This guide is designed to assist you in finding resources related to English and Modern Languages. Use the tabs at the top of the page to find books, journal articles, newspapers, and other resources. If you're having trouble or wish to consult further about your topic, please don't hesitate to email me at tcarlisl@shepherd.edu.
1. Start your research early.
Research always takes more time than you think, especially if you need to request books or articles from other libraries. Give yourself a head start to avoid last-minute stress.
2. Don’t rely only on Google.
Google can be useful, but it doesn’t have everything, especially scholarly sources. Use library databases to find peer-reviewed articles, ebooks, and more. If you like Google's interface, try Google Scholar instead.
3. Use smart search strategies.
Try keywords, quotation marks for phrases (“climate change”), and Boolean tools like AND/OR for better results. Advanced Search in databases can save you time and frustration.
4. Be picky about your sources.
Not everything online is trustworthy. Look for academic sources, and ask a librarian if you're unsure whether something is reliable enough for your paper.
5. Ask us for help!
Librarians are research pros. Whether you’re stuck choosing a topic, finding sources, or citing your paper, we’re here to help—in person, online, or by appointment.
Primary sources are "materials produced by people or groups directly involved in the event or topic under consideration, either as participants or as witnesses...Some primary sources are written documents, such as letters; diaries; newspapers and magazine articles; speeches; autobiographies; treatises; census data; and marriage, birth, and death registers" (Rampolla, 2012).
Secondary sources, then, are "texts - such as books, articles, or documentary films - that are written or created by people who were not eyewitnesses to the events or period in question; instead, the authors of secondary sources synthesize, analyze, and interpret primary sources..."(Rampolla, 2012).
A library catalog lists the resources in the library's collections--including interlibrary loan holdings. You can search for information by author, title, subject, and keyword.
Bibliographies and indexes are essentially specialized catalogs that helps searchers find specialized material, e.g. from a specific field (MLA International Bibliography), format (US Newsstream for newspapers), or particular publication (e.g. Wall Street Journal Index).
Peer Review is an academic term for quality control. Each article published in a peer-reviewed journal was closely examined by a panel of reviewers who are experts on the article's topic (that is, the author’s professional peers…hence the term peer review). The reviewers assess the author’s proper use of research methods, the significance of the paper’s contribution to the existing literature, and check on the authors’ works on the topic in any discussions or mentions in citations. Papers published in these journals are expert-approved…and the most authoritative sources of information for college-level research papers.
