Table of Contents
Background/Reference Sources
Use these sources to help you pick a topic and to provide context to your research based argument.
Reference materials can be good resources for subject overviews and a means to collect useful keywords. The bibliographies frequently include key texts and thinkers that are associated with a specific subject. To discover more reference materials held in the Stanford Libraries, search Reference Universe, Searchworks, consult with a librarian, or browse the libraries' reference collections.
Tips for using reference sources:
- Look at the cross-references that many entries provide. These can be helpful in pointing you toward a related or more accurate idea/term.
- One of the most important elements of any good reference source entry is its bibliography. Take note of the books or articles that the entry's author deems elementary to understanding the individual or idea.
Selected Searchworks Subject Terms
These links are Searchworks results for selected "controlled vocabulary" subject terms related to "the natural". You may find they make great paper topics. The controlled vocabulary will return results that are positively related to the search terms because they are not random words -- they are official Library of Congress topic categories. Take a look at a few just for fun!
Suggested Article Databases
To find articles try the databases below
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