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How do I conduct a search by subject or author only?
On the first page of each database is a link to search the database. When clicked, the link will take you to the Search form where you can use the author field or the pull-down menu field to search for subjects.How do I get access to the documents that I find in a search?
AfricaBib's databases are bibliographic databases. If the full text of a citation is available on the internet there will be a note that reads 'See This Document' at the end of the citation. However, most publishers restrict access to the full text of their material by IP address, that is the unique number each PC has on the internet. So often you might find that you cannot access an article, especially in a home situation. Most universities do have access to these publishers' sites.
JSTOR has a website that hosts many academic periodicals with full text articles. Universities in Africa and other not for profit institutions in Africa may access these articles at JSTOR for free thanks to the JSTOR African Access Initiative.
Otherwise you will have either to go to a library that has the materials you need or go to the Inter-library Loan department of any library. Their job is to help you get access to these documents.Once I have made my choices for a search, how do I get the search to take place?
At the bottom of the search screen, you will find three buttons to the right of Sort By. They read Author, Title, and Year. Once you have chosen the parameters by which you want your search to be conducted, you are given the option to decide just how you want your bibliography to be produced. Sort by Author will produce your bibliography alphabetically by author. Sort by Title will produce a list that is alphabetical by title, and choosing Sort by Year will produce a bibliography chronologically arranged by date, oldest to most current. Then click on the "SEARCH" button.Do I need to search by region and by country in order to get 'everything' in a search?
It is very unlikely that searching using a country and region choice will produce positive results. The reasons for this are that every citation is coded individually. Regional headings are assigned in most cases only when a document cannot be assigned a country code. There are times though when a citation can receive both codes. This can happen, for instance if the article is about Sub-Saharan Africa and they use a case study on Ghana. Then the regional heading for Sub-Saharan Africa would be used, as would the heading for Ghana. In most cases, searches are requested on the country level or the regional level only.
NOTE: If you find that your searches are not yielding any results, check to make sure that you are only searching for either a country or a region, but not both. In most cases you will not be able to perform a query on both fields simultaneously.Do I need to capitalize words such as country names or author names while requesting a search?
It is not necessary to capitalize while using any of the databases. They are not case sensitive and will search for you either way.How do I search the databases for materials on Africa in general and not by region or country?
In the choices for region you will find the choice for Africa. Materials that are produced by this search, are ones that could not be assigned a country or regional code. They will include materials that in most cases cover Africa as a whole continent.How do I enter an author's name for an author search? Are first and last names required?
Author searches can be conducted either way. You can use the last name with a comma and then the first name or initial or just by typing in the last name. An effort has been made to standardize name entries. In a database this size that is not always that easy to do. I would suggest that the first author search should be just the last name only. If that gets you too many hits, try the first name if you know it, but also try using the first name initial as many authors use their first name as well as their first name initial when publishing.How does 'Keyword' searching work?
The Keyword search searches most fields in every record.Can I perform a Boolean search of the databases?
No, there is no provision for Boolean searching of AfricaBib databases by the individual. All entries are additive (using a Boolean AND between each search field), essentially meaning that all search fields must hit for a record to return.
Looking for the title "Africa After 11 September" typing "Africa AND September" or "Africa September" in the 'TITLE' search field will give no results; type "Africa after" or "11 September" to get the title.How do I search AfricaBib by country or region?
Once you have chosen the specific database in AfricaBib that you want to use, you can search a country by clicking your mouse on the name of a country or if you know your geography well, you can click directly on the location of the country on the map. To search a region, you can go to the list of regions on the first page of the database, or you can choose from a pull down menu for either "country" or "region" fields on the Search form.Can I export search results?
Yes, you can export search results in RIS format to programmes such as Reference Manager, EndNote or ProCite. At the top and bottom right-hand side of the search results page there is an "Export..." button. A click on this button downloads the references on this page in RIS format to your PC; if your search returns more than one page with results you will need to click the Export button on each page to download all the references.How can I get a list of all the periodicals indexed in the 'Africana Periodical Literature Bibliographic Database'?
There are two ways that one can get this list. First, on the first page of the database, at the bottom left-hand side of the page (this may require you to scroll down a little) you will find a link to the list of periodicals indexed. This list allows you to see titles by a chosen letter. The second choice you have is to use the pull down menu at the 'Periodical' field in the Search form. There you will find the entire list of periodicals indexed.If I have error corrections, additions or comments, how do I get them to you?
At the bottom of the first page of each database you will find a link that will allow you to send an e-mail.Is there any page that I can go to that will tell me about the databases?
A link on the home page of AfricaBib will lead you to a page that will give you information about the databases. A link for this same information specific to each database is also included on the first page of the Periodical and Women databases.Who owns and manages AfricaBib and where is it located?
A link on most pages called 'About AfricaBib' will provide you with this information.How often are the databases and bibliographies making up AfricaBib updated?
All databases and bibliographies are updated on an almost daily basis. As information becomes available it is made accessible to you.What is the reason you put out 'Progress Reports'?
Women and Periodical Progress Reports are put out as a way to keep the users of this service informed of changes, additions and works in progress. It is a good source of information for instance about new journals that have been added to the Africana Periodical Literature Bibliographic Database, as well as letting you know if new journals have been fully indexed or if parts have not been indexed.
