ANGLAIS 101Finding Research Articles

for English Literature

© University of Alberta Library

Getting started with research Books vs. periodical articles Searching databases

– e.g. MLA International Bibliography

Finding periodical articles in the Library

Search your topic – we’re here to help

© University of Alberta Library

Today’s topics

Books

Books are a good place to start if the person is well known (Margaret Atwood or Shakespeare)

The bibliographies within books on your topic provide references to other books and articles.

(NEOS Libraries) Catalogue.

For works or critiques about the author, search the author as a subject

Find books about both an author and a specific topic

Type an author’s name and a topical term, joining these with and

shakespeare and women

mary shelley and science fiction

mary shelley and (science or medicine)

Call number of book

Library and location

Periodical Articles

Periodical articles are a good starting point if:

• An author’s reputation is recent or local

• You are looking for something very specific (e.g. the symbolism of flowers in Hamlet)

Periodical Databases

What is a periodical?

Periodical: • Published on an ongoing, regular basis• Also known as journals• Magazines, journals, newspapers Formats : • electronic, • paper• microformat

Periodicals may be scholarly or of general interest.

Select carefully.

Locating paper periodicals

Current Issues• Shelved separately in north-west

corner of library• Organized alphabetically by title

Older Issues• Located in general collection, bound

and interfiled with books by call number

Citation

The written reference to a periodical article

The information you need to:

• find the article

• include in a list of sources used (e.g. bibliography)

Keep your citations!

Citation example

Characterization in Mansfield Park: Tom Bertram and Coleman’s the Heir at Law.

By: Giotta, Peter C.; Review of English Studies,

Nov 98, Vol. 49 Issue 196, p466, 6p

Periodical title

Article title

Finding Periodicals in the Library

When all you have is a citation:

Search the NEOS Libraries Catalogue

•Search by “Periodical title”

Search the Catalogue for the periodical title

Review of English Studies

Does the Library have Vol. 49 (November 1998)?

Is Review of English Studies

available at the U of A?

Rutherford has Vol. 49

Databases

• Use to find articles on a given topic• May be subject specific (MLA

Bibliography) or have broad coverage (Academic Search Premier)

• May include citations, or full text, or a mix• Many different databases (500+)

Databases are organized in different ways• adapt search techniques

• HELP information is always available

MLA Bibliography

citations and links to full textfocus is literature and languageinternational and very scholarly

Enter via the

English Language and Literature Web page.

Path to Databases for Research in English

Literature

Subject Link

English Link

English Language and Literature

Searching MLA

Searching MLA

1

23

Go to folder

If there is no Get It! button, do a

Periodical Title search

MLA Citation Style

ModernLanguageAssociation

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th edition. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2003.

Call number: LB 2369 G52 (Reference & General Collection)

MLA Citation Style

Online Dictionaries

Tips to Remember

search the (NEOS Libraries) Catalogue to find books

search databases to find articles use the English Language and Literature

Web page to remember useful databases and find more specialized research guides.

if you have a citation, search the Catalogue to see if the library owns the periodical

Reference Services

Ask any question.

Visit us in person. Try e-mail or chat reference

from any computer, anywhere!

Telephone us.

http://www.library.ualberta.ca/askus_fr/

Search!