1. Sufism [Islam] Christian Mysticism Kabbalism [Judaism] Neo-Vedanta/Bhakti [Hinduism]

2. CHOOSE A FOCUS TOPIC  Via Negativa – Asceticism, Self-Denial  Role of Poetry, Art, Dance  Beliefs about Human Nature – Good/Evil  Salvation and After-Life  Union (with God/other humans/creation)  Ethics, Moral Foundation (right/wrong action)  Prayer, Meditation, Mantras  Group-Defined Topic (clear with teacher)

3. Academic Databases: Start Here!  Reliable Sources for Academic Research  Editorial Review  Added Value: Citations, Subject Indexing  Contents:  Academic Journals  Newspapers, Magazines  Reference Works

4. GENERAL BACKGROUND search term: Mysticism  MIHS DATABASES  Access from MIHS Library Page/MIHS site  http://www.mercerislandschools.org/domain/100 http://www.mercerislandschools.org/domain/100  EBSCOHOST: see Subjects, left column  eLibrary: use the Topics tab, find starred Research Topics – pre-coordinated searches  ProQuest: see Related Searches  Gale Virtual Ref Library: Good Overviews  Add specific terms to narrow for your focus

5. Internet Sources Internet Public Library Portal site of websites previewed for academic reliability.ipl.org “The Academic Google” Best strategy: search specific religions/mystic traditions by name. Use Boolean Operators and Quotation Marks to make your search more inclusive/precise: Sufi OR Sufism Kabbala OR Kabala OR cabala “Neo-Vedanta” OR Vedanta OR Bhakti

6. You Evaluate ‘open’ Internet Sources! (including ipl.org sites)  Bias – Does site promote/undermine topic?  Credibility – Author/Publisher credentials?  Corroborated – Info also appears elsewhere?  Currency – Recently updated? Maintained?  Cited by others, linked by other sites?  Alexa.com to review usage

7. Citation Help  Suggested Tool: EasyBib  Create individual Works Cited page  Share with others to create combined page  Must have EasyBib (free) account to share