Northeastern State University Broken Arrow
John Vaughan LibraryNSU Libraries
 


Departments in the College of Liberal Arts
Communication & Art
Languages & Literature
Performing Arts
Professional Studies
Social Sciences


Other Resources
BlackBoard
Get Flash
Get Help
   IM the Answer
New Books
Search Engines
Research Tutorial
Technical Help
Tutorials
Tutoring

 

Library Instruction for Liberal Arts


 

Languages and Literature

 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.


Sarah Brick Archer



Library SiteWeb 
Page maintained by: Sarah Brick Archer archersa@nsuok.edu
Last Updated: February 19, 2009.