ANT 112 - Downtown (Drake-Rosenstein): Ethnographic Film Analysis

"Look hard through the database; it isn't rocket science."

Open the Presentation

Number and types of sources

• At least two peer-reviewed journal articles (total), one for each anthropology concept.
• At least one non-scholarly source (for either concept)
• All sources must be relevant and reliable.

Relevant sources

• They must discuss your anthropological concept or give examples of it
• They must be useful for your analysis of the film

Reliable sources

We trust a reliable source to make true statements, based on how and why is was created and published. For evidence of reliability, ask the following (ABC) questions.

AUTHORITY: Are the authors of the source are in a good position to to know the truth?

• Do they have relevant knowledge on this topic? What are their credentials?
• Have they taken steps to avoid errors?

BIAS: Are the authors incentivized to tell the truth and avoid distortion?

• Why did the authors create and publish this source?
  • What was their purpose? Who was their intended audience?
• Can the authors gain something by distorting the truth? Are there conflicts of interest?
  • Do they act as cheerleaders or salespersons?
  • Or are they impartial investigators?
• Does the method of publication help protect us from distortion?
  • Is the source peer reviewed?
  • What does Wikipedia say about the journal, magazine, or website that publishes it?
• If the authors distort the truth, how much do they risk being caught and suffering negative consequences?
  • The more risk for them, the more protection we have.

CLAIM: Make sure the source is credible on the specific claims you focus on.

Search Google Scholar

Google Scholar finds scholarly articles in all disciplines. We need to limit it to Anthropology articles.

1. Copy this string of words: 

(anthropological OR ethnographic OR "participant observation" OR "multi-sited")

2. Open Google Scholar.

3. Paste the string of words into the search box. Search.

• Most of these articles have an anthropological approach to their topics.

4.  IN FRONT OF THIS STRING, enter your keywords. Search.

• You can try different keywords, but keep your keywords separate from the search string.

5. Limit to articles published in the last 15 years.

To the right, click Custom range, then enter start and end years.

Review Results & Find Full Text (if available)

• Ignore books. These titles always begin with [BOOK].

• Look for full text links (to the right of the record).

• Read the titles of the articles, and look at the "keyword hits" below.

• Check if the article is peer reviewed. See the box below this one for directions. (Then scroll back here.)

• Open the full text link.
  • Pima.edu links take two clicks.
• Read the Abstract of the article first. This is dry and dense but it overviews the whole article. It will save you time!
• You can scan the full text for a word or phrase:
  • Hold down the Ctrl key, then press the F key.
    • For Macs, hold down the Command key, and press the F key.
  • Enter the word you seek, and find where it show up.

Getting Help

• Chat with us at LibChat, 24x7.
• For more details, see the Google Scholar tab on this research Guide.

Google Scholar can't tell you if your article is peer reviewed, so do this check.

1. In Google Scholar results, find your article's record.

2. Click the Cite icon.

3. Copy the journal name (it is in italic font).

4. Open Publication Finder

5. Past the journal name into the box, and search.

6.  Do you find a match? Look for a note that says Peer Reviewed.

7. If you don't find a match, or there is no Peer Reviewed note, chat with us at LibChat.

1. Open MegaSearch

2. Click Search (with nothing in the search box).

3. Under Resource Type (on the left), select these, in turn:

• Magazine article
• Newspaper article

4. Scroll down (left side) to Discipline

• Select Anthropology 

5. Enter your keywords

• For best results, enclose a phrase in quotation marks:
• "kinship structures"

Read the Abstract!

• Click the Quick Look button.
• Some items don't have Abstracts, but they will show Subjects.

Open the full text (or wait)

• Click the Full Text Online button (or the PDF button)

Email yourself an APA citation and a link to the full text

• Click the Email icon (looks like an envelope)
• Enter your email address
• Below this, Choose a Citation Format
  • APA

Create an APA citation with Citefast.com

• For articles outside of Google Scholar, use Citefast.com
• Copy the title of the article..
• Open Citefast.com  It will open for a Journal  Article in APA
• In the box, paste in the title. Search.
• In the results below, do you see a match? If so, click it.
• To review all the data, you can scroll down.
• When you are satisfied, click Save Citation
• Your reference displays (upper right). Notice the In-text link.
• Use the blue button to copy and paste it into your References.

Quick guide to APA citation

Fuller guide to APA citation

Emily's video: Incorporating Sources in Ethnographic Film Analysis 

"Consult with a librarian ASAP. Take time in searching for sources in various places on MegaSearch."

"Always try different word choices when looking for sources."

"It's ok to ask several questions about finding a relevant and reliable source during your research."