LibGuides: Spanish Courses & Research: LatinX in the US topics

LatinX in the US topics

Cast a wide net for sources: be diverse and adventurous

Your research in LatinX in the US topics can and should encompass both traditional sources, such as books and articles, and more contemporary sources, such as statistical data websites, organizational websites, and anything else that's relevant (sometimes even social media posts are relevant).

Keyword Search Tips

Keyword tip for searching everywhere: latin*

No matter where you search, using latin* (latin with an asterisk) will catch uses of Latino, LatinX, Latina, Latina/or, and any word that starts with "latin" but ends differently. This is what it looks like:

The search term "latino" or "latin*" will not find everything relevant in books

While searching for books, it's important to know that the official subject term for LatinX in the US is "Hispanic American," chosen decades ago by the Library of Congress and still in use. Using "hispanic american" as a keyword feels strange, but it will reveal more relevant results.

OneSearch This link opens in a new window
Catalog that searches books, ebooks, articles, videos, equipment, digital media, and more. You can search Vogel Library and our TRAC Partner Libraries through this portal.
WorldCat This link opens in a new window
Search libraries around the world! Request items for free using the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) link.

WorldCat & TRAC Partner Libraries Video Tutorial

Article Databases

Latin* plus your keywords should work well in the databases

The same databases used for traditional research projects can be used for LatinX topics, in addition to a couple more that are subject-specific depending on your focus (education, medical, etc).

JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary full-text academic journals, books, and primary sources (usually excludes the past 2-5 years).
MLA International Bibliography (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Indexed books, articles and dissertations in modern languages, literature, folklore, and linguistics. Expect to ILL articles.
America: History & Life This link opens in a new window
US and Canadian topics--prehistory to the present. Scholarly; some full-text.
SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Abstracts and some full-text for sociology and social work journal articles, books, and conference papers.
ProQuest One Academic This link opens in a new window
This multidisciplinary database searches a subset of journals automatically that are focused on Latin America and Iberia. You can also search that subset exclusively.
ERIC This link opens in a new window
Provides access to educational literature from journals and documents. It is sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education.
PubMed Central This link opens in a new window
Free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature from the National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM).

Databases A-Z
Look for databases from specific disciplines such as music, education, health, history, sociology, and more.

Searching online: High expectations, plus some good statistics sites

Be flexible but also purposeful in searching online

Investigate a variety of sources in your online search results--go past the first page of results.

But also know ahead of time what type of source you'd like to find and add these suggested keywords in Google:

Primary documents: use "primary sources," museums, archives, and site:org
Organizations and advocacy groups: use site:org and double-check their credentials on Wikipedia
Government websites: use site:gov to find; look for them when you want government-gathered data
Polling and statistics websites: check the credentials on Wikipedia; Pew Research is the most credible

Good polling and government data websites to get you started:

Pew Hispanic Center
Pew Research Center has this subgroup dedicated to Latino issues. Search by Topic or Keyword. Switch your results to "Relevancy" instead of "Date" to get rid of all the election polls floating to the top of your results.
Pew Research Center--Main Site
This could have relevant data not included in the PHC above.
US Census/American Fact Finder
There is a wealth of census data, both raw and sorted into charts/maps.
Population Reference Bureau
Puts information into manageable, topical presentations--interpreted data, not raw data.

Statista This link opens in a new window
Statista is an online statistics portal that provides access to data from market and opinion research institutions, as well as from business organizations and government institutions.

Demographic Information at CIA World Factbook
The web is the best place for the most up-to-date demographic info--if you use the right websites.
Demographic Information at World Bank

Good news options for searching LatinX topics:

News Databases + Google News

Evaluation: Three questions

What is it? Why do I care? What does it really say?

You answer these three questions every time you use a source, whether you know it or not.

Whether it is a website or a scholarly journal article...
Whether it is for a 1st-year course or real life...

Start noticing how you answer these questions to ensure your sources are really meeting your needs.

The Three Questions:

What is it: What is the source type and author credibility?
- Quick Wikipedia checks are okay! You can also compare what other source say about that source.
Why do I care: Does the source type and author credibility meet your needs?
- Decide this at the beginning so you know whether to read the material or find something better.
What does it really say: Perceive how the word choices influence the knowledge.
- The author's word choices, included and excluded information, and the aim of the publication all make a difference in how or why you would use a source.