Researching histories of Buenos Aires
Simon Elichko (they/he)
Social Sciences & Data Librarian
Illustrated provincial map, 1933, Coleccion Billiken
(David Rumsey Map Collection)
Unpacking what we mean by "the literature"
How to tell if books/articles are scholarly (or not)
-
Who published it?
- University presses such as Duke, Princeton, Cambridge, Chicago, Penn, Rutgers, NYU, Stanford
- Non-university presses that often publish scholarly books include Routledge, Berghahn, Rowman and Littlefield, Springer/Palgrave
- Is the article published in a scholarly journal?
-
Who wrote it?
- Does the author have training in history? Another field?
- What kind of expertise do they have about the topic of the book?
- What academic discipline(s) do they engage with? (e.g. the department where they teach, journals they publish in, conferences where they present)
-
How does this source engage with other research?
- Do you see citations to other scholarship?
- Are there notes and/or references at the end of the book or article?
Expansive selection of articles and books
Quality varies widely
Includes "Cited by" search
PRISMA
Publicaciones y Revistas Sociales y Humanísticas
Use to find journal articles in English and Spanish
Includes articles from Latin American journals that are harder to find through other tools
Similar to Tripod library search
Much more expansive selection of books
Emphasizes history journals and books
Has useful filters to narrow down results
Tools for finding scholarly literature:
Exploring the literature
| Literature to explore | Search ideas | |
| Group 1 | Housing | housing OR tenements OR conventillos OR apartments OR single family homes OR country houses OR barrios cerrados |
| Group 2 | Neighborhoods | Barrios OR neighborhoods OR neighborhood associations OR sociedades de fomento |
| Group 3 | Public space | Parks OR Parque de Palermo OR plaza OR Plaza de Mayo OR squares OR public space |
| Group 4 | Transportation | Colectivos OR buses OR tramways OR subway OR subte OR highways OR autopistas OR transportation OR transit |
With your group, select 3 scholarly books or journal articles that discuss your topic in the 20th century history of Buenos Aires.
Be ready to share for each:
- What made you select this work? What seems interesting about it?
- Who wrote it and what you learned about the author
For at least one:
- How does this author situate their work in the existing literature on the topic?
Try to identify literature that addresses different aspects of this topic
Research help & advice
- Make an appointment with Simon
- Email: selichk1@swarthmore.edu
More ways to get help:
- Use Tripod Chat to get help with quick questions
(usually available M-Th, 1-4pm) - Contact subject librarians, or email librarian@swarthmore.edu and your question will reach the right person.
- Ask at the McCabe front desk
Researching histories of Buenos Aires
By Swarthmore Reference
