Research Guide for ENGL&102: Researching Context and Criticism for Postcolonial Texts
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Prepared by Elinor Appel NSCC Library (this link will open in a new window) Feb. 20: After this workshop you should be able to:
Upcoming assignment:
March 6: After this workshop you should be able to:
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Books
Reference Books - use these books for background information and to look up specific topics. Reference books vary in their approach and depth of content, so consider which angles are appropriate to your research. In addition, some reference material will contain primary sources and original analysis, some will not. Selected examples:
General & Historical
- Countries and Their Cultures, 4 vols. [Ref GN 307 .C68 2001]
- Encyclopedia of Modern Asia, 6 vols. [Ref. DS 4 .E53 2002]
- Encyclopedia of the Modern Modern Middle East & North Africa, 4 vols. [Ref DS 43 .E53 2004]
Literary Criticism & World Literature
- Companion to Contemporary World Literature, 2 vols. [Ref PN 771 .T93 2003]
- Modern South Asian Literature in English [Ref PR 9484.6.B75 2003]
- Contemporary Literary Criticism, 260 vols. [Ref PN 771 .C59]
Note that you'll be going to different areas of the library stacks for different aspects of your topic. For instance, you'll find history books in the call-number range beginning D and literary criticism in the call-number range beginning P. This organization will be the same in any academic library you visit.
Circulating Books - use these books to find more in-depth information on your topic.
Refer to Finding Books for tips on searching the catalog using keywords and subject headings. Click on the subject headings you turn up to find more books on your topic.
Once you find a title or two in the catalog, locate them in the circulating collection upstairs and then browse the shelves in that area for more books on your topic.
You may also need to request items to be sent to the library at North from libraries at South and Central. Ask us for help if you don't know how to do this.
Refer to Finding Articles for tips on how to search a periodical database using keywords and topics. Remember to "talk to the database" using Boolean logic or other search symbols. The Advanced Search in article databases includes the Boolean operators for you.
- and – for combining concepts/keywords, will narrow the search: anil's ghost and terrorism
- or – when you are using related terms, will broaden the search: terrorists or militants
Good reference databases for your research are:
- History Resource Center: World - primary and secondary sources on world events
- Literature Resource Center - author biographies, interviews, literary criticism, and articles
Good periodical databases for your research are:
- Academic Search Premier - general database with articles ranging from news to scholarly
- ProQuest Direct - another general database containing a range of periodicals
- JSTOR - older articles from academic journals
Refer to Searching the Internet for tips on searching the Internet effectively using Google. Simply limiting your search by domain (site:edu or site:gov) is often a good way to start.
If you search using Google Scholar, you may not get the full text to the journal article. If you find an article online that you'd lke to read, use the Periodical Locator at the top of the Periodical database page to find out whether we carry the journal full text in a database. Search the Locator by periodical title:
An annotated bibliography involves citing your sources correctly and annotating, or writinga description, of these sources. You will be using the MLA citation style format for this assignment.
- Annotated Bibliographies, Owl Writing Center at Purdue University
- How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography, Cornell University
- MLA style guide (PDF)
Video Source: IFC News on Youtube