Geography Research Guide

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Try These First
  • Academic OneFile Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available
  • Google Scholar Unrestricted Access
  • JSTOR Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available
  • Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available
  • Project Muse Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available
All Items by Source
Biographical Information
Books: other Catalogs
Citation and Style Guides
Country Information
Encyclopedias
Government Information
Journals/Magazines
Local
Maps
Newspapers
Public Opinion
Resources for Thesis Students
Statistics/Data

Journals/Magazines

Scopus Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Link to Article
Scopus is an abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature and quality web sources with tools to track, analyze and visualize research. It is similar to Web of Science (Science Citation Index and Social Science Citation Index) but also includes arts and humanites resources.

  • Contains 41 million records, 70% with abstracts, nearly 18,000 titles from 5,000 publishers worldwide.  70% of content is pulled from international sources.  Includes MEDLINE.
  • Records since 1996 include seachable cited references.
  • Shortcut: go/scopus (on campus) or http://go.middlebury.edu/scopus (off-campus)

Web of Science Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Link to Article Resource contains images
1985-2011. NOTE: Backfile only.  No new articles as of January 2012.  Cited reference searches will not refer to articles published after the last 2011 update.  For current (and older) articles and cited reference searches, use Scopus (shortcut: go/scopus).

Academic OneFile Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Link to Article Some full text available
1980 - current. Interdisciplinary index covering over 10,000 scholarly and popular journals and magazines. Most references include full-text or links to full-text. Contains all of Expanded Academic Index ASAP. Coverage of scientific journals is limited.  Shortcuts:  go/onefile (on campus),  http://go.middlebury.edu/onefile (off-campus).

America - History and Life Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Link to Article Some full text available Resource contains images
Major index to articles and books on history (from prehistoric times to current period) of United States and Canada. 1964 to current.

EconLit with Full Text Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Link to Article Some full text available
Index for over 600 journals (400+ full-text), books, documents, and working papers in the field of economics. 1969 - present. To search full-text, change the drop-down box to "All-Text". Econlit is not searched in Summon. Go shortcut = go/econlit. 
Note: Note: Summon searches Econlit citations, but it does not search the full-text. To search within full-text journals, select All Text from Econlit's search box Select a Field menu.

GeoBib Unrestricted Resource

1985-2005. Online access to Current Geographical Publications, which is no longer published in paper format. Includes bibliographical references to books, periodical articles, pamphlets, government documents, maps and atlases in the American Geographical Society Collection of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Tips:

  • Enclose phrases in quotes " " .
  • Truncate using question mark ? .

Google Scholar Unrestricted Resource Link to Article

Searches for many types of primarily scholarly sources including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other organizations. Some documents will be available for free while others require a subscription or a one-time access fee.

Tips:

  • Enclose phrases in quotes " "
  • To prompt Google Scholar to display links to resources in Middlebury's collection: 1) Go to "Scholar Preferences" (click on the cogwheel in the upper-right), 2) Search "Library Links" for "Middlebury," 3) Select all displayed Middlebury locations, and 4) "Save Preferences."

Historical Abstracts Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Link to Article Some full text available
Major index to over 2,000 international journals, book reviews, and dissertations on the history of the world, except United States and Canada. Covers topics from 1450 (i.e. the Renaissance) to the present. Indexes publications published from 1955 to current.

JSTOR Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Link to Article Some full text available
Full-text archive of over 700 scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences covering all issues published, except for the last 2 to 5 years. This is a subscription resource; for off-campus access, enter your Middlebury username and password when prompted. Shortcuts: go/jstor (on campus), http://go.middlebury.edu/jstor (off campus).

PAIS International (ProQuest) Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Link to Article
Indexes journals, books, and documents covering global public policy and social issues in all disciplines. 1972 - current. For 1915 -1976, switch to PAIS Archive (click on Specific Database link to choose PAIS Archive). Go shortcut = go/pais

Project Muse Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Link to Article Some full text available
Offers full-text of over 100 scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and mathematics from the 1990s to present. This is a subscription resource; for off-campus access, enter your Middlebury username and password when prompted.  Shortcuts: go/muse (on campus), http://go.middlebury.edu/muse (off-campus).

Middlebury College Libraries Databases A-Z List Unrestricted Resource
Links to all indexes and databases available through the Middlebury College Libraries. Shortcuts  =  go/databases (on campus); http://go.middlebury.edu/databases (off-campus).

Newspapers

Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available
Academic Universe provides access to the full text of national and international newspapers, magazines, wire services, and more. It also includes business, financial, and legal information, including laws, regulations, cases, and EU law. The non-English language news link includes news in French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Go shortcut = go/lexis (on campus), http://go.middlebury.edu/lexis (off campus).

Middlebury College Libraries Newspapers Guide Unrestricted Resource
Directs you to all current and historical newspaper resources available at Middlebury.

Newspapers24 Unrestricted Resource Some full text available Resource contains images Resource contains video
12,000 newspapers, 24 hours news

ProQuest Historical Newspapers Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available Resource contains images
Search the digitized full-text and images of the New York Times (1851-2007); Wall Street Journal (1889-1993); Los Angeles Times (1881-1987); Washington Post (1877-1994); Chicago Tribune (1849-1987); Boston Globe (1872-1979);  Christian Science Monitor (1908-1997); Atlanta Constitution (1868-1945).  Black Newspapers: Chicago Defender (1910-1975); Atlanta Daily World (1931-2003);  Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2002)

Books: other Catalogs

Middlebury College Libraries Interlibrary Loan Department Unrestricted Resource
Advice on how to request books and articles from other libraries.

NExpress Unrestricted Resource
Use the  button in Midcat to search for and request items from a consortia of 6 other northeastern libraries, Middlebury borrowers can also visit these libraries and check out items directly. These libraries are: Williams, Bates, Bowdoin, Wellesley, Colby, and Northeastern University.  See the NExpress page for full details.

WorldCat Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Link to Article
Use this union catalog of over 40 million books, documents, reports, and media from libraries worldwide to identify books to request via InterLibrary Loan. If we don't own the book and you want to borrow it from another library, click on the ILL icon from the record. (OCLC)

Government Information

FDSys (formerly GPO Access) Unrestricted Resource Some full text available
Gateway to U.S. government documents which includes the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications; the Congressional Record; Congressional Bills, Laws, and Reports; Federal Register and CFR; Budget of the U.S. Government; Supreme Court decisions; Public Papers of the Presidents; and much more.

Geography - USGS Unrestricted Resource
Research publications and data on natural resource and environmental issues of the US including changes in the land and connections between people and the land.

Science.gov Unrestricted Resource Some full text available
Selective coverage, as far back as 1948. Science.gov is a search engine for government science information from the Departments of Agriculture; Commerce; Defense; Education; Energy; Health and Human Services; and Interior. Also the Environmental Protection Agency, Library of Congress, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, and the US Government Printing Office. Results are authoritative and selective and may include scientific or technical data, publications, databases, documentation, or other forms of information.

Tip:  To limit your search to a subset of the database, click on the "Advanced Search" link

USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Unrestricted Resource
The U.S. Board on Geographic Names is a Federal body created in 1890 and established in its present form by Public Law in 1947 to maintain uniform geographic name usage throughout the Federal Government. The Board comprises representatives of Federal agencies concerned with geographic information, population, ecology, and management of public lands. Sharing its responsibilities with the Secretary of the Interior, the Board promulgates official geographic feature names with locative attributes as well as principles, policies, and procedures governing the use of domestic names, foreign names, Antarctic names, and undersea feature names.

Biographical Information

American National Biography Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available Resource contains images
Oxford ANB Online is an exploration of American history through the lives of the men and women who shaped the nation.

Biography in Context Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Link to Article Some full text available Resource contains images
600,000+ biographies covering more than 525,000 individuals.  Includes 170+ Gale reference titles, periodical information and multimedia content.

Dictionary of National Biography Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available Resource contains images
Oxford DNB - 56,000 biographies of deceased people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond, from the earliest times to the present. Also available in print- Main Library Reference CT773 .D4 2004.
Note: Oxford

Who's Who (Marquis) Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available Resource contains images
Select volumes available via Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe.
Some older volumes in print (consult Midcat for additional titles)

Marquis Who's Who in the World

Marquis Who's Who in America

Wilson Current Biography Illustrated replaced by Gale Biography in Context Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available Resource contains images
Gale Biography in Context includes 600,000+ biographies covering more than 525,000 individuals.  Includes 170+ Gale reference titles, periodical information and multimedia content.

Citation and Style Guides

Abbreviations.com Unrestricted Resource
Directory and search engine for acronyms, abbreviations and initialisms.  Holds hundreds of thousands of entries organized by a large variety of categories from computing and the Web to governmental, medicine and business.

Making Sense : A Student's Guide to Research and Writing : Geography and Environmental Sciences Unrestricted Resource

4th ed.  Includes Writing a lab report ; Doing field work and writing about it; and much more.
Armstrong Library Stacks G74 .N67 2009


Note: Print Resource

A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers / Kate L. Turabian Unrestricted Resource
This is the "Turabian" style.  See also the online Turabian Quick Guide with basic examples, available from the publisher. Free citation generator available from eturabian.com
Multiple print copies including:
Davis Family Library Ref LB2369 .T8 2007
Davis Family Library Stacks LB2369 .T8 2007 (7 day loan)
Armstrong Ref LB2369 .T8 2007

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers Unrestricted Resource
Active MIDCAT search.

Examples online at:

  • MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide - From Purdue University.

Periodical title abbreviations Unrestricted Resource
a target="_blank" href="http://biblio.middlebury.edu/record=b1264657%7ES2">Armstrong Ref PN4832 .P47
Note: Print resource

RefWorks On-campus use only Link to Article
RefWorks will automatically generate bibliographies and format your research papers in any of hundreds of styles including MLA, APA, Chicago, and Turabian.  Middlebury  College students and faculty may use RefWorks by creating a RefWorks account.  For more info, follow the RefWorks link or email refworks@middlebury.edu.

Middlebury-specific RefWorks Guide located at  http://go.middlebury.edu/refworks?midd.

eigenfactor Unrestricted Resource
A free database of journal rankings in the sciences.  An alternative to Thomson ISI's Journal Citation Rankings, eigenfactor attempts to measure the relative importance of a journal based on factors such as the number of articles which cite it.

SCImago Journal & Country Rank Unrestricted Resource Some full text available

A free database of journal rankings in the sciences.  An alternative to Thomson ISI's Journal Citation Rankings, SCImago attempts to measure the relative importance of a journal based on factors such as the number of articles which cite it.  It also tries to measure the scientific productivity of a country using the same factors.

 

Country Information

Background Notes Unrestricted Resource Some full text available
Country information from the U.S. State Department.

Regional Studies - WWW Virtual Library Unrestricted Resource
Links to key web-based sources about  various regions of the world. 

Encyclopedias

A to Z GIS : an illustrated dictionary of geographic information systems Unrestricted Resource
In print at Armstrong Reference G70.212 .A86 2006

Access Science Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Link to Article Some full text available Resource contains images Resource contains video Resource contains audio
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology Online.

Provides authoritative information for non-specialists on a wide variety of science-related topics. Includes the 20-volume McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology, the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms and the Yearbooks of Science & Technology in addition to biographies from the Hutchinson Dictionary of Scientific Biography, selected Science News articles, and links to evaluated web sites.  Shortcuts:  go/accsci (on campus), http://go.middlebury.edu/accsci (off-campus).

Columbia Gazetteer of the World Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available
A database of names, descriptions, and characteristics of over 165,000 places in the world.

Dictionary of geography Unrestricted Resource
In print at Armstrong Reference G63 .D518.  Online preview available via Google Book Search.

Dictionary of Physical Geography Unrestricted Resource
In print at Armstrong Reference GB10 .D53

Encyclopedia Britannica Online Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available Resource contains images
Academic edition. Search by subject or keyword.  In addition to topical essays, timelines, images, and videos, it provides links to full text journal articles and links to related websites.

Encyclopedia of Environment and Society Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only
5 vol., 2007.  1,200 entries on topics related to the overlap between people and nature.  Biographies, policy discussions, and essays about problems, processes, and theoretical concepts.

Encyclopedia of Geographic Information Science Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available
Entries range from (long):  the domain of GISci and its major subdomains, such as cartography and geodesy and core themes, such as spatial analysis, ontology, and data modeling; (medium): significant topics, such as network analysis, spatialization, and polygon operations. (short): specialized concepts and techniques, such as the ecological fallacy, spatial weights, and open standards; (very short ): key organizations in GIS and definitions of fundamental topics, such as legend and extent.

The Encyclopedia of geomorphology Unrestricted Resource
In print at Armstrong Reference GB10 .F3
Note: Print resource

Encyclopedia of Human Geography Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available
2006 ed.  Overview of the major ideas, concepts and terms of the field of human geography.  Cross-cultural in scope. 

Encyclopedia of Population Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available Resource contains images
2 vols, 2003.  Provides expanded, up-to-date coverage of demographic topics both in the core field and in neighboring disciplines. Designed to encompass the large-scale changes in emphasis and research directions in population studies during the last 20 years, topics covered include: rapid demographic expansion in poor countries; low fertility rates and problems of old-age support; the environmental impact of a dense population; the press for expanded reproductive rights; and much more.

Our earth's changing land: an encyclopedia of land-use and land-cover change Unrestricted Resource

In-depth essays on central issues including the history and dynamics of land use and land cover.  Many of the entries describe specific case studies.
Armstrong Library Reference GF90 .O87 2006 (2 volumes)


Note: Print Resource

Oxford Reference Online Premium Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available Resource contains images
General reference resources, including encyclopedias, bilingual dictionaries, chronologies, and maps and illustrations.

Wolfram Alpha Unrestricted Resource Some full text available
This is a new search engine that attempts to answer factual questions (eg, what is the density of lead, where was Venus on May 13, how many calories would be burned with 30 minutes of jogging). It is still under development (by the makers of Mathematica); read the About document, watch the video, or check out the search examples for details.

Local

Middlebury College Department of Geography Unrestricted Resource
This is the official site of the Middlebury College Geography Department.

Middlebury College Libraries Unrestricted Resource
Library hours, borrowing policies, and research and technology resources from the Middlebury College Libraries. [Shortcuts = go/lib (on campus), http://go.middlebury.edu/lib (off-campus).]

Maps

Maps & GIS Guide Unrestricted Resource
Search for a wide variety of maps and GIS information, both print and online. Also includes resources on historical maps and U.S. government information.

Social Explorer Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available
Easy access to demographic information about the United States, from 1790 to present. Premium edition features over 15,000 interactive data maps and reports from the U.S. census and other sources.

Statistics/Data

CDC WONDER Unrestricted Resource Some full text available
CDC WONDER (Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research) is an easy-to-use, menu-driven system that makes the information resources of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) available to public health professionals and the public at large. It provides access to a wide array of public health information.

Middlebury College Libraries Economics Guide: U.S. Statistics Unrestricted Resource
This guide identifies statistics sources available through the Middlebury College Libraries. Also see the International Statistics section.

Social Explorer Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available
Easy access to demographic information about the United States, from 1790 to present. Premium edition features over 15,000 interactive data maps and reports from the U.S. census and other sources.

Statistical Datasets (ProQuest) Unrestricted Resource Some full text available
Part of ProQuest Statistical Insight. Formerly part of Lexis-Nexis.  Access to over 100 licensed and public domain datasets.  Some time series go back 20 - 100 years. Create tables, graphs, charts, and maps. Export data options include excel or shape files.   Hold down the Control key to select multiple variables. Quick Start Guide.

Statistics Guide - Middlebury Libraries Subject Guide Unrestricted Resource
Additional statistical sources on the web and in library print and electronic resources, arranged A-Z by topic.

UN Data (formerly UN Common Database) Unrestricted Resource Some full text available
Search major UN statistical databases and those of several international organizations. Most data is annual. Covers a diverse range of topics including socio-economic, environmental, health, and more. See also additional UN Databases. Go shortcut = go/undata.  See the UN Monthly Bulletin of Statistics for updates and monthly data for some statistics.

Public Opinion

Gallup Polls Unrestricted Resource Some full text available
Gallup's website provides free access to their more recent polls.  Middlebury does not subscribe to their achive database.  Some polls online via Lexis-Nexis and Academic Onefile.  For older polls see print volumes.  Also see the CD-Rom (1935 - 1997).
Note: Some polls only available to subscribers

General Social Survey Unrestricted Resource Some full text available
The GSS contains a standard 'core' of demographic, behavioral, and attitudinal questions, plus topics of special interest. Some surveys also available on ICPSR.

ICPSR Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available
The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) provides access to a large archive of social science data files for use with statistical software, such as SAS or SPSS.  Includes some public opinion polls. A Data Use Tutorial is available.

Japanese Data Archive Unrestricted Resource Some full text available
The Roper Center's Japanese Data Archive includes: JPOLL the on-line, question-level database of Japanese public opinion; and Japanese Data Library, which is made up of thousands of Japanese survey research studies.

Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life Unrestricted Resource Some full text available
Research, news, and public opinion polls covering four main areas as they relate to religion: politics, law, domestic policy, and world affairs.

Polling the Nations Middlebury Students, Faculty and Staff only Some full text available
"Database of public opinion polls containing the full text of 500,000 questions and responses from 14,000+ surveys conducted from 1986 through the present in the United States and 100 other countries around the world."  Logout when done (1 user limit).
Note: 1 user limit - logout when done

PollingReport.com Unrestricted Resource Some full text available
Current public opinion polls by a a variety of polling organizations (many are free but some are only available to subscribers).
Note: Some polls only available to subscribers

Pollster.com Unrestricted Resource Some full text available
Political races and presidential approval polls.

World Values Survey Unrestricted Resource Some full text available
Surveys on values and beliefs in 80 societies around the world. Some surveys also available on ICPSR.
Note: Registration required to access survey data

Resources for Thesis Students

Thesis Guide Unrestricted Resource
This guide is designed to review the variety of library materials and services for Middlebury thesis students.  Follow the link above to access the guide.



Key to Icons

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Restricted Resource = Middlebury Students, Faculty & Staff only
Help guide = Click for help guide (.pdf or .html)
ArticleLinker enabled = Link to Article

Some full text available = Some full text available
Resource contains images = Resource contains images
Resource contains video = Resource contains video
Resource contains audio = Resource contains audio

Helpguides
  • Choosing the "Best" Information pdf
  • Locating Books and Journals pdf
  • Middlebury College Libraries Maps & GIS Research Guide
Call Numbers
  • G Geography
  • GA Mathematical Geography & Cartography
  • GB Physical Geography
  • GC Oceanography
  • GE Environmental Studies
  • GF Human Ecology
Browse Journals
  • Atlases & Maps
  • Cartography
  • Geography - General
  • Physical Geography
  • Travel & Tourism
  • All Subject Areas
Subject Specialist
Picture: Hans Raum

Hans Raum
Reference & Instruction Librarian, Government Documents Librarian
Tel: (802) 443- 5493



Last updated: March 13, 2012
This page maintained by: Electronic Services Librarian
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