ENGL 6360 (Dr Tyrer): Studies in American Literature - The American Novel to 1865
Purpose: To acquaint you with materials in Cornette Library and on the World Wide Web that will make research for your assignment easier.
Reference Sources
- Excellent place to start research.
- Provide background information.
- Include basic information sources like dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, chronologies, and research guides.
Bibliographies
- Provide list of sources (books, articles, etc.) for specific subjects. May include annotations.
- American Literature and Language: A Guide to Information Sources
- Z 1225 .K68 1982 Ref.
- A highly selective bibliography of works about American literature and language.
Subject Encyclopedias
- Provide in-depth, scholarly articles, focused on a specific subject or discipline. Often include bibliographies.
- Literary History of the United States
- PS 88 L5 1974 Ref.
- A two-volume set. Volume 1 provides historical background; volume 2 is a bibliographic volume.
- The Oxford Companion to Women's Writing in the United States
- PS 147 .O94 1995 Ref.
- A companion to the study of women's writing in the U.S. with entries for writers, kinds of writing, etc. Each entry has a brief bibliography. Includes a timeline of U.S. women's writing.
Literary Criticism
- Sets that provide biographical and critical information on authors.
- Dictionary of Literary Biography
- PS 221 .D5 Ref.
- Also referred to as the DLB. Now over 300 volumes, articles in each volume of this set look at an author and offer a career biography of the subject. The intent is "to provide reliable information", to show the author within the broader literary history, and to provide some critical appraisal of the author's work.
- Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800
- PN 86 .L53 Ref
- Over 130 volumes with biographical and critical information on authors who wrote during this pivotal period during the development of literature.
- Nineteenth Century Literary Criticism
- PN 761 .N5 Ref.
- Over 170 volumes looking at the work of authors who died between 1800 and 1899.
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Books
- Cornette Library's Online Catalog
- Includes books, government documents, videos, journal titles, etc. available throughout the Library. Suggested searches include:
- a keyword search for your subject, such as fanny fern.
- the general LC subject heading Fern, Fanny, 1811-1872.
- the LC subject heading for a specific time and place such as Fern, Fanny, 1811-1872 criticism and interpretation.
To determine the most appropriate subject headings for your search, refer to the red Library of Congress Subject Headings near the Reference computers in the Library or search the online Library of Congress Authorities Catalog.
- WorldCat
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- Online catalog for libraries around the world.
- Lists Cornette Library books along with many more in other libraries.
- Search by keyword, author, title, or subject.
- Request books not in Cornette Library through the pre-filled Interlibrary loan form. Allow at least two weeks for the books to arrive.
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Journal, Magazine, & Newspaper Articles
Provide current information
- Library shelves contain more than 1500 bound and current journals.
- Microform (film or fiche) available for dozens of leading newspapers, as well as other periodicals.
- Databases index articles found in journals and magazines.
- Citation only;
- Citation and a short summary of the article (abstract);
- Full text;
- General, covering many kinds of topics, and specialized, for specific disciplines.
- For this assignment be sure to use scholarly sources, not general interest magazines. The differences are important, for citation and for evaluating reliability.
How to Access Databases
- On-campus: In the library or HELC.
- Off-campus: Login with your Buff Advisor username (for example, js123456) and your Buff Advisor password (for example, buffaloes).
- Database citations not in full-text may be located in Cornette Library's online catalog, or the list of online journals.
- Use Interlibrary Loan to request articles inaccessible through Cornette library. Allow up to 3 weeks for articles to arrive.
Which database?
- MLA Bibliography
- The premier electronic index for articles, book chapters, dissertations, etc. in the fields of literature, language, linguistics, and folklore. Links to full-text of many articles.
- Literature Resource Center
- Full-text database with biographical, bibliographical, and critical information on over 2,500 writers and their works.
- Google Scholar
- A specialized Google service that searches the Web for material that MAY be scholarly. Using Google Scholar through the Library's web site provides access to materials available through the library's proprietary databases.
- Dissertations and Theses Full-Text
- Over 1.6 million dissertations and theses from participating universities. Most since 1997 available in full-text.
General Resources: Full Text
Logo
- Displays in most of our databases. Links from a citation to one or more of the following:
- One or more links to full-text of the cited article,
- A link to a pre-set search of the Cornette Library catalog for the cited item,
- A link to a pre-filled Interlibrary Loan request form for the article, or
- A link to various help options.
- For more information see the tutorial Using SFX to Link to Articles
Need Help?
- Ask at the Reference Desk (first floor) or Periodicals Desk (second floor).
- Call 651-2215 during the hours Cornette Library is open.
- Use the "Ask A Librarian" form for electronic reference support.
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Web Sites
- The World Wide Web is an excellent source of information.
- Not everything found on the Web is accurate.
- You must evaluate information on the Web.
Literature Web Sites
- Voice of the Shuttle: Literature (in English) American Literature
- Internet Public Library: Arts & Humanities: Literature: Criticism
Web Guides
- Searchable lists of annotated web sites, discussion lists, and electronic journals that have met specific selection criteria.
- Scout Report Archives
- Scholarly. Keyword or advanced search. Results listed by relevance.
- INFOMINE Scholarly Internet Resource Collections
- Scholarly. Keyword search or browse by general subject area. Can limit to free sites.
- ipl2 - "Information You Can Trust" (merger of Internet Public Library and Librarians' Index to the Internet)
- General public interest. Keyword search, or browse by general topic and subtopic.
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Citing Your Sources
Why must I cite the sources I use for research projects?
- To give credit to the author of the information you use.
- To avoid plagiarism (WTAMU Code of Student Life: Appendix I-Academic Integrity Code)
a serious offense that can result in failure or expulsion. - So that others can verify the information.
- To assist others in doing their own research.
MLA Style
- Dr. Tyrer requires you to use the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6ht edition.
- A copy of this style guide is located at the Reference Desk.
- Additional assistance is available from our Citation Basics web page.
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Your Comments
- Suggestions for improvements?
- Particularly helpful items?
- Please email Linda Chenoweth.
Thank you.
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