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Critical Writing Program: Mass Incarceration in America: Spring 2021

How to Read a Citation

Book citations generally show a publisher and a city of publication. Book chapters will include the title of the chapter as well as the name of the book.

Article citations have a journal/periodical title in addition to the article title. They will usually also show a volume and issue number, and may show a day and month.

While citations for types of social media posts may differ in the information they include, they will usually have a URL (address of a webpage) and a hosting site/platform title in addition to the post title. Depending on the length and type of post, the citation may also include the full text of the post (Twitter) or a description of the post.

Using Citations to Find Articles

If you have a complete article citation, search Franklin from the Penn Libraries homepage to find the full text of your article.

Library homepage Franklin search box

 

On the next page, click Articles+ to limit your search results to articles. 

Franklin results page with cursor on "Articles+"

No luck? That doesn't mean we don't have access to the article - it could be available in print! Try searching the Catalog for the journal name as a next step.

Franklin results page with cursor on "catalog"

Select Catalog and search using the journal name. If the library owns the journal, click on the journal name and confirm that they have the proper issue/volume/date by examining the item record page. If they do, you can request a scan of the article by selecting Digital Delivery (under locations where the journal is held). 

Using Citations to Find Books

If your citation is a book, you will search Franklin from the Penn Libraries homepage

Franklin will help you find the library in which the book is located, and the call number. You can search for a specific book by title, author, or ISBN. You can also do a keyword or subject keyword search to find books on a particular topic.

Library homepage Franklin search box

 

On the next page, click Catalog to limit your search results to eBooks, books, and other print material. 

Franklin results page with cursor on "catalog"

Other important resources for finding books:

Keyword Searching

This document suggests a good method of crafting effective keyword searches:

PowerNotes

PowerNotes is software that helps you gather and organize research.

Have questions about PowerNotes? Tips, troubleshooting, and tutorials are here: https://www.blog.powernotes.com/help

Still need help? You can use the PowerNotes contact form, or you can contact the Penn Libraries -- be sure to include "PowerNotes" in your question, so it is routed to the correct librarian.

 

 

 

Background Resources

Scholarly Databases

These databases will help you find scholarly articles about your topic

Popular Sources

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