InfoGuides: ENGL 3360 (Dr. MacDonald): American Literature to 1865: Introduction

Research - What is it?

Use this course guide to help build sources for your research project

If at any time you feel confused or frustrated, please ask for help!

Research requires:

time
patience
focus
initiative
reasoning
analysis

Scholarly Articles

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Gale Literature Resource Center
Full-text database that includes biographical, bibliographical, and critical information on some 2,500 literary writers and their works. Identifiers include ethnicity, nationality, literary period, genre, theme and literary/historical timeline.
Format: Full-text, Coverage: 1993 - present, Truncation and Wildcard: * and ? Or !, Search Tips: Boolean commands. Proximity searching. Use ( ) to construct powerful searches.
MLA International Bibliography
Contains more than 1.8 million citations about language, literature, linguistics and folklore (culture). Source types include journals, books, dissertations, bibliographies and conference proceedings.
Format: Citations; some full-text via link resolver, Coverage: Begins 1920 - present. Updates 9 times/yr., Truncation and Wildcard: * and ?, Search Tips: Use quotation marks to phrase search. Allows Boolean AND, OR and NOT searching. May limit to full-text, scholarly journals, date, length, publication name and type. HELP link on each screen, which includes Citation information. Can print, save, or email results. Some full-text publications may have the most current 3-12 months in abstract only, due to publisher restrictions.
Project MUSE
Full-text of more than 175 journals, focusing primarily on humanities and language. Some coverage for the performing arts, social sciences, and education. Almost all publications are scholarly, peer-reviewed journals. 25 journals continue the JSTOR coverage of the publication.
Format: Full-text, Coverage: Varies, begins as early as 1995, Truncation and Wildcard: * and None, Search Tips: Use quotations for phrase searching. Supports Boolean AND, OR and NOT. Group complex search strings with parentheses. Browsable help section and journals list. Use advanced search to specify field types for search string. E-mailed articles are sent as a URL link to the individual article.
JSTOR
** Expanded access continues as we work to implement a new contract for JSTOR's new all-access model, which will provide access to all archival journals and primary source content. **

Back volumes for 2,890 journals from the very first issue but usually excluding the most current 2-5 years, though almost 100 with coverage through the most recent issue. General subject areas include art & architecture, Asian studies, botany, ecology, economics, education, finance, history, language & literature, mathematics, music, philosophy, political science, population studies, sociology and statistics.
Format: Majority full-text; some additional full-text via link resolver, Coverage: Dates vary with beginning date of journal., Truncation and Wildcard: + and ----, Search Tips: Boolean commands are supported. Use quotation marks to search keywords as a phrase.
Gale eBooks
Full-text, searchable access to more than 175 specific encyclopedias in many subjects, including business, social sciences, history, biography, religion, popular culture, and much more.
Format: Full-text, Coverage: 1993-2007 publication dates, Truncation and Wildcard: * and ? Or !, Search Tips: Search by title, keyword, author, subject, ISBN, full-text, and image caption. Limit by date, document type, or audience type. You can also drill down through a subject classification list from general to specific.
Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory
Comprehensive international list of journals, magazines, newspapers, and online full-text electronic references. For each title indicates subject area, publisher, publication schedule, where indexed/abstracted, if peer reviewed and more. Search by title, ISSN, publisher, subject, keyword, dates, and more.
Format: Finding aid, Coverage: 1930s - present, Truncation and Wildcard: * and $, Search Tips: Use the Advanced Search link to add limits include Current, Ceased, Forthcoming, Online, Refereed, Abstracted/Indexed, Website/URL, Journal Citation Reports, ScienceDirect, Ingenta Select, Serial Solutions, Open Access, and Type (such as Academic/Scholarly, Consumer, Newspaper, etc.).
Oxford English Dictionary (OED)
Online version of the premier dictionary of English language, with more than 600,000 words. Search for a specific word or phrase, or browse by categories, language, region, etc. Each word has definitions, examples, pronunciation guide and chronology of usage. Updated four times a year with new words and revised entries.
Format: Full-text, Coverage: ca. 500A.D. - present, Truncation and Wildcard: ? Any one character, * two or more characters and ? Any one character, * two or more characters, Search Tips: Word lists can also be filtered by language, region, date of first use, part of speech, and usage. Results list will return entry words, and also items that use the searched term in the definition, sample quotations, or etymology.

Interlibrary Loan

Found or need information (e.g. articles, books, etc.) that we don't have access to? You can get it via Interlibrary Loan Details (ILL).

Request a book or article.
Most articles are emailed within 1-2 weeks. Books may take longer.

WTAMU students, faculty, staff, and Friends of Cornette Library (Supporting level and above) can use Interlibrary Loan (ILL) to borrow research materials from the collections of other libraries.

ILL Office hours are Monday-Friday 8AM to 5PM. Contact the Interlibrary Loan department at (806) 651-2406.

Delivery could take as little as a couple of days or as much as three weeks. See here for more information about Interlibrary Loan. Click here for our ILL FAQs. For our Interlibrary Loan policies click our Library policies section then select Interlibrary Loan.

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Get Help from the Library

Research & Access Help

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Call (806) 651-2215 during library hours
Use "Email a Librarian" to ask a question. Typical response time is within 1 business day.
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ENGL 3360 (Dr. MacDonald): American Literature to 1865

Research - What is it?

Search Discover Databases,Books, or Reserves

Start here

Interlibrary Loan

Get Help from the Library

Research & Access Help