Discovering More Sources by Following the Citation Trail
Need to find more information on your topic?
- What articles or books did your source cite? Look at the bibliography or footnotes.
- What books or articles cited your source? Use Google Scholar or Scopus. Keep in mind this will not work for recently published works.
Wikipedia References
You (or someone you know) have probably used a Wikipedia article to find sources. Find an entry on your topic, check the references - and you've got some sources to start exploring your topic!
You can do the same thing with journal articles and books. When you find a source that is particularly relevant or useful for your topic, you can look for books or articles your source has referenced. Finding one good source will help you find others!
For example: The Wikipedia entry on Macbeth contains this footnote:
Clicking the hyperlinked footnote number brings us to the footnote:
Looking through the references using the author's last name comes up with this reference:
A search in the Library General Search comes up with the book chapter, which can be read online. A Wikipedia article has helped find a scholarly source!
"Cited By" in Google Scholar
The Cited by link under the Google Scholar citation is another way to expand your search and find more relevant articles. See Using "Cited By" in the Using Google Scholar tab in this guide.
Database tricks for this
Some Library databases have tools that will help you track citations. Check an item record to see if there is a link or a list for the item's references, or a link or a list for publications citing the item.
If you notice an item with a very high "cited by" count, many other authors have found it valuable, and it might be worth investigating. The Scopus Database is a very good resource for this purpose. It is designed to display an item's references, as well as publications citing it.
- ScopusSearch in Scopus (you can start with a title) to find resources your resource is citing, as well as what is citing your resource.
Finding References from a Works Cited Page
When you're reading and find a reference that looks useful or interesting, you can look at the works cited (usually found at the end of an article, chapter, or book).
You can use the Library General Search, Google Scholar, or WorldCat to check if the Library has access to the item you've found. If the Library doesn't, don't panic! You can still make a request using interlibrary loan. One good source will help you find others.
- General SearchSearch by article or book title. General Search does not list every article the library has access to - use Google Scholar if you can't find it in General Search.
- WorldCatVery good for finding books!
- Google ScholarSearch the title of your reference to check full text access or request
- Interlibrary ServicesRequest books, articles, and media from other libraries!
Reference Books
Reference books (encyclopedias, handbooks, guides, companions) are great places to find entries with bibliographies or references to related articles or books on your topic.
The Encyclopedia of Food and Culture (2003) includes an entry on "Snacks" with a brief bibliography of related book titles.
Search in Library General Search, Worldcat, or Google Scholar for items listed in the references.
eReference Books
Wikipedia is one place to find background information. In addition to Wikipedia, the library subscribes to multiple online reference resources that are as simple to search as Wikipedia, but return results written by experts in the field with more comprehensive bibliographies containing a higher number of scholarly sources.
The Library subscribes to the following eReference book collections:
- ABC-CLIO eBooks
Access to encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries, and guides focusing on U.S. and world history, current issues, politics, and geography.
- Cambridge Histories OnlineFull text of various Cambridge Histories covering American and world history; economic history and the history of science; linguistics; music & theatre studies; philosophy; anthropology and political thought.
- Gale eBooksAccess to various ebooks and reference works in multiple disciplines.
- Oxford Reference
Includes subject dictionaries and reference works in various subjects including biology, computing, economics, history, law, literature, medicine, performing arts, politics, and science. Access for 6 users at a time.
- Sage KnowledgeReference e-books in the social sciences. A selective range of Sage eBook and eReference content, including scholarly monographs, reference works, handbooks, series, professional development titles, and more. Not all titles are accessible by UConn. After doing a search, click on Available to Me under Refine By: on the right-hand side of the page.
- ScienceDirect Reference WorksFull-text of reference ebooks in behavioral science, biology, chemistry, cognitive science, drugs, materials science, optics, and soils.
