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Art 481

Getting started	It's a good idea to begin your research by getting a working knowledge of your subject, including basic biographical information and an overview of the accomplishments for which s/he achieved prominence. The library has biographical and subject-specific encyclopedias and dictionaries in the Reference collection, which are good places to get started. They provide concise, authoritative information and will often lead you to more in-depth resources. Art encyclopedias Photography reference books Artists biographical sources Photographers biographical sources Who's Who
Finding books & media	McIntyre Online Catalog: search the catalog for books, government documents, videos/DVDs/CDs Searching on some of the following subject headings in the catalog may be useful for finding resources on art and artists:
	Art Artists--Biography Artists--[geographical location] e.g. Artists--Japan [style] e.g. impressionism; modernism; art, baroque	[individual names of artists] e.g. Adams, Ansel [medium] e.g. Painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, etc. Photograph collections Photographers Symbolism in art Signs and symbols
	The following resources may be useful for find information to place your art/artists in historical, societal or cultural context: American Decades Reference E169.12 .A419 1994 Chronology of World History Reference D11 .M39 1999 Encyclopedia of Social History Reference HN28.E53 1994 Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History Reference E169.1 .E624 2001 Do a keywod search in the catalog for country/continent/population and encyclopedia. E.g.: africa encyclopedia native americans encyclopedia egypt encyclopedia
Finding articles	Art databases: search for articles on art styles, artists, works, etc., in these databases that cover the literature in art, humanities and related fields. For biographical information on artists, try the following sources: African American Biographical Database Biography & Genealogy Master Index Wilson Biographies Plus Illustrated database LexisNexis Academic: click on PEOPLE on the red search bar to search for biographical information from newspapers and trade journals. News databases: Search for news about your artist from thousands of regional, national and international newspapers, wire services, news releases, broadcast transcripts, and more. Scholarly vs. popular journals: How to tell the difference Periodical list: find out what journals/magazines/newspapers McIntyre Library has (online or in print)
Citing Sources	Formatting Citations: MLA & APA examples Documenting Sources: Diana Hacker, Bedford St. Martin's MLA APA Chicago Noodlebib Express and Easybib: generate citations online (APA and MLA)
Avoiding Plagiarism	Plagiarism is the failure--intentional or unintentional--to give someone else credit for his/her words, ideas or creative work. It can range from improperly documenting a source in a paper to downloading an entire paper from the Web and turning it in as your own work. Find out more: In Your Own Words (UW Eau Claire, McIntyre Library) Web Competency and Information Literacy (San Mateo Community College) Avoiding plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and other questionable writing practices: A guide to ethical writing (Miguel Roig, St. John's Univ.)

McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire | Jill Markgraf | Updated: September 7, 2007