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Universiteitsbibliotheek – LibGuides

ME2V20002 Media Comparison and Intermediality / ME2V2001 Mediavergelijking en Intermedialiteit: 1. Explore your topic

LibGuide for the course Media Comparison and Intermediality (ME2V20002)

Explore your topic

You can explore your topic using

  • Reference works (check the reference works list on the right side of this page)
    Reference works for instance contain short summaries on subjects and people, explain terminology,  establish relations and recommend further reading.
  • Books from the library on the phenomenon you want to research using the Utrecht University entrance to WorldCat. For instance books on the genre, theory, artist, or era. 

What is WorldCat?

WorldCat is a catalogue where you can search at a global, national and Utrecht University Library level. You will find the Utrecht University Library collection in WorldCat together with material from thousands of libraries and publishers world wide.

Search WorldCat via an optimised entry offered by the Utrecht University Library:

 

WorldCat Search Utrecht University Library

 

WorldCat also has a general access, without these options, that you can use on worldcat.org

What is in WorldCat?

  • WorldCat contains books, CD's, DVD's, and many other types of materials.
  • The contents of more than a thousand libraries from all over the world.
  • The Utrecht University Library collection.
  • Access to the information in databases for which the university library has a license.

ATTENTION: You can't search all the databases which the library has a license to in WorldCat. Find the full list of search engines here.

Access to Digital Material

Access digital material via WorldCat, directly from the search results. View the item directly from the search result. You can always view open access articles. Utrecht University Library offers a license for a lot of digital material. You will always have access when you are on campus. Off campus you will have to log in with your Solis- or UMC account. For more information please read the page about online access.

Access to Printed Material

You will find printed material from the Utrecht University Library collections in WorldCat. The availability of every item can be seen on the results page in real time. You will also see where the book is kept in the stacks.​

Sometimes you will not find the book's location in the results straight away. You can then click on "view all editions & formats."

You will find printed material from the Utrecht University Library collections in WorldCat. The availability of every item can be seen on the results page in real time. You will also see where the book is kept in the stacks.​

Requesting and Borrowing

You can take books out of the stacks and borrow them yourself, but you can also request them by clicking the "Request item@UU" button. If items are unavailable you can use the "Request item@UU" button to reserve them. You will be asked to log in with your Solis-id, UMC-account or library card number first.

 

FIND OUT MORE

Read more about how to use WorldCat in the LibGuide.  

What about Wikipedia?

In scholarly research, Wikipedia can be used for:

  • Initial exploration of a subject
  • Gaining ideas about search terms to be used
  • Finding out or checking facts, but please do a double-check
  • Literature references: often there are references to a small number of crucial publications
  • Source references: in the footnotes of many articles detailed source references can be found
  • As object of study: in what way is a subject written about in an influential reference work?
  • As quick translation tool, for words, but particularly for concepts for which mainstream (online) dictionaries offer no solution

Please bear in mind that the various language versions of Wikipedia may differ:  as a rule the larger versions (for instance the English version) is of a higher quality, because on average more people contribute to an article. Compare the article in the different language versions.

Another thing one can do is study the talk pages of an article. It shows the (low or high) level of discussion amongst editors. You can take that into account in your decision on how to use the information provided in the article.

Contrary to what is often thought, Wikipedia is a reference work with explicit rules, policy and control.

In the special LibGuide Wikipedia  more details, background information and examples of good Wikipedia-use.