This document provides guidance on finding literary criticism sources for an assignment on The Great Gatsby. It outlines steps to define keywords related to topics like characters and themes, explore databases, and perform advanced searches. The document suggests focusing a topic, such as on the character of Tom Buchanan or the theme of the American Dream. It then discusses refining keywords, identifying relevant databases, using search techniques like Boolean operators, and finding full-text sources. The overall aim is to help students effectively search databases for criticism on their assigned book and topic.

1. Finding Literary Criticism
Nicole Branch, Instuction Librarian
ENGL 15
Image courtesy of Flickr user throgers.

2. Today we will…
• Define searchable key words to maximize
database search
• Explore advanced search techniques
• Identify & search relevant databases for your
upcoming assignment
Background image courtesy of Flickr user Paree.

3. Topic
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user Chris Lott.

4. Define & Focus Your Topic
• Define
 Great Gatsby
• Focus
 Character
 Theme
 Theoretical framework

5. Focus Your Topic
• Character
• Tom Buchanan
• Theme
• American Dream
• Anti-Semitism
• Theoretical approach
 Feminism
 Marxism

6. Refining Keywords
https://vimeo.com/85564795

7. Refining Keywords
• Broader terms
• Narrower Terms
• Synonym Terms

8. Finding the conversation
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9. Identify a Database

10. Identify a Database

11. Identify a Database

12. Search
• Explore your topic
• AND/OR/NOT
• Document types
• Truncation *
• Advanced search options
• Citations & permalinks
• Finding full text

13. Search
• Using the guide, select a database to begin
searching
• Explore your topic if you aren’t sure about your
focus
• Practice advanced search options
• Complete the form for one good source

14. Questions?
Nicole Branch
Instruction Librarian
nbranch@scu.edu
x5436