American Indian Studies

A guide with resources and tips for doing research in American Indian Studies

How to Research This Topic

Welcome to the American Indian Studies Subject Guide!

This research guide is for the support and study of American Indian Studies at University of Utah. It is organized into tabs or pages that highlight different categories of library materials. Click on each tab to identify information and link to useful sources. For questions about this guide, contact American Indian Studies Librarian Lux Darkbloom.

To search the library catalog, you can search for keywords that describe your topic. 

Search by Keyword

  • Start with basic terms: Write down the most obvious words related to your topic.
  • Think of synonyms: Use a thesaurus or online synonym finder to find alternative words for your basic terms. Don't just use synonyms; consider related terms as well.
  • Consider broader and narrower terms: Move up and down the hierarchy of terms. If "pollution" is a keyword, also consider "air pollution," "water pollution," or the specific pollutants involved.
  • Think of related concepts: What other ideas are connected to your topic? For example, if your topic is "artificial intelligence," related concepts might be "machine learning," "neural networks," or "robotics."
  • Consider acronyms and abbreviations: If your topic has a common acronym, include it.
  • Think about the type of resource you need: Are you looking for books, articles, videos, or something else? This can influence your keywords (e.g., "documentary" for a film).
  • Consider the time period: If your topic is time-sensitive, include relevant years or eras.
  • Consider the location: If your topic is geographically specific, include place names.

Advanced Searching

  • Use an asterisk to find variants on a word (for example, wom*n will search for both woman and women)
  • Use quotation marks around exact phrases ("Native American history")
  • Combine terms using AND and OR
    • For example, "tribal sovereignty" AND self-determination will narrow to results that have both terms
    • Another example: "treaty rights" OR "land rights" will search for results that have either term

Below is a small selection of texts related to Indigenous Studies.

When starting your research in American Indian studies, start by gathering background information on your topic. Tertiary sources, such as encyclopedias and reference databases, are good places to start.

Statistics can be a useful tool when researching populations or groups.

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