GEOG 3404: Mountain Geography Course Guide: Getting started
A couple of notes to using this guide
This guide consists of three tabs:
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The first (the page you're currently on) lists a few general sources you can use to get started.
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The second tab will help you develop search strategies you can use in the databases (and Google, Google Scholar, & Discovery Search).
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The third tab list discipline/subject-specific databases you can use to find more in-depth information on specific topics you choose to focus on in your project.
To access any library resources remotely, first click on the "Off Campus Sign In" service at the top right-hand side of this page, login with your PID/password to authenticate, then click on the resource listed below.
If the item you need is something we do not have as part of our collections, you can request it through Interlibrary Loan.
Remember: It is up to you to synthesize the information you find from the general and discipline-specific sources in a cohesive manner for your project to "demonstrate the integrated and adaptive nature of human and physical systems in mountains across the world."
Wondering where to start?
Here are some of the general sources the library provides that can help you develop a sense of what is taking place and begin to establish keywords and other terms you can use to start focusing in on specific aspects that relate to the physical and cultural dimensions of your project:
General information about the country where your mountain is located:
- EIU.com Country Reports EIU provides economic profiles and reports that assess and forecast political, economic and business conditions for almost 200 countries. Each report examines and explains in depth the issues shaping these countries: the political scene, economic policy, domestic economy, sectoral trends, and foreign trade and payments. Use the "classic view" to access older reports, the "blue view" to access the most recent reports.
- CIA World FactBook The World Factbook provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 266 world entities.
Newspapers:
- Factiva Factiva provides full-text news articles and information from newswires, newspapers, business and industry magazines, television and radio transcripts, and photos from news services.
General databases
(includes sources such as newspapers, magazines, trade & scholarly journals):
- Academic Search Complete from EBSCOhost This database indexes citations, abstracts, and full text from journal articles, books, reports, and conference proceedings in all subject disciplines.
Books and book chapters
You may also want to search for books or book chapters in addition to journal, newspaper, and magazine articles.
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