U.C. Berkeley Library Web
Environmental Design Library
Preparing for Thesis & Dissertation Research
Getting Organized
    Developing Proposals
    Writing
    Literature Reviews
    Style Manuals
    Citation Management 		Research Methods
    General
    Case Studies
    Reading Places
    Interviewing
    Doing Local History
    Using Images
    Research Guides 		Finding the Basics
    Finding Books
    Finding Journal Articles
    Finding News Articles
    Finding Maps & Images
    Finding Statistics & Data
    Searching the Web
    Campus Libraries 		Specialized Resources
    Biography
    Book Reviews
    Citation Indexes
    Dissertations
    EIRs
    General Plans
    Organizations
    Proceedings
Preparing for Thesis & Dissertation Research is a strategic bibliographic guide for city planning, urban design, and landscape architecture graduate students beginning their professional report, thesis, or dissertation work at UC Berkeley. The guide will be especially helpful to students starting a literature review. Architecture students should use the guide Preparing for Thesis Research: Architecture. For additional assistance please consult the Environmental Design Library reference staff, 210 Wurster Hall.
UC Berkeley faculty, registered students, and staff who are off campus may use items marked UCB Only or UC Only by using The Library's proxy service or by installing the Connecting@Berkeley CD on their computer.

Last updated: 4 February 2008 Conditions of Use

    Getting Organized  To get started, check out Library Services for Graduate Students for a description of the many practical library support services available. As your research takes you into unfamiliar disciplines remember to identify the library subject specialist(s) best placed to help you.

    Proposals | Writing | Literature Reviews | Style Manuals | Citation Management
    Developing Proposals  Note that many of the books listed in the general research methods section also include good advice on how to put together a proposal.
  1. Developing effective research proposals, by Keith F. Punch, 2nd ed. London: Sage, 2006. Particularly helpful to students writing professional reports. Online table of contents.
    2. EnvDesign H62 P92 2006
  2. Grant proposal makeover: transform your request from no to yes, by Cheryl A. Clarke, Susan P. Fox. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007. Online table of contents.
    3. EnvDesign HV41.2 C518 2007
  3. Proposal writing: the art of friendly and winning persuasion, by William S. Pfeiffer, Charles H. Keller, Jr. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2000.
    4. EnvDesign, Bus&Econ, Engin PE1479 B87 P47 2000
  4. Proposals that work: a guide for planning dissertations and grant proposals, by Lawrence F. Locke, Waneen Wyrick Spirduso, Stephen J. Silverman, 5th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2007.
    5. EnvDesign Q180.55 P7 L63 2007
  5. The Zen of proposal writing: an expert's stress-free path to winning proposals: with a special section on presenting your ideas in person, by Kitta Reeds. NY: Three Rivers Pr., 2002.
    6. EnvDesign HG177 R44 2002

    Writing
  1. The Dissertation: an architecture student's handbook, by Iain Borden and Katerina Ruedi. Boston: Architectural Pr., 2000. Useful for dissertations with an urban design flavor.
    EnvDesign NA2108 B67 2000
  2. The Dissertation journey: a practical and comprehensive guide to planning, writing, and defending your dissertation, by Carol M. Roberts.  Thousand Oaks: Corwin Pr., 2004.
    3. EnvDesign, Ed/P, CompEthn LB1742 R63 2004
  3. Ethnographic writing research: writing it down, writing it up, and reading it, by Wendy Bishop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1999.
    4. EnvDesign, Anth GN307.7 B57 1999
  4. Guide to the successful thesis and dissertation: a handbook for students and faculty, by James E. Mauch and Jack W. Birch, 5th ed. NY: M. Dekker, 2003.
    5. Online ed.:  1998 ed.: http://www.netlibrary.com/summary.asp?id=12607; paper ed.:  EnvDesign, Educ/Psyc, & Main Stack LB2369 M377 2003
  5. How to write & publish a scientific paper, by Robert A. Day. 6th ed. Westport, CT: Greenwood Pr., 2006.
    6. EnvDesign, BioSci, Chemistry, Engin T11 D33 2006
  6. Line by line: how to edit your own writing, by Claire Kehrwald Cook. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1985.
    7. EnvDesign, Moffitt PE1441 C66 1985
  7. Making sense: a student's guide to research and writing geography & environmental sciences, by Margot Northey, David B. Knight, 3rd ed. Toronto, Ont.: Oxford Univ. Pr., 2007.
    8. EnvDesign G70 N67 2007
  8. On writing well: the classic guide to writing nonfiction, by William Zinsser, 7th ed., rev. & updated. NY: HarperCollins, 2006.
    9. EnvDesign PE1429 Z5 2006
  9. Writing empirical research reports: a basic guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences, by Fred Pyrczak and Randall R. Bruce, 6th ed. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Pub., 2007. Includes chapter on writing the literature review.
    10. EnvDesign LB2369 P97 2007
  10. Writing for design professionals: a guide to writing successful proposals, letters, brochures, portfolios, reports, presentations, and job applications for architects, engineers, and interior designers, by Stephen A. Kliment, 2nd ed. NY: W.W. Norton, 2006.
    11. EnvDesign & Bus&Econ NA1996 K57 2006
  11. Writing for social scientists: how to start and finish your thesis, book, or article, by Howard S. Becker, 2nd ed. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Pr., 2007. Online table of contents.
    12. EnvDesign H61.8 B43 2007
  12. Writing the doctoral dissertation: a systematic approach, by Gordon B. Davis, Clyde A. Parker, 2nd ed. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's, 1997.
    13. EnvDesign LB2369 D357 1997 & many other locations

    Literature Reviews  Note that information on writing literature reviews is also available in some of the general writing and research titles listed in this guide.

  1. Doing a literature search: a comprehensive guide for the social sciences, by Chris Hart. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2001.
    2. EnvDesign, Main H62 H2567 2001
  2. Preparing literature reviews: qualitative and quantitative approaches, by M. Ling Pan, 2nd ed. Glendale, CA: Pryczak Pub., 2004.
    3. EnvDesign, Soc Welfare Q180.55 E9 P36 2004
  3. Systematic reviews in the social sciences: a practical guide, by Mark Petticrew, Helen Roberts. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2006. Online table of contents.
    4. EnvDesign, Ed/Psych, Main H62 P457 2006
  4. Writing literature reviews: a guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences, by Jose L. Galvan, 3rd ed. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak, 2006.
    5. EnvDesign H61.8 G34 2006; Soc Welfare H61.8 G34 2006 Desk

    Style Manuals

  1. The Chicago manual of style, 15th ed. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Pr., 2003.
    2. EnvDesign Z253 U69 2003 Reference
  2. Citing your sources (UC Berkeley, Library) Includes helpful tables comparing bibliographic citation and footnote reference styles.
    3. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Citations.html
  3. Columbia guide to online style, by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor, 2nd ed. NY: Columbia Univ. Pr., 2006. One of the most thorough guides to citing electronic resources available.
    4. Online ed.: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/cgos2006/basic.html; paper ed.: EnvDesign PN171 F56 W35 2006 Reference
  4. The MLA style manual and guide to scholarly publishing. 2nd ed. NY: Modern Language Assoc. of America, 1998.
    5. EnvDesign PN147 G444 1998 Reference

    Citation Management  Managing bibliographic citations (also called bibliographic management) is a necessary and sometimes tedious aspect of written research.  Use the following computer-based bibliographic management programs to manage citations, format papers, and create bibliographies in a variety of styles.  Each program allows you to download citation information directly from selected online databases into your own bibliographic database.

  1. EndNote: A proprietary bibliographic management software and a powerful tool for reseachers. EndNote, Version 5, is available in the DCRP computer lab.  It may also be purchased on campus from the Computer Store--The Scholar's Workstation.  Citations saved in RefWorks can be exported to EndNote.
  2. RefWorks - UCB Only: RefWorks is a web-based bibliographic management service licensed by The Library for use by all current UCB faculty, staff and students.  Although it lacks the power of EndNote, its ease of use makes it attractive.  RefWorks also serves as a complement to EndNote, since citations saved to RefWorks can later be exported to EndNote.  To sign up for an individual account, use the RefWorks New User form.
  3. Tutorials: 
    • The Library offers drop-in classes on both EndNote and RefWorks.
      http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/Instruction/know_your_library.html#bib

    • Citation and document management using EndNote and RefWorks (UC Berkeley, Library)  Focusses on environmental design databases.  Provides directions on how to use EndNote and RefWorks to download, export and import citations from online indexes and abstracts available to UC Berkeley faculty, students, and staff.
      • http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/bibmanagement.html
    • Online tutorials (UC Berkeley, Library) Here's a helpful directory of online tutorials for using EndNote and other bibliographic management software.
      • http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/PUBL/endnote.html


    Research Methods

    General | Case Studies | Fieldwork | Reading Places | Interviewing | Doing Local History | Using Images & Maps
    General

  1. Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials, Norman K. Denzin, Yvonna S. Lincoln, eds., 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2003.
    2. EnvDesign, Anth, Bus&Econ, Main H62 C566 2003
  2. Doing qualitative research: a practical handbook, by David Silverman, 2nd ed. London: SAGE, 2005.
    3. EnvDesign, Bus&Econ H62 S55 2005
  3. The Craft of research, by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, 2nd ed. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Pr., 2003.
    4. EnvDesign, Main, Moff Q180.55 M4 B66 2003
  4. Evaluative research in recreation, park, and sport settings: searching for useful information, by Carol Cutler Riddick and Ruth V. Russell.  [Champaign, IL?]: Sagamore Pub., 1999.
    5. EnvDesign GV181.46 R53 1999
  5. Handbook of applied social research methods, Leonard Bickman and Debra J. Rog, eds. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998.
    6. EnvDesign, Main, & PubHealth H62 H24534 1998
  6. Primary sources (UC Berkeley, Teaching Library)
    7. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/PrimarySources.html
  7. Qualitative research methods for the social sciences, by Bruce L. Berg, 6th ed. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon, 2007.
    8. EnvDesign, Main H61 B4715 2007
  8. Quantitative research methods in the social sciences, by Paul S. Maxim. NY: Oxford Univ. Pr., 1999. Online table of contents.
    9. Bus&Econ HA29 M2968 1999
  9. Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, by John W. Creswell, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2003. Includes chapter on writing the literature review.
    10. EnvDesign, Main, Bus&Econ, PubHealth H62 C6963 2003
  10. Research skills for policy and development: how to find out fast, Alan Thomas and Giles Mohan, eds. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2007. Online table of contents.
    11. EnvDesign HD77 R476 2007
  11. Researching and writing in the humanities and arts, by Christine A. Hult. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1996.
    12. EnvDesign AZ186 H85 1996
  12. The SAGE handbook of qualitative research, Norman K. Denzin, Yvonna S. Lincoln, eds., 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2005. Online table of contents.
    13. EnvDesign-Library Use Only, Anth H62 H2455 2005
  13. Social research methods: qualitative and quantitative approaches, by W. Lawrence Neuman, 6th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2006.
    14. EnvDesign HM571 N48 2006
  14. The Survey research handbook, by Pamela L. Alreck, Robert B. Settle, 3rd ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2004.
    15. EnvDesign, Main, Bus&Econ HN29 A46 2004
  15. Tricks of the trade: how to think about your research while you're doing it, by Howard S. Becker. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Pr., 1998.
    16. EnvDesign H91 B38 1998
    Case Studies & Projects  Where can you find case studies?
    • Case studies are often published in journal articles, so consult the indexes and journals listed elsewhere in this guide.
    • Some case studies are presented as conference papers, which are sometimes published as part of conference proceedings (see below), as well as in journals.
    • Look for projects that have received formal recognition; awards announcements will usually provide details about a project that may be helpful to you. These announcements are sometimes published in journals, as well as on the web sites of the organizations making the awards.
    • You may also discover compilations of case studies published as books; start with the Melvyl® online catalog: combine a keyword search describing your topic with a subject search with the phrases case studies or case method.
    Case Study Methodology | Case Study Sources

    Case Study Methodology
  1. Applications of case study research, by Robert K. Yin, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2003.
    2. EnvDesign, Main, Bus&Econ H61 Y56 2003
  2. Case study research: design and methods, by Robert K. Yin, 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2003.
    3. EnvDesign, Main H62 Y56 2003
  3. Case study research: principles and practices, by John Gerring. NY: Cambridge Univ. Pr., 2007.
    4. EnvDesign H62 G47 2007
  4. Program evaluation: methods and case studies, by Emil J. Posavac, Raymond G. Carey, 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003.
    5. EnvDesign, Main, Public Hlth H62.5 U5 P62 2003
  5. Qualitative research methods for the social sciences, by Bruce L. Berg, 6th ed. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon, 2007. See Chapter 10: Case Studies.
    6. EnvDesign, Main H61 B4715 2007

    Case Study Sources

  1. Development case studies (Urban Land Institute) - UCB only  Provides detailed case studies of completed projects ranging from low-income housing to mixed-use downtown developments to commercial and industrial sites. Formerly titled Project reference file, 1971-1997; the older PRF case studies are indexed on the web by topic and project, 1971-1996, by the MIT Rotch Library.
    • Request User ID and Password at the Environmental Design Library Reference Desk. 
    • IMPORTANT: Click the LOGOUT button after every session; otherwise the database is unavailable to everyone.
    Online ed.: 1985-; http://research.uli.org/DK/CaStd/re_CaStd_DevCsStd_fst.html; paper ed.: 1971-1997; EnvDesign NA9000 U725 P7 Reference
  2. PapersFirst via FirstSearch/OCLC - UC Only  Contains 580,000+ citations for papers presented at worldwide conferences, symposia, meetings, expositions, congresses, and workshops received at The British Library. Excellent source for interdisciplinary work; the index covers disciplines in the social sciences, sciences, arts, and the humanities.
    3. Coverage: October 1993--
  3. Urban design: a typology of procedures and products, by Jon Lang. Burlington, MA: Elsevier/Architectural Pr., 2005. Illustrated with more than 50 case studies.
    4. EnvDesign HT166 L328 2005

    Fieldwork

  1. The Charrette handbook: the essential guide for accelerated, collaborative community planning, by the National Charrette Institute. Chicago, IL: American Planning Association, 2006.
    2. EnvDesign HT167 N37 2006
  2. Data collecting methods and experiences: a guide for social researchers, Manohar Pawar, ed. Elgin, IL: New Dawn Pr., 2004.
    3. EnvDesign, Main, Bus&Econ H62 D24 2004
  3. Development fieldwork: a practical guide, Regina Scheyvens and Donovan Storey, eds.  Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2003. Online table of contents.
    4. EnvDesign H62.5 D44 D48 2003
  4. A Handbook for social science field research: essays & bibliographic sources on research design and methods, Ellen Perecman, Sara R. Curran, eds. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2006. Online table of contents.
    5. EnvDesign H62 H24528 2006

    Reading Places

  1. Architecture everywhere: investigating the built environment of your community, by Joseph A. Weber. Tucson, AZ: Zephyr Pr., 2000.
    2. EnvDesign NA705 W43 2000
  2. Close-up, how to read the American city, Grady Clay. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Pr., 1980.
    3. EnvDesign HT153 C585 1980
  3. Getting to know your 20th-century neighborhood, by Greta Terrell. Washington, DC: National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1996. Historic Preservation Information Booklet. Focuses on American neighborhoods developed from 1900-1950; identifies architectural styles and landscaping trends.
    4. EnvDesign NA7208 T47 1996
  4. The Hieroglyphics of space: reading and experiencing the modern metropolis, Neil Leach, ed. London: Routledge, 2002.
    5. EnvDesign HT111 H45 2002
  5. Looking at cities, by Allan B. Jacobs, Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Pr., 1985. See especially Chapter 3, "Clues," pp.30-83. Very useful presentation of the physical indicators that help the observer interpret an urban environment.
    6. EnvDesign HT166 J262 1985 Reserve & circulating
  6. Real places: an unconventional guide to America's generic landscape, by Grady Clay. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Pr., 1994. Includes 124 common places, for example, bypass, district, hangout, lovers leap, parade route, porno district, shortcut, and skyline.
    7. EnvDesign E169 04 C57 1994
  7. Studying cultural landscapes, Iain Robertson and Penny Richards, eds. London: Arnold, 2003.
    8. EnvDesign GF26 S78 2003

    Interviewing  Doing interviews? See the UC Berkeley, Office for the Protection of Human Subjects requirements.

  1. Creative interviewing: the writer's guide to gathering information by asking questions, by Ken Metzler, 3rd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1997.
    2. EnvDesign, Moff PN4784 I6 M4 1997
  2. Interviewing as qualitative research: a guide for researchers in education and the social sciences, by Irving Seidman, 3rd ed. NY: Teachers College Pr., 2006.
    3. EnvDesign H61.28 S45 2006
  3. Handbook of interview research: context & methods, Jaber F. Gubrium, James A. Holstein, eds. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2002.
    4. EnvDesign--Reference, Anth, Ed/P, Main, PubHlth H61.28 H36 2002
  4. Interviewing for social scientists: an introductory resource with examples, by Hilary Arksey and Peter Knight. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 1999. Online table of contents.
    5. EnvDesign, Main HM526 A75 1999
  5. Interviews: an introduction to qualitative research interviewing, by Steinar Kvale. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 1996.
    6. EnvDesign HM48.9 K9 1996
  6. Learning from strangers: the art and method of qualitative interview studies, by Robert S. Weiss. NY: Free Pr., 1995.
    7. EnvDesign HN29 W42 1995
  7. Qualitative interviewing: the art of hearing data, by Herbert J. Rubin and Irene S. Rubin. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Pubications, 2005.
    8. EnvDesign, Anth, Bus & Econ H62 R737 2005
  8. The Research interview, by Bill Gillham. NY: Continuum, 2000.
    9. EnvDesign, Ed/Psych BF637 I5 G55 2000

    Doing Local History

  1. Nearby history: exploring the past around you, by David E. Kyvig and Myron A. Marty, 2nd ed. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Pr., 2000. Excellent, well-organized manual.
    2. EnvDesign E180.5 N98 2000
  2. On doing local history: reflections on what local historians do, why, and what it means, by Carol Kammen. Nashville, TN: American Association for State and Local History, 1986. See especially Chapter 2, "Researching local history," pp. 43-76.
    3. EnvDesign E180 K281 1986
  3. Public places: exploring their history, by Gerald A. Danzer. Nashville, TN: American Association for State and Local History, 1997.
    4. EnvDesign E180 D36 1997

    Using Images & Maps for Research  See also the visual resources section of this guide.

  1. Copyright: Respect copyright law when using published images.  Here're a couple of web sites that may help.
    -----. Copyright. U.S. Copyright Office, Library of Congress. Primary web site on U.S. copyright. Includes FAQs and forms.
    -----. Copyright term and the public domain in the U.S., by Peter B. Hirtle. Cornell University. 2005. Provides a nicely organized table of materials in the public domain (and therefore not subject to copyright).
  2. Eyewitnessing: the uses of images as historical evidence, by Peter Burke. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Univ. Pr., 2001.
    3. EnvDesign, Anth, Main, & Moff H61 H83 2001
  3. Fire insurance plans as a data source in urban research: an annotated bibliography of examples, by Cathy Moulder, IN: Art reference services quarterly, 1:3 (1993), pp.49-62. Annotated bibliography. See Plat maps for fire insurance plan sources.
    4. Main Z675 A85 A78
  4. Image-based research: a sourcebook for qualitative researchers, Jon Prosser, ed.  Bristol, PA: Falmer Pr., 1998.
    5. EnvDesign & Anth GN347 I43 1998
  5. Mapping it out: expository cartography for the humanities and social sciences, by Mark Monmonier. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Pr., 1993.
    6. EnvDesign, Earth Sci, Main GA108.7 M66 1993
  6. Researching the visual: images, objects, contexts and interactions in social and cultural inquiry, by Michael Emmison. London: Sage, 2000.
    7. EnvDesign, Main HM500 E56 2000
  7. Visual anthropology: photography as a research method, by John Collier, Jr., and Malcolm Collier. Rev. and expanded ed. Albuquerque: Univ. of New Mexico Pr., 1986.
    8. Online ed.: http://www.netlibrary.com/summary.asp?id=22737; paper ed.: EnvDesign GN347 C64 1986
  8. Visual methodologies: an introduction to the interpretation of visual materials, by Gillian Rose. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2001.
    9. EnvDesign, Main P93.5 R67 2001
  9. Visual methods in social research, by Marcus Banks. London: Sage, 2001.
    10. EnvDesign, Anth, Main HM500 B35 2001

    Research Guides  Here's a selected list of topical research guides to UC Berkeley library and web resources. See also Environmental Design Library Guides for a complete list of subject guides and other useful research tools.
    Architecture reference sources   http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/ArchRef.html
    Art information: research methods and resources, by Lois Jones. 3rd ed. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co., 1990.   EnvDesign  N85 J64 1990 Reference
    Building & landscape types   http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/Precedents.html
    City planning reference sources   http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/basplan.html     		Finding local information   http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/locinfo.html
    History of landscape architecture   http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/histland.html
    History of city planning   http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/histplan.html
    Landscape architecture reference sources   http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/landref.html
    Urban design   http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/urbhist.html


    Finding the Basics We don't own what you need?: we'll try to borrow it from another library. Use the Interlibrary Borrowing Service - UCB Only. Make your request at any reference desk or online. UCB faculty and grad students may also request materials directly from Stanford University and the University of Texas, Austin, via the Research Library Cooperative Program.

    Finding Books  

  1. Melvyl®.  The Melvyl® online catalog is your best first place to look for books on your topic. It contains millions of holdings of books, journals, online resources, etc., in the University of California campuses and selected other libraries, including the California Historical Society and the Center for Research Libraries.
  2. Subject headings: Hints: Subject headings can be combined. Modify headings with the addition of place names and standard terms, e.g.:
    3. Bibliography 
    Case studies 
    Design and construction 
    Economic aspects     		 Economic conditions 
    Environmental aspects 
    Government policy 
    History     		 Methodology 
    Pictorial works 
    Social aspects 
    Social life and customs 
  3. Current awareness service: Once you have created a successful search in Melvyl® keep yourself informed as new items are added to the catalog that match your original search.  Use the update feature in Melvyl®.  Note that you can have several update profiles simultaneously.
  4. UC-eLinks Citation Checker. Use the Citation Checker to locate a copy of a needed book. From the Library's home page select Other library catalogs.
  5. WorldCat database - UCB Only. A database of more than 88 million records in all disciplines from more than 57,000 libraries worldwide, presenting 400 languages.  Request items through Interlibrary Borrowing via any library reference desk or the Web.
  6. Other catalogs: You can identify resources not in the UC system by using the online catalogs of other U.S. and international libraries. On The Library's SunSITE visit Libweb: Library Servers via WWW  for links to over 2000 pages from libraries in over 70 countries.

    Finding Journal Articles   For information on off-campus access to The Library's online resources see UC Berkeley Library Proxy Server Service.

  1. UC-eLinks Citation Checker. When you have an article citation (for instance, from a bibliography) use the Citation Checker to locate a copy of the article or the journal itself. From the Library's home page select Other library catalogs.
  2. Full-text articles (electronic): For a list of full-text journals available electronically at UC Berkeley, see The Library home page and select Electronic Resources. Here's a selection of available full-text journal article databases. Note that these databases are available for UCB students, faculty, & staff only.
    • AltPress watch via ProQuest A full-text resource that covers newspapers, magazines, and journals of the alternative and independent press. Good for environmental justice and environmental policy issues.
      • Online coverage: Generally begins with 1995.
    • ECO (FirstSearch Electronic Collections Online) Includes the full text of scholarly journals in a variety of subject areas. OCLC/ECO includes all of the original content, images, and bibliographic information for all journals.
      • Online coverage: Varies
    • IngentaConnect   Provides full-text access to domestic and international scholarly & academic publications, in a wide range of subject areas.
      • Online coverage: Varies
    • JSTOR A full-text archive of interdisciplinary scholarly journal literature, including sociology, African-American studies, ecology, and political science.
      • Online coverage: Varies
    • Lexis-Nexis academic Provides access to thousands of full-text news, business, and legal sources. This web product is not the full version of Lexis-Nexis.
      • Online coverage: Varies
    • PolicyFile Indexes research and publication abstracts addressing the complete range of public policy research. Access to home pages, electronic mail addresses, and selected full-text articles are made available within the individual abstracts.
      • Online coverage: 1990--.
    • Urban studies & planning via CSA Provides indexing to and full text of 12 journals published by SAGE Publications and participating societies, some journals going back 37 years.
      • Online coverage: Varies
  3. Journal article indexes: See the following web guides for descriptions of the core journal article indexes for landscape architecture, environmental planning, city planning, and architecture.
  4. Current awareness service - UCB or UC Only: Once you have created a successful search in a periodical index or database, keep yourself informed as new items that match your original search appear. Some online indexes and databases (e.g., Sociological Abstracts and Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management) provide an 'alert' service, that sends an e-mail notifying you of new citations added to the database on your topic.

    Finding Newspaper Articles   Use the geographic card file in Newspapers & Microforms, 1st Floor, Doe Library, to identify newspapers by location.  For newspapers on the web via The Library's web site, in Articles select News Article Databases. Note that these databases are available for UCB students, faculty, & staff only.

  1. Access world news via NewsBank  Provides selected full-text articles from regional, national, and translated international news media, including newspapers, wire services, and broadcasts.
    2. Online coverage: 1991 (U.S.) or 1996 (international)
  2. Ethnic NewsWatch via ProQuest   Full-text coverage of approximately 100 newspapers and other periodicals published by ethnic and minority presses in the U.S. Includes articles published in African-American, Hispanic, Latino, Chicano, Native American, Asian, Jewish, Arab, and European/Eastern European publications.
    3. Online coverage: 1960--
  3. Factiva  General and business news and information from more than 9,000 sources, including newswires.
    4. Online coverage: Varies
  4. Lexis-Nexis academic  Includes full-text newspapers.
    5. Online coverage: Varies
  5. World news connection (WNC) & Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Electronic Index  Contains full-text translated transcriptions and summaries of radio and television broadcasts, newspaper articles, conference proceedings, periodicals and non-classified technical reports, from all over the world. Note: from the primary link for FBIS, scroll down to the detailed link.
    6. Online coverage: WNC,1996--; FBIS, 1975-1996

    Finding Maps & Images  See also History of City Planning, History of Landscape Architecture, and Image & Sound Databases. The Using Images for Research section of this guide may also be of interest.

  1. Aerial photos:  The Earth Sciences & Map Library (EART) has an excellent collection of aerial photos of California, 1939--present. A master index is available in EART.
    • Aerial photography and image interpretation, by David P. Paine, James D. Kiser. 2nd ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley, 2003. Online table of contents .
      • Bioscience & Earth Sci TR810 P25 2003
    • Some digitized aerial photos of the San Francisco Bay Area are available on The Library's SunSite.
      • http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/EART/AerialPhotos/
    • TerraServer-USA (Microsoft Co.) Searchable repository of aerial photographs and satellite images.
      • http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/
  2. American memory (Library of Congress) The multimedia collections of digitized documents, photographs, recorded sound, moving pictures, and text from the Library's Americana collections. Over one million items are currently available online.
    3. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/amhome.html
  3. Cities and buildings database (Univ. of Washington Libraries)  An international image database of cities and buildings; search the database by country, city, style, title, architect, date of construction, as well as other fields.
    4. http://content.lib.washington.edu/cities/
  4. Environmental design videotapes in the Media Resources Center (UC Berkeley, Library) A guide to environmental design videos at UC Berkeley.
    5. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/EnvidesignVid.html
  5. Image sources for the built environment (UC Berkeley, Library)  A selective list of books that provide views, plans, sections, elevations, and/or details of important buildings and sites.
    6. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/pict.html
  6. Online archive of California (UC Digital Library) A digital archive of historical materials from a variety of California institutions, including museums, historical societies, and archives. Over 120,000 images and 8,000 guides to collections are available.
    7. http://www.oac.cdlib.org/
  7. Plat maps, also called fire insurance maps, show a variety of details, including actual lot boundaries, special uses, building materials and building footprints. For a bibliography on using fire insurance maps in research, see Fire insurance plans.

    8. -----. Digital Sanborn maps, 1867-1970 (UMI) -UCB Only  Site provides digital access to more than 660,000 large-scale maps of more than 12,000 American towns and cities. The maps "are large-scale plans containing...information such as the outline of each building, the size, shape and construction materials, heights, and function of structures, location of windows and doors. The maps also give street names, street and sidewalk widths, property boundaries, building use, and house and block numbers."
    http://sanborn.umi.com/

    -----. Fire insurance maps (UC Berkeley, Library) Links to description of and indexes to fire insurance maps.
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/EART/sanborn.html
  8. S.P.I.R.O., Architecture Visual Resources Library, Univ. of California, Berkeley. The visual online public access catalog to approximately 20% of the Architecture Slide Library's collection of over 250,000 35mm slides. The collection is available to UCB faculty and graduate students.
    9. http://shanana.berkeley.edu/spiro/
  9. UC image service (UC Digital Library) Provides access to several digital image collections and tools to use them. Requires use of Luna Insight software. For information see the AVRL's UCB Off-campus access to digital images.
    10. http://www.imageservice.cdlib.org/
    http://www.arch.ced.berkeley.edu/resources/avrl/
  10. U.S. historical city maps Digitized maps from the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection at the Univ. of Texas, Austin.
    11. http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/historic_us_cities.html
    Finding Statistics & Data  For assistance using data sets and analytical software, consult with the Data Services Librarian in the library's Data Lab.
  1. The Chicago guide to writing about numbers, by Jane E. Miller. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Pr., 2004. Online table of contents.
    2. EnvDesign, Engin, Doe/Refe, Busi/Econ T11 M485 2004
  2. Data collecting methods and experiences: a guide for social researchers, Manohar Pawar, ed. Elgin, IL: New Dawn Pr., 2004.
    3. EnvDesign, Main, Bus&Econ H62 D24 2004
  3. Statistics: a tool for social research, by Joseph F. Healey, 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2005.
    4. EnvDesign HA29 H39 2005
  4. Statistics & data for city planning: United States and International (UC Berkeley, Library) Here are two bibliographic research guides to statistical sources for city planning. See especially the U.S. guide for its section on "Using Statistics."
    5. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/plandata.html
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/intldata.html
    Searching the Web
  1. Web 'catalogs:' Consult the excellent guide Recommended Subject Directories or Catalogs & Indexes for lists of web catalogs. Here's an example:
    2.
    Librarians' index to the Internet. A subject guide to Internet resources constructed by librarians. Includes more than 20,000 links.
    http://lii.org/
  2. Web tutorials: Enhance your web searching skills and discover the 'Invisible Web.'
    • Evaluating web pages (UC Berkeley, Teaching Library)
      • http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
    • Finding information on the Internet: a tutorial (UC Berkeley, Teaching Library)  Comprehensive, well-organized, clearly written.
      • http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html
    • Searching the Web (Yahoo!) Links to approximately 30 sites with online web searching tutorials.
      • http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/Information_and_Documentation/Tutorials__Demos__Talks/
    • Teaching Library Internet workshops. See the schedule for the Library-sponsored drop-in classes.
      • http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/Instruction/
  3. Gateway sites:
    • Architecture and building (Univ. of Nevada, Libraries) Topics covered include architecture, building and construction, design, planning, preservation, energy and the environment, and landscape architecture.
      • http://library.nevada.edu/arch/rsrce/webrsrce/contents.html
    • City planning online (UC Berkeley, Library)  Lists a selection of thematic web guides pertaining to city & regional planning.
      • http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/cityweb.html
    • Cyburbia: the planning community. A comprehensive directory of web resources relevant to city planning and the built environment.
      • http://www.cyburbia.org
    • Environmental planning online (UC Berkeley, Library) Lists a selection of web sites pertaining to the environment and sustainable development.
      • http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/environ.html
    • Landscape architecture online (UC Berkeley, Library)  Lists a selection of web sites pertaining to landscape architecture.
      • http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/lawww.html
    • Planetizen: the planning and development network "A public-interest information exchange for the urban planning and development community....a daily, one-stop source for urban planning news, job opportunities, commentary and events."
      • http://planetizen.com/
    Campus Libraries  Here's a selection of campus libraries; see also the comprehensive list of libraries and collections.
    The Bancroft Library
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BANC/

    Bioscience & Natural Resources
    2101 Valley Life Sciences Building 
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BIOS/

    Business & Economics
    Student Services Wing
    Haas School of Business 
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BUSI/

    Doe Reference Center
    2nd floor, Doe Library
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/doemoff/reference.html

    Earth Sciences & Map
    50 McCone Hall
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/EART/

    Environmental Design
    210 Wurster Hall
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/
    		 Institute of Governmental Studies
    109 Moses Hall 
    http://www.igs.berkeley.edu/library/

    Institute of Transportation Studies
    412 McLaughlin Hall 
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ITSL/

    Law
    240 Boalt Hall
    http://www.law.berkeley.edu/library/

    Library Data Lab
    208A Doe Library (in Graduate Services)
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/doemoff/datalab/
    Media Resources Center
    Moffitt Library
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/

    Water Resources Center Archives
    410 O'Brien Hall 
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/WRCA/


    Specialized Research Sources

    Biography | Book Reviews | Citation Indexes | Dissertations | EIRs |General Plans | Organizations | Proceedings
    Biography  Additional electronic biographical resources are available from The Library's home page: go to Electronic Resources; select "Electronic resources: A-Z," and choose Biographical Sources. Each of the following listings is a bibliographic research guide to UC Berkeley library and Web-based biographical information on architects, planners, or landscape architects.

  1. Architects- biographical resources (UC Berkeley, Library)
    2. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/Biog2.html
  2. Biographical information on city planners (UC Berkeley, Library)
    3. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/planbiog.html
  3. Biographical information on landscape architects (UC Berkeley, Library)
    4. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/landbiog.html

    Book Reviews  Note that in several journal article databases you may limit your search to reviews.

  1. Book review sources for environmental design (UC Berkeley, Library)  Bibliographic guide to book reviews on architecture, city planning, and landscape architecture. Includes search instructions.
    2. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/BookReviews.html
    Citation Indexes  Use citation indexes to track the work and impact of a particular author.
  1. The following citation indexes help you discover in which journal articles a particular article is cited. The indexes are available on the Web at http://isiknowledge.com/wos/. Also useful as journal article indexes.
    Arts & humanities citation index - UCB Only Indexes 1,100 journals, as well as selected items from over 6,800 major science and social science journals.
    Online ed.: 1975--; paper ed.: 1976--; Doe Refe  AJ3 A7  Reference Stack
    Science citation index expanded - UCB Only Indexes 5,300 major journals across 164 scientific disciplines.
    Online ed.: 1945--; paper ed.: 1961--; Bioscience  Q151 A12 S35  Index Area
    Social sciences citation index - UCB Only Indexes 1,700 journals spanning 50 disciplines, as well as selected items from over 3,300 scientific and technical journals.
    Online ed.: 1970--; paper ed.: 1956/65--; Doe Refe  H71 A12 S6  Reference Stack
  2. Google scholar Allows you to discover in which journal articles and books a particular article or book is cited.  REMEMBER that Goolgle Scholar includes only scholarly publications; does NOT include journals published by Elsevier; and makes no claims to comprehensive coverage.
    3. http://scholar.google.com/

    Dissertations  Dissertations not owned by UC Berkeley may be purchased or borrowed through Interlibrary Service. Note that ordinary Melvyl® subject searches will frequently miss dissertations which often are not given subject treatment; in Advanced Search use main title searches in combination with format=dissertations.

  1. Dissertations & theses (ProQuest) - UCB Only Includes citations for materials ranging from the first U.S. dissertation, accepted in 1861, to those accepted as recently as last semester. Some abstracts included. Many titles are available full-text.
  2. How to find a UCB thesis or dissertation (UC Berkeley, Library)  Provides browsable call numbers to locate College of Environmental Design (CED) professional reports (PRs), theses, etc.
    3. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/Findtheses.html
  3. Index to theses - UCB Only Contains abstracts (vol. 36 onward; vol. 42 onward for Doctorate theses only) of theses accepted for higher degrees by the universities of Great Britain & Ireland. The database includes theses accepted from 1970-1996.
    4. http://www.theses.com/idx/registered_users/quick.html
  4. Inside field statement. 1971--. Field statements by students in the Dept. of City and Regional Planning, University of California, Berkeley. Finding Aid available: EnvDesign HT110 I57 Reference Desk.
    5. EnvDesign HT110 I57
  5. WorldCatDissertations - UC Only. Contains more than 5 million listings for dissertations, masters theses, and publications based on dissertations or theses. Go to WorldCat; click on the Databases tab. Deselect WorldCat and select "WorldCatDissertations" at the end of the list.
    Coverage: pre-1861--.

    Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs)

  1. Environmental impact reports (EIRs), also known as environmental impact statements (EISs), are usually the end product of an environmental impact assessment process. EIRs document the site conditions for specific proposed projects or developments, and can be extremely valuable sources of data about current and past site conditions. EIRs may be found in many campus libraries. To locate them, search the Melvyl® online catalog, using the subject environmental impact statements in combination with a place or site name.  Public libraries also collect local EIRs.

    General Plans

  1. General and area plans are often good sources of neighborhood histories, maps, and basic socio-economic statistics. See the research guide Finding general plans (UC Berkeley, Library).

    Organizations   Community and professional organizations can be valuable information resources, e.g., local historical societies; neighborhood planning groups; regional and national landscape architects' associations.

  1. Some directories are available in the Environmental Design Library and many organizations have Web sites. See also the following online guides for listings as noted:
    Finding local information for selected links to California and San Francisco Bay Area libraries and historical societies.
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/locinfo.html

    City & environmental planning professional practice for professional associations.
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/handbks.html

    Landscape architecture professional practice for professional associations.
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/laconst.html

    Proceedings  Papers from proceedings, colloquia, etc., are indexed somewhat haphazardly through journal article indexes. Note types of materials covered when using an unfamiliar index.

  1. PapersFirst via FirstSearch/OCLC - UC Only  Contains 580,000+ citations for papers presented at worldwide conferences, symposia, meetings, congresses, etc., received at The British Library. Excellent source for interdisciplinary work; the index covers all disciplines.
    2. Online coverage: October 1993--
  2. Proceedings via FirstSearch/OCLC - UC Only Indexes worldwide conferences, symposia, meetings, expositions, and congresses, in many disciplines.
    3. Online coverage: 1993--

    Originally compiled in 2001
    Compiled by Deborah Sommer 
    City Planning & Landscape Architecture Librarian
    Environmental Design Library

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    Environmental Design Library

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