic you are addressing.

Finding Books

	CSUSM Library Catalog Do a KEYWORD search on the topic by typing the word or phrase in the search box. Since keywords can have multiple definitions and therefore, uses, once you locate a useful title, examine the SUBJECTS for precise 'labels' to identify your topic. While looking at each item, note authors who are writing on your topic and the call number for browsing the stacks. Check to see that they have bibliographies (listing of the research sources used) to substantiate the book's claims. A scholarly publisher is helpful also! TIP: When looking for books ABOUT an author or artist, such as analysis or criticism of their works, you will do a SUBJECT search using the lastname, firstname format (e.g., Twain, Mark). Subject headings may include categories such as genre or treatments such as criticism or biography.
	Example of Catalog Screen
	San Diego Circuit This is a catalog of materials from San Diego County universities including CSUSM. If you need to find more material on a topic or a copy of a CSUSM book that is checked out, search to the Circuit collection by clicking on the CIRCUIT button towards the top of the screen. When you find an item you want, request the item through the "request this item" link and pick it up at CSUSM.

Journal Articles

Journals are a good source for finding very detailed information on your topic. To find articles, you need to start with a research database and preferably one that indexes scholarly sources as they are based on careful research and go through a high-level review prior to publishing.

Use the link to find full text if it is not available in the database you are searching, and if time allows, Interlibrary Loan for documents that we don't own full text.

Art Abstracts
Includes abstracts from periodicals, yearbooks, museum bulletins, competition and award notices, exhibition listings, interviews, film reviews, and more.

Academic Search Premier (EbscoHost)
Full-text. A multi-disciplinary database offering full text for nearly 1,850 scholarly journals, including more than 1,250 peer-reviewed titles. Use the peer-reviewed limiter to focus on more scholarly materials.

ProQuest Direct
Search all of the business and newspaper databases on Proquest together.

JSTOR
Contains complete full-text back files (EXCEPT for the latest five years) of core scholarly journals in such areas as sociology, history, economics, political science, mathematics, African-American studies, Asian studies and others.

Project MUSE
Full text. Scholarly article collection.

 

Searching the Internet

There are ways to search the internet quickly and effectively. Use Advanced or Expert Search whenever possible to focus your results and eliminate sites you can't use (e.g., those in languages you cannot read.) For some help on evaluating websites for scholarly (or at least better-quality) content, click here.

Finding better information on the web

• Limit to high quality domains: .edu (university servers), or .org (museums and associations).
• Use appropriate language to accurately describe your topic.
• Spell names or phrases accurately.
• Look for bibliographies or references to the works used for the site's contents.
• Know your topic!
• Carefully evaluate what you find for bias, conflicting, or incomplete information.

Citing Your Sources

As you write your paper, if you are using passages and ideas from the sources you've found, you must cite them in a bibliography in order to avoid plagiarism. In order to cite your resources properly, you need to follow the style guide used by this class, the MLA Handbook. 

MLA handbook for writers of research papers. 6th ed. New York : Modern Language Association of America, 2003. CSUSM Citation Style Guides Citing Sources in Your Paper (CSUSM) Diana Hacker's Guide on MLA Style Library copies (print in REF and Stacks at LB2369 .G53) Principles of Written Communication (required text)

Need More?