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Last revised: February 21, 2010

LGBT 448: LGBT FAMILIES


Scope: This tutorial is intended to support the assignments in LGBT 448, “LGBT Families,” taught by Emily Mann.


Table of Contents


HOW TO CONDUCT SCHOLARLY RESEARCH

To conduct scholarly research, students must pick the best sources of information. In most cases these are scholarly books and journals. In some cases, popular materials such as magazines and newspapers may be used, especially for research that focuses current events. Also Internet Websites sometimes may be used, provided that the information is up-to-date and reliable (note: see Using Web Sources in the next part of this document).

The Catalog lists books and other materials that are actually owned by the University of Maryland Libraries. Search here to find books, videos, journals (the titles, not the actual articles), and other material that are part of the Libraries' collection.

Research Port is a gateway to databases and electronic journals to which the Libraries subscribe. Use these databases to search for journal articles (and often to other materials). This is explained in more detail below under How to Use Research Port."

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Using Web Sources

Often students think they can get all of the information they need merely by using a search engine such as Google (note: we are referring to the original Google search engine--not to Google Scholar) to browse the Internet. Although some useful information may be found this way, this is not the primary route for scholarly research:

  • General Internet searches will yield only a very small percentage of the "scholarly" information that is available on a given topic. Scholarly information is controlled by copyright and thus is available primarily through scholarly journals or through databases, such as the Libraries' Research Port databases, that index these journals. So rather than making data available free on the Internet, scholarly information is controlled by publishers and researchers who want to get paid for their efforts. The Libraries pay for costly subscriptions to scholarly journals and to the Research Port database so that UMCP students and faculty can have free access to this scholarly information.

  • Another reason that one should not rely solely on browsing the Net to get scholarly data is that there is no control over the validity of the information. Anyone can create a Web page; consequently, data in some Web sites may contain errors. Wikipedia is an example of a website where there is only limited control over the validity of the information (note: Still Wikipedia may have much helpful information; however, in most instances if you use Wikipedia you should only use it as a first step to get information, and then you should verify that information in more scholarly sources. Often instructors/professors will not allow their students to list Wikipedia as a source in their bibliographies).

  • The data in some websites may be intentionally distorted (e.g. due to a particular political bias).

  • In other instances the information may be very out-of-date.

  • Despite these constraints, researchers often still can get good information by browsing the Internet, but only after carefully evaluating that Web Site and its data. The Libraries have created a guide to Evaluating Web Sites to help students do just that.

  • The lgbt world is well-connected in cyberspace, and there are many Internet gateways to useful data; here are some examples: .

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Basic Techniques for Searching the Catalog & the Research Port Databases (Using Boolean Logic)

When searching the Catalog or the Research Port databases, you will have most success if you use Boolean logic:

  • Boolean logic uses the words AND, OR, and sometimes NOT, to connect key terms. One should use Boolean rather than randomly searching individual terms, or rather than searching a complete prose phrase:

    Describe the lives of children in same-sex families.

    Instead, you should identify key terms, the most important words in the search phrase

    Example: children; same-sex; families

    and use these terms with the Boolean connectors.

    Example: children AND same-sex AND families

    when conducting the search:


  • AND narrows a search, and OR expands it. So, if the search yields too many results, you can reduce the number of "hits" by adding an additional required term and connecting it to the other terms with the word AND. Thus if we wanted to narrow the previous search, we might input:


  • The word OR expands a search. So if you have too few hits, or if you want to conduct a thorough search, you can enlarge the number of search results by adding additional related terms (e.g. synonyms or other forms of the word) and connecting them to the other terms/words with the word OR. Example:


  • If you have too many hits, another way to narrow your search is to search for a given term only if it is used in the title or is used as a subject. To explain further: The catalog and most databases automatically search for the desired term in all or most of the data in a citation (i.e. the database will search for the word in the title, the author, the subject, the abstract or summary of the article, etc.). In most cases one will see the term “Default Fields” or “All Fields” to indicate that all or most of the fields are being searched. If your search produces too many citations, and many of them appear irrelevant to your topic, you may search for the term only if it is listed in the title or as a subject. To do this, change the search menu item from “Default Fields” or “All Fields” to “Title” or “Subject” options. Note: Some databases use the term “Descriptors” instead of “Subject.”


  • A shortcut to using multiple forms of a term, is to use a truncation symbol, which acts as a “wild card.” The catalog and most (but not all) databases use an asterisk (*) as the truncation symbol. Thus if you write “child” followed by an asterisk, then the database will simultaneously search for the words “child,” “child's,” “children,” and “children's.” For example, in the previous search, by using an asterisk after the word "child," we would not have to write the phrase "child or children." Similarly, by adding some asterisks to the words "lesbian," "gay," and "homosexual," you would be searching simultaneously for the singular and plural of each word, and the search likely would be yield more citations.

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    To Find Books on Your Topic, Use the Catalog:

    • How to Use the Catalog

      Search the Libraries' Catalog for books and documents on your topic. Start with a "word/s anywhere" search:


      Please note that the Catalog does not recognize phrases unless you put the phrase in quotation marks. So, be sure to enclose phases such as “breast cancer,” "domestic partners,” "gay marriage," etc. in quotation marks. If you do not, the search engine will search for each word separately. Also note that another limitation of the Catalog is that it will not search for any phrases that are longer than two words.

    • If you are conducting a search with numerous search terms, go to the "Advanced Search" screen option. Doing this will provide you with multiple search boxes.

    • When you do find a citation that you like, click on that item listing to get more information. For example, click on the "availability" link to see if that item is available (it will indicate "on shelf") or is already checked out by another user (as indicated by a due date). If it is available, use the call number to see where the book is located. To locate books in McKeldin Library, use the directory that is located at the top of the McKeldin Library Floor Plan to learn on which floor you will find books of a given call number. When looking at the catalog record, also note whether the book is in the regular "Stacks" or "Folio Stacks"--at McKeldin these are separate stack areas, both located on the same floor.

    • Further information about how to use the Catalog is available in a printable Catalog Guide.

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    To Find Journal Articles on Your Topic, Use the Research Port Databases:

    • Useful Research Port Databases

      By going to the Libraries' Research Port page, you can get access to the more than 300 bibliographic databases. These databases are indexes that allow users to perform comprehensive searches for journal articles. Such searches will yield either article citations or full-text articles, depending on the respective indexes and articles. In addition to searching journals, most of these indexes also search other types of documents such as conference proceedings, research reports, book and book chapters, and government documents.

      Two databases that index lgbt oriented publications are:


      • GenderWatch
        This is a full-text database comprised primarily of articles from the many ongoing periodicals that deal with gender issues, including academic and scholarly journals, regional publications, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, booklets and reports. Among some of the journals that are indexed by Genderwatch are The Advocate, GLAAD Notes, The Harvard Gay & Lesbian Revue, Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy, Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, Journal of Homosexuality, Journal of Lesbian Studies, Lambda Book Report, The Lesbian Revue of Books, and off our backs.

      • LGBT Life
        This is the most inclusive on-line index to literature that pertains to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues. It covers more than 80 LGBT-specific core periodicals, over 70 priority periodicals, and over 5,000 selected monograph, newsletter, case study, and dissertation titles. Among some of the journals that are indexed by LGBT Life are The Advocate, Lesbian News, Washington Blade, Bay Area Reporter, and historically significant titles such as ONE, The Ladder, Mattachine Review, Christopher Street and Body Politic.

      The primary databases that index family studies journal articles are:

      • Family & Society Studies Worldwide. A primary family science resource, this database provides more than 700,000 citations and abstracts to professional journals, books, book chapters, and other materials.

      • Family Studies Abstracts. This relatively small database searches articles in a number of major family studies journals.

      • SocIndex . This sociology database is a useful supplemental resource because it indexes Sage family studies abstracts and provides full-text articles of numerous family science journals.

      Here are additional databases that you might find helpful:

      • Academic Search Premier. This EBSCO-based tool is a multi-disciplinary database comprised of articles from 3000 general, humanities, social science, and science periodicals. It is popular with students because of its access to many full-text articles.

      • Contemporary Womens Issues is comprised of abstracts from journal articles, newsletters, research reports, government and international agencies, and fact sheets from 1992 to the present. Contemporary Womens Issues has much data on lesbian issues.

      • CQ Researcher covers news topics in a wide range of subject fields, from social issues to environment, health, education and science and technology. This full-text database is unique in that each issue of this publication selects a specific timely topic and presents comprehensive information on all aspects of this topic. This information includes history and background information, a detailed report of the current situation, relevant pro & con arguments, bibliographies, and contact information. Some of the topics on which this tool provides comprehensive information are as follows: gay rights, combating AIDS, adoption controversies, domestic partners, hate crimes, and diversity in the workplace.

      • Lexis-Nexis Academic is a full-text database that offers a wide range of news, political, legal, business, and reference information in full-text format. Primary source of newspaper articles, including those from the Washington Post and the New York Times, and thus useful for researching l/g/b/t issues in the news. Similarly has full-text access to newspapers from U.S. colleges and universities; these sources will be useful to persons researching l/g/b/t issues on college campuses (Note: to search these university sources, conduct a "Guided News Search" and select "University New" and "University Wire" from the respective menus on the screen). Finally, this database is a primary source of legal information, and useful for those persons researching the legal aspects of l/g/b/t topics.

      • MasterFile Primier Multidisiplinary databaseProvides abstracts and indexing for 2,650 general periodicals, including popular magazines. Full text of articles for nearly 2,000 periodicals.

      • New York Times Historical (1851-2001)
        Searchable full-text database of digital images of every page back to the first issue of the newspaper. Useful if you need to find articles that were written near the time when an given event occurred.

      • PsycInfo is the most comprehensive index in psychology and related fields. It provides citations and abstracts to journal articles, book chapters and books, technical reports, and dissertations. Use this tool for looking at psychological and emotional factors underlying l/g/b/t topics.

      • Washington Post Historical (1877-1988)
        Searchable full-text database of digital images of every page back to the first issue of the newspaper. Useful if you need to find articles that were written near the time when an given event occurred.

      • Women's Studies International. Compiled from ten women's studies databases, this is primarily an index of the feminist press from 1972 to the present. Though a source of much data on lesbian issues, this database cites many articles on general gay issues.

      If you are conducting extensive in-depth research, most likely no one database will meet all of your research needs. It is always a good idea to consult a number of databases--at least one general one plus several subject-specific indexes.


    • How to Use Research Port

      • You can reach the Research Port database by going to Research Port. If you are off campus, and select “Research Port” from the Libraries’ homepage, you will be asked to input your campus directory name and password (the same name and password that you use to gain access to your campus e-mail)..

      • When using Research Port, be sure to click the "Databases" link rather than the "Journals" link. The reason is that "Databases" allow you to search thousands of journals at once, whereas the "Journals" link limits your search to one journal title at a time. Also avoid the "Quick search" link, for it only searches a few preselected databases--databases that will not included the appropriate databases that you need for research on lgbt topics.

      • IMPORTANT TIP: If you find a citation for an article that you need, but the full-text does not appear to be available on-line, the next step is for you to hit the “Find It” button. By doing this you will learn if there are possibly full-text source links that did not appear on the previous screen. If there are no full-text links, the “Find It” screen will tell you if the journal that contains the desired article is listed in the Libraries Catalog. If it is, you may click on the Catalog link that appears on the screen to get the call number of the journal. With this call number you can determine library location where you can physically retrieve the journal (and the desired article).

      • If the Libraries do not own a journal or book that you need, Interlibrary Loan can possibly get it for you. This is a free service offered to all patrons who have a current UM ID. The ILL office will search libraries throughout the nation to get books, periodical articles, dissertations, microforms, government documents, and technical reports that you may need. All you need to do is to submit an Interlibrary Loan Online Request Form. ILL usually receives the requested items in about two weeks. A link to this form is also available on the “Find It” screen.


    • Select Peer-reviewed Journals

      Often professors will want you to use “peer-reviewed” journals (also called “scholarly” journals) for your research. These are publications written by researchers who wish to share information with other scholars. Peer-reviewed journals differ from magazines and trade journals. Magazines are generally written by journalists, contain articles of current or general interest, and are directed at the general public. Trade publications are commercial periodicals restricted to the interests of a trade or industry.

      • Examples of peer-reviewed journals are: G L Q: a Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, Harrington Lesbian Literary Quarterly, International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies , and Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health
      • Examples of magazines include: The Advocate, Gay Times, Girljock, and On Our Backs
      • Here are examples of trade publications: Damron Accomodations, Community Yellow Pages, Our World: the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Magazine.

        Most--but not all--of the Research Port databases primarily search scholarly (also called "peer-reviewed") journals. If you are not sure whether or not a journal is "scholarly," the following guide may help you decide: Identifying Periodical Types.

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    Other Tools

    • Subject Guides

      These are research guides that UM Librarians have created on specifics topics and subjects in order to help students find helpful reference books. You may wish to look at some of the reference books in order to help you select a topic for your pamphlet or to give you an overview of the topic that you have selected.


      • Family Science Resources.

        This guide cites numerous print reference tools (encyclopedias, handbooks, etc.), sources of statistical information, and other resources that assist one in researching families.

      • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies
        This is a library study guide that lists reference books and other tools that are useful when researching LGBT topics. These materials provide a wide range of information and also help students who need to select topics for papers and assignments.


    • The Modern Languages Association (MLA) Handbook and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
      These are examples of a style manuals for writers and are particularly important when one is listing citations in a bibliography. At McKeldin Library, these manuals are available at the Service Plus Information and Reference Center and on the Quick Reference shelves, located across from the Service Plus desk. Another style manual is the Chicago Manual of Style.

      Many of the Research Port databases offer a new feature: They will create a bibliographic citation in APA format (and other formats) for the individual article that you select. Here is an example of the EBSCO site that has an icon marked by an arrow in the following example)…


      …that will take you to a page that lists citations for your selected article, e.g.:

      Though the manuals are not directly available electronically, one can get much helpful information about them from the following links:

      • "Citing Sources Using the MLA Handbook" page. The Libraries have created this page that explains more about this style manual.

      • "Citing Sources Using the APA Style" page. This is the comparable ALA Style page that the Libraries created.

      • Another useful site is "Assembling a List of Works Cited in Your Paper". Created by Duke University, this site provides quick and easy directions for creating citations for articles and books. This tool shows each citation using each of the popular style guides, including both the MLA Handbook and the APA Publication Manual.. Also it gives advice about how to avoid plagiarism.

      • Another site that may be helpful is the "APA Style Resources" page on Psych Web; it provides links to a number of guides and Web pages that provide writing tips and suggestions for its application.

      • "Organizing/Citing Tools" page (accessible from the "Reference Shelf" option on the Libraries' home page.
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    Last modified: February 21, 2010

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