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Anthropology and Archaeology

A research guides for students in Anthropology and Archaeology

Get Background Info on Google? Yes, and ... No

Of course you will start in Google.  I do, too.  Here's what it's good for:  rock climbing in the Hocking Hills

Wikipedia articles are often really fine introductions to a topic. 

  • Use the references to start finding good resources.  
  • Save the terms and concepts for further exploration.
  • Do some editing yourself while you're there, to improve it for the next student.  

     Of course, you CANNOT USE WIKIPEDIA IN YOUR OWN REFERENCE LIST.  But you knew that. 

A gazillion links to other possibly good stuff...

                  and then you must turn on your brain. Because now you have to distinguish between good stuff and junk. 

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, & Other Reference Sources

It's a great idea to start with a subject reference source to get a general understanding of your topic.  

Here we get vocabulary, dates, names, definitions, concepts -- all of which make our searching in databases more efficient.