Course Guides
Databases
Scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles may be located by searching the Library’s subscription databases. Listed below are suggestions for the most useful databases for articles on topics in linguistics and language. A complete list of all our Digital Resources are available from the Databases link.
- Academic Search Premier [INFO]
- Humanities International Index [INFO]
- MLA International Bibliography[INFO]
- Communication & Mass Media Complete (many full-text) [INFO]
- ERIC (links to full-text) [INFO]
Useful for research related to the teaching of writing, or development of writing skills.
Books and More
The Library catalog (LOLA) is a database of books and other print/non-print materials, such as videos/DVDs, music CDs, and scores. The catalog offers a variety of searches - Keyword, Subject, Author, Title, and Call Number. At the university level, it is essential to use books for nearly all research needs. Both historical and new developments may be found in books.When searching the Online catalog, be sure to try both a KEYWORD and a SUBJECT search - they will provide different results. A few examples of standard LC Subject Headings for topics related to linguistics and language are shown below:
- Subject search for English language composition and exercises
- Subject search for English language rhetoric
- Subject search for English language style
- Subject search for English language usage
- Subject search for Creative writing
- Subject search for Fiction technique
- Subject search for Poetics
- Subject search for Technical writing
- Subject search for Drama technique
- Subject search for Playwriting
- Subject search for Journalism
[Note: The initial heading writing most often refers to physical writing and writing systems, as opposed to creative or expository writing.]
Always check out the “Related Subjects” link that often appears under any Subject Heading search, for more specific terms important to your area of research.
Reference Material
Reference sources are usually a good starting point for research - they provide background information on a topic, identify and explain key concepts, or cite critical research that has been done. Reference sources for writing consist mainly of the standard technical tools for usage, style, publishing, etc., such as the following:
- Handbook of Technical Writing
- Cambridge Guide to English Usage
- Oxford Style Manual
- The American Directory of Writer’s Guidelines: a Compilation of Information for Freelancers from More Than 1,500 Magazine Editors and Book Publishers
- The Poet’s Dictionary: a Handbook of Prosody and Poetic Devices
- Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market
- The Elements of Style (Strunk & White)
- ;a href=”/library/browse/?sourceid=bb1334185″>Keys for Writers
Additional titles may be located by seaching the Library catalog, or by consulting the Reference Librarian.
Web Sites
In general, web sites are not the best choices for serious research because there is no guarantee the information posted there is authoritative, current, or sufficiently in-depth. Only use sites that you know are reputable, scholarly, current, and unbiased. The following are links to sites that seem to meet these criteria:
Index of websites related to:
Other sites of interest:
More…
- Ask a Librarian
- Subject librarian: Lissa Zinfon
