ICSM 10800-05 - The Lure of the Mysterious, Strange, and Deeply Weird

Monsters--Fiction

Monsters in literature
Monsters in motion pictures
Monsters in art
Ghouls and ogres

Golem
Robots

Robots in literature

Androids

Androids--Drama

Cyborgs

Cyborgs--Drama
Cybernetics

Parapsychology

Parapsychology--Research

Extrasensory perception

Telepathy
Mental healing
Pseudoscience
 

Science fiction, American--History and criticism
Science fiction, English--History and criticism

General OneFile :
     The most user-friendly of our comprehensive databases, covering almost any topic from a wide range of disciplinary angles and offering lots of full text.  Use the default Subject search to find the best subject heading for your topic (and when you find a good one be sure to look at the "Related Subjects" to see if there's something even better).  Subject headings include Ghosts, Serial Murders, Vampires, Science Fiction, Horror Movies, Science Fiction Television Programs, and Zombies.
     If there is a good subject heading for your topic here, open the "Subdivisions" link below it.  Most General OneFile subject searches produce very large retrievals and the "subdivisions" help you narrow your search to a particular aspect: "Economic aspects," "Ethical aspects," "Forecasts and Trends," "History," "Media Coverage," "Psychological aspects," and "Social aspects," to name only a few.
     Criticism of particular movies and  tv shows is best retrieved using the “Advanced Search” option. For movies and tv shows, enter the medium first as a Subject search in the first slot: “Movies,” “Television programs.”  In the next slot enter the particular title—in quotation marks—as a Keyword search. After looking at these results go back and change the Keyword search to an “Entire Document” search. This will increase your retrieval set, although the new articles may not discuss the particular film, show, or game at length.      
     User Advisory: When first viewing your retrievals in General OneFile, note that you are seeing onlythe "Magazines" (popular articles) and must click on  "Academic Journals" (scholarly articles) or "News" (newspaper articles) at the left.

Academic Search Premier &  SocINDEX with Full Text :
     Note the "Subject Terms" index linked from above the search slots.  If you search on "Occultism," for example, you'll find that it's available here for a Subject search, and if you double click this or any Subject term it will provide a list of related Subjects: Alchemy, Spiritualism, Satanism, Witchcraft, Haunted Places, Crystal Skulls, etc.

ProQuest Research Library : 
     Another comprehensive database with substantial full text.  Use the "Thesaurus" (above the search slots) to preview what Subject Headings are available.  Subect searching can be a more efficient way to search than with only Keywords, since it guarantees that the articles retrieved actually be about the Subject--not just use a particular word. Among the Subjects available here are Monsters, Supernatural, Paranormal Phenomena, etc.
     For articles on a work of fiction, try a Keyword search on the title--in quotation marks--alone or in combination with the author's name.  Criticism of particular movies and tv shows is best retrieved by entering the appropriate medium as a Subject search--“Motion pictures” or “Television programs”--and then adding the title of the film, program, or game in the “Citation and abstract” field (if the title is more than one word put it in quotation marks).  
     If you're not getting enough hits, try changing the search field of the title to “Document text.” In both cases, look at the articles in “Scholarly Journals” (under "Source Type" on the right of results lists) for the most substantial criticism.
     User Advisory: ProQuest is fussy about entering Subject searches in the designated search slot. If your subject is a person, enter the name--last name first--in the "Person" slot; if a named group of any kind--Microsoft, the Catholic Church, Radiohead, the New York Mets--enter it in "Co/Org"; if a place enter it in "Location." 
   
JSTOR :
     You'll find a great deal of information on folklore and anthropology, as well as literary criticism and a fair amount of film and television criticism in this 100% full-text database of scholarly literature.  JSTOR offers only Keyword search of its full text, so put full names and Keyword phrases in quotation marks. And be sure to check the "Article" limit below the search slots to weed out book reviews.
     User Advisory: most JSTOR full text begins at least 2-3 years before the present--so don't look for articles on the "latest" book, movie, or  tv show.  On the other hand, JSTOR's archives extend back into the 19th century, so you can find book and film criticism from the first half of the twentieth century.

Project Muse :
     Although a smaller database, it complements JSTOR. LIke JSTOR it provides 100% full text of mostly scholarly journals, but its coverage is entirely current--mainly spanning the last 10-15 years.  Muse uses a "black box" search approach--you enter your search terms in one slot with no designated field options--but in addition to slapping in keywords, you can use the same Library of Congress Subject Headings that work in the Library catalog (see above under "Subject Searches").  This broad approach to searching tends to generate large retrievals, so it's best to be as specific as possible.  And note--once you have a retrieval set, you can add more search terms by clicking "Modify Search" at the top.

Literature Online (LION) with MLA ): 
    Lion combines access to the two largest indexes of language and literature resources: the Modern Language Association International Bibliography (MLAIB) and the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (ABELL).
Tips:

• The "Author" search from the home page will display the full range of available materials-- works by the author, reference resources about the author (including biographies, bibliographies, and Web sites), and literary criticism of the author's work. But don't use the "Criticism" link here--it retrieves EVERYTHING.
• For literary criticism use the "Criticism & Reference" search from the home page. This opens a very abbreviated search screen, so for better search options switch from the default "All" to just "Criticism."
• LION is one of the few databases where you can enter the title of any literary work--poem, short story, play, novel--as a Subject search--guaranteeing that the articles retrieved will provide sustained discussion. So don't settle for searching title or author in the Keyword slot. And note: Titles of Films and TV shows will sometimes also work here: for example, Blade Runner or Battlestar Galactica.  And for articles on the genre, try Science Fiction as a Subject search.
• For the most sophisticated search options, limit your search to the "MLAIB Search" and from there scroll down and choose the "Advanced search options."

PsycINFO :  
     The American Psychological Association use their own Subject vocabulary (called "Descriptors"), so a visit to the "Thesaurus" below the search slots is a good idea. If you find an article on exactly what you want, be sure to check the assigned "Descriptors" on the right of the citation for more ideas about useful search terms.  Note: "Parapyschology" works well here.
     PsycINFO deals only with scholarly literature, much of it assuming a graduate-level understanding of the discipline.  But among these you may find interesting, accessible articles on your topic.  
     User Advisory: If what you're searching for are "journal articles" in "English," it's a good idea to check those boxes below the search slots ("journal articles" is a menu choice under "Document Type"). 

ScienceDirect :
     Because it’s a large database with a great deal of full text, the absence of Subject searching means that your Keyword searches will often retrieve large sets of articles, many of which mention but don’t discuss your search term(s). One way around this is to limit your initial search to the “Abstract Title Keyword” field. Once you have found an article that sounds on-target, click the “Related Articles” link beneath the citation. This will open a range of articles on the same topic.  Note: "Paranormal" works well here.
     Note: Because this is Keyword searching, you will sometimes need to use truncation.  The truncation symbol here is the exclamation point: !  So, for example, "time travel!" will retrieve time travel, time traveling, and time travelers.
     Also note: The default date range is 10 years, but you can choose any date range you wish.
     Also also note: it's a good idea to uncheck the "All books" box below the search slots, if you are in fact looking for articles.

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