ENGLISH 1213 (Dr. Enright--Short Stories)
Sarah Brick
Archer
Assistant Professor of
Library Services
Ofc.: Rm# 308B, ext.: #3267
email: archersa@nsuok.edu
Why should I do research?
Research can lead to information; information can lead to knowledge,
and knowledge is powerful. All of the informational resources available
originated from someone being curious about something, exploring it,
and sharing the findings. With this project, you are learning the
process of doing research which can be applied to other classes, your
career, and personal life.
What is authority and why is it important?
Experts in a field are individuals who might have degrees in a field,
work in the discipline, and have published in the subject area.
Their opinions can be very useful in finding credible sources.
For instance, anyone can write Wikipedia articles, but only experts can
contribute to Encyclopaedia Britannica. Keep the following concepts in
mind when choosing and using resources for research:
1. Identify authors who are outstanding in their fields, determine the
credentials of the author. Does the author have a degree in the field,
is the author a professor?
2. Date of publication--is it recent? On Web pages, do the links work?
3. Does the publisher have a good reputation? Is it published by a
professional association or university press? Is the journal refereed?
On Web pages, check the domain (.edu is educational, .gov is
government, .com is commercial, .net is network, .org is
organizational)
4. How was the resource received by the critics?
5. Completeness of the material. Does the source have an index,
bibliography?
6. Is the language slanted or biased?
7. Does it include well known facts or research studies? Is the
information complete, accurate, objective?
8. What is the purpose of the resource? Is it for the general
public, children, scholars? Is the goal to market persuade, educate?
In what types of publications would I find information
for my
project?
Information about an event first appears on the Internet, television
news, and newspapers. It depicts what happened and provides
mostly factual information. Magazines include a little more
information. Analysis and criticism appears in journals and
books. For this assignment, most of the useful information will
be found in books and journal articles.
How is the NSU Library organized?
Maps
Library
of Congress
Hours
John
Vaughan Library Physical Overview Tutorial
How can I find biographical/critical information about
my author?
An index to many biographical sources is Biography
and Genealogy Master Index (Ready Ref. CT 214.B57). This
index will list sources that contain biographical information about
authors. These sources will provide an overview to an author’s life
work. Many reference books contain biographies on short story
writers. Examples of sources are listed below.
<> American Authors, 1600-1900: A
Biographical Dictionary
Ref. PS 21.K8
British Authors Before 1800 Ref. PR 105.K9
British Authors of the Nineteenth Century Ref.
PR 451.K8 1936
Contemporary Authors Ref. PN 451.C58
**Dictionary of Literary Biography Ref. PN 451.D32
Literature Resource Center
MagillOnLiterature
Plus
Twentieth Century Authors Ref. PN 771.K86
For more in-depth general critical information or
biographical
information about an author, do a subject search on the author's last
name using the Library Catalog
The Humanities
Index through OmniFile or Academic Search Premier would
also be useful in locating articles.
How can I find journals on my topic?
Periodicals will include articles about the author, general criticism,
and some articles about specific short stories. Indexes to consult
include
the following:
Academic Search Premier
Humanities
Index
M.L.A.
Bibliography
CLIP
Tutorial on E Journals
Students are provided a 400 page print limit in the
library at the
start of each semester. If a student runs out of pages, additional
pages may be purchased at the circulation desk for $5.00 for 100 pages
or 5 cents per page.
How do I acquire materials not available at the John
Vaughan
Library (NSU)?
Interlibrary
Loan
is available for obtaining books and copies of articles from other
libraries. Allow approximately two weeks for interlibrary loan
materials.
How do I find criticism on a specific short story?
For a quick overview to the short story, use MagillOnLiterature
Plus and Literature Resource Center. For
more in-depth criticism, use Twentieth Century Short Story
Explication (Ref. PN 3373.W33)
Where can I locate information on the Web?
Try the library's Search Engine
page. Start with Google. Try the English
Resources Web Page.
Where can I locate an M.L.A. style manual?
The CLIP
Tutorial on Citations provides a good overview to citing resources.
The M.L.A. Handbook for Writers of Research Papers is located
on the first floor at the call number, Ready Ref. LB 2369.G53.
Also, try the MLA
Web site and the Purdue
OWL instruction on MLA. For
additional help
in citing sources, try KnightCite
Bibliography Machine.
How do I find these library resources through the Web?
Many of the resources listed above are available throug the John Vaughan Library Home Page.
Through the use of EZProxy software, these resources may be used from
any location. From off-campus, use your NT password and userid.
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