Research Guides: *English: Getting Started

Welcome

Welcome to the English library research guide. The primary purpose of this research guide is to help students and faculty with their research. This guide has been designed specifically for programs in the FSU English Department. In each tab on the left side of the page, you'll find the different programs offered by the FSU English Department along with recommended databases, journals in the field and other resources.

Below are some recommended databases to get you started on your research.

MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
The MLA International Bibliography provides a subject index for books and articles published on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics. Works of interest to scholars are included whether they are written for a scholarly or a more general audience, provided that the content or its treatment places them within the scope of the bibliography. Masters' theses, guides that are essentially plot summaries, and other apprentice or simplified works are excluded.
Abbreviation: mla
Vendor: EBSCO
Coverage: 1921-Current
Subjects: African-American Studies, Latin American & Caribbean Studies, Linguistics, Literature, Middle Eastern Studies, Rhetoric & Composition, Russian & Eastern European Studies, Women's and Gender Studies
Type: Indexes / Catalogs

Literature Resource Center
Provides access to biographies, bibliographies and critical analysis of authors from every age and literary discipline. Includes Contemporary Authors, Dictionary of Literary Biography, and Contemporary Literary Criticism Select.

Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
The OED traces the usage of words through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of international English language sources, from classic literature and specialist periodicals to film scripts and cookery books. The online OED includes a Historical Thesaurus and Timelines.
Abbreviation: oed
Vendor: Oxford University Press
Subjects: English, *General / Multi-Subject
Type: Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
Film & Television Literature Index This link opens in a new window
Film & Television Literature Index is a comprehensive bibliographic database covering the entire spectrum of television and film writing. It is a bibliographic database that provides cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts for more than 380 publications (and selected coverage of 300).
Abbreviation: ftl-ind
Vendor: EBSCO
Subjects: Communication, Film Studies, Literature
Type: Indexes / Catalogs

Journal Articles

Looking for Journal Articles? Below are some databases that will help you find academic and peer-reviewed articles.

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
A multi-disciplinary full text database containing full text for more than 4,650 journals, including more than 3,900 peer-reviewed titles. In addition to the full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for over 8,450 journals. This scholarly collection offers information in nearly every area of academic study.
Apps:
Android (PowerPoint)
iPhone (PowerPoint)

Abbreviation: ascomplete
Vendor: EBSCO
Coverage: 1987-Current
Subjects: *General / Multi-Subject, Hospitality
Type: Indexes / Catalogs
Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
(1993 - ) Provides access to the full-text of more than 200 scholarly journals published by the Johns Hopkins University Press. http://muse.uq.edu.au/journals Mirror server if link above is not working
[*http://muse.uq.edu.au/journals Mirror server if link is not working.]

Abbreviation: muse
Vendor: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Coverage: 1993Current
Subjects: *General / Multi-Subject
Type: E-Book Collections, E-Journal Collections
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
A database of the back issues of core journals in the humanities, social sciences and sciences. The gap between the most recently published issue of any journal and the date of the most recent issue available in JSTOR is from 2 to 5 years.
Tutorials:
How to search (04:20)
Primary Source Collection: 19th-Century British Pamphlets (00:51)

Abbreviation: jstor
Vendor: JSTOR
Coverage: 1665-present
Subjects: Arts Administration, Art History, *General / Multi-Subject
Type: E-Book Collections, E-Journal Collections

Is it scholarly?

Scholarly sources can generally be identified by several features:

Content: Is the topic of the article academic?
Audience: Is the article written for a reader who is knowledgable about the topic?
Language: Does the author use higher level language and discipline-specific terminology?
Intent: Is the purpose of the article to report findings of a research project, present a case study, make an argument about a topic based on supporting evidence or research, etc?
Authorship: Are the qualifications of the author listed? For scholarly articles look for advanced degree(s) as well as experience writing and/or researching on the topic.
Peer-review: Is the article peer-reviewed or refereed? This means material is evaluated by experts and only published if it meets the discipline's standards.
References: Does the author support his or her findings with references to other scholarly research in footnotes, endnotes or a bibliography at the end?

This list was inspired by the many such lists available on library websites, especially that of Judith Downie at California State University San Marcos

*English

Humanities Librarian

Welcome

Journal Articles

Is it scholarly?

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