AFR 242/REL 214: New World Afro-Atlantic Religions & Cultures: Home

 This guide will help you find resources for researching aspects of Afro-Atlantic religion and culture. 

Native Rhythm, Chickens at Revival, Wheel and Turn, and Apparition from the Revival Series, Hoyes Museum.

SuperSearch can be a great place to start to find out what's out there on your topic. SuperSearch will find books, journal articles, films, news, and almost everything else the library has — from popular to scholarly sources. You can use the filters on the results screen to improve your results.

For searching with more focus and precision, try one of the databases recommended on this guide.

Criteria to keep in mind when choosing and using both print and online sources:

• Accuracy - What is the purpose of the document and why was it produced? Does the author cite their sources and are the sources legitimate?
• Authority - Who wrote the source? Is the author credible? What are the author's credentials (educational background, past writing, experience) in this area? Have you seen the author's name cited in other sources or bibliographies? Who published the source? Is the publisher scholarly (university press, scholarly associations)? Commercial? Government agency? Is the source self-published (“vanity”press)? For online information, check the domain of the document — what institution publishes this document?
• Objectivity - Does the author have a bias, political or commercial or persuasive?
• Currency - Is this information new or based on outdated sources? Can you tell how current it is? How up-to-date are the links (if any)?
• Audience - Who is the information written for: a specific readership, level of expertise, or age/grade level? Is the audience focus appropriate for a research paper?