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Slavic Languages and Literature: Getting Started

Start your research with these databases

Tips for Getting Started

  • Use wildcards (*) when searching for Russian names in databases. This will include various transliterations of each name. Try using * at the end of the name and/or in place of the following letters: Е (e or ye), Ё (ë or yo), Ж (zh), Й (ĭ), Х (kh), Ц (ts), Ч (ch), Ш (sh), Щ (shch), Ъ ( " ), Ы (y), Ь ( ' ), Ю (iu or yu), Я (ia or ya). ​

Examples:

​Tolstoy: Tolst*  (will include Tolstoi, Tolstaya, Tolstoy, etc.)

Baranskaya: Baranska*  (will include Baranskaia, Baranskaya, Baranskaja, etc.)

Dostoyevsky: Dostoyevsk*  (will include Dostoyevskii, Dostoyevskij, Dostoyevsky, etc.)

Evdokiia: Evdok*  (will include Evdokiya, Evdokija, Evdokiia, etc.)

 

  • Another option is using the Boolean operator "OR" in a combined keyword search. This will yield search results with either term or both terms in the retrieved entries. Using "OR" is also a great way to search for synonyms of a keyword.

    Examples:

    Popova, Liubov OR Popova, Lyubov

    Goncharova, Nataliia OR Goncharova, Nataliya

Combine Search Words

  • AND -- link words by using AND to search for all keywords in the same resource
  • OR -- link words by using OR to search for one keyword or another, great way to search for synonyms
  • NOT -- to eliminate results with a certain keyword
  • "Quotations" -- add quotations to a group of two or more words to search for the exact phrase

Librarian

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Katie Sparks
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