Transcript Introduction to Research Methods in Literary Studies

Introduction to Library Resources
and Research Methods
in Literary Studies
French 2601
Today’s class
• Types of references needed for your
recherche bibilographique
• Library Resources (how to find the references
you need for your assignment)
• Research Strategies (how to make the best
use of library resources)
Types of References
• A Scholarly Monograph (un livre critique)
example: a book about the novels of Annie Ernaux.
• A First Edition (première édition)
example: the first published edition of Albert Camus’ novel La
Peste.
• Three Scholarly Journal Articles or Book Chapters (articles ou
chapitres critiques)
examples: an article about Amélie Nothomb’s Robert des
noms propres published in the journal French Studies; or a
chapter about Marcel Proust’s writing in the book, The
Cambridge Companion to Proust.
Types of References &
How to Find Them
• A Scholarly Monograph (un livre critique)
Where to search: Library Catalogue, other library catalogues
• A First Edition (première édition)
Where to search: Reference book + Library
Catalogue/WorldCat
• Three Scholarly Journal Articles or Book Chapters (articles ou
chapitres critiques)
Where to search: Library databases (such as the MLA
database) and print journal indexes (such as French XX).
How to Find Books
How to Find Books
• Mount Allison Library Catalogue
Also:
• Other university library catalogues, WorldCat
• Other books (scan the bibliographies of books
you’ve already found)
• Browsing library shelves
Finding Books
Finding Books
Finding Books
Finding Books
Finding Books
Finding Books
Finding Articles
Finding Articles
You cannot search for article in the
Library Catalogue…
Finding Articles
 Use a journal index/library database
Examples of journal indexes/library databases for French literary
studies:
Databases:
• MLA International Bibliography (aka, the MLA
Database), Repère
• also: JSTOR, Project Muse, CBCA Reference, etc.
Print Indexes:
• French XX Bibliography, Bibliographie d'histoire
littéraire française
Finding Articles
Finding Articles
Finding Articles
Finding Articles
Finding Articles
Finding Articles
Finding Articles
Finding Articles
Finding Articles
Finding Articles
To find out if an article is available at our library (once
you have a citation):
 Use the Library Catalogue and/or Journal Finder to
search for the title of the journal (not title of the
article).
Sample citation for a journal article:
Oscherwitz, Danya. “Once Upon a Time that Never Was:
Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amelie
Poulain.” The French Review 84.1 (2011): 504-15.
Finding Articles
To find out if an article is available at our library (once
you have a citation):
 Use the Library Catalogue and/or Journal Finder to
search for the title of the journal (not title of the
article).
Sample citation for a journal article:
Oscherwitz, Danya. “Once Upon a Time that Never Was:
Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amelie
Poulain.” The French Review 84.1 (2011): 504-15.
To Find out if the Library has a
Particular Journal
To Find out if the Library has a
Particular Journal
To Find out if the Library has a
Particular Journal
To Find out if the Library has a
Particular Journal
To Find out if the Library has a
Particular Journal
Finding Articles: Recap
You cannot search for articles in the Library Catalogue!
 Step 1: Use a Journal Index/Library Database to
search for articles on a topic (eg. MLA Database)
The full text of the article may be available in the
database you search, or there may be a link to
the full text. If not…
 Step 2: Check the Library Catalogue and/or
Journal Finder to find out if the library has the
journal in which the article appears
Search Strategies
Searching for books:
• You may need to use less specific search terms
Searching for articles:
• You can generally use more specific search
terms
Search Tip
Truncation Symbol
• $ in the Library Catalogue
• * in most other library databases
Example:
Canad$ will find: Canada, Canadian,
Canadians, Canadiana…
Print Indexes
• Serve the same purpose as online databases:
an index to published literature in a particular
field of study (eg. French-language literature)
• Usually appear annually – one volume
represents one (and only one) year’s worth of
publications (i.e. volumes are not cumulative)
• To search for articles published in the last five
years, you would have to consult five volumes
Print Indexes
• Organized alphabetically by author: to find
articles about Michel Tremblay, look up
Tremblay
• Under the author’s name will appear a list of
articles, books or book chapters about that
author’s works.
Check the list to see if any are about your
novel and about the specific subject(s)
you’ve been assigned.
Print Indexes
• Each entry (reference) will have an entry
number (numéro de l’entrée).
• These numbers identify each item within the
index and are used for cross-references.
• Your assignment asks you to provide the entry
number for references you find in print
indexes.
Keyword Selection
Sample essay topic:
Discuss the depiction of the poor in the works
of American playwrights.
What are the relevant keywords?
Keyword Selection
Sample essay topic:
Discuss the depiction of the poor in the works
of American playwrights.
What are the relevant keywords?
Keyword Selection
However…
A search in the Library Catalogue for “poor and
american and playwrights” yields ZERO
results.
Keyword Selection
However…
A search in the Library Catalogue for “poor and
american and playwrights” yields zero results.
Try using: synonyms, related words, variant
spellings, French words, etc.
In other words: try to account for the various ways
different authors may express the same or similar
ideas, topics, concepts, etc.
Keyword Selection
Original search:
poor and american and playwrights = 0 items
Search using synonyms and related words:
(poor or poverty or class) and (america$ or
united states) and (play$ or drama or theatre
or theater) = 38 items
Keyword Selection
Sample topic (similar to the ones on your
assignment):
• Prochain épisode de Hubert Acquin (analyse
temporelle…)
Keyword Selection
Sample topic (similar to the ones on your
assignment):
Prochain épisode de Hubert Acquin (analyse
temporelle…)
MLA search: aquin AND prochain episode AND temporelle
=1
Keyword Selection
Sample topic (similar to the ones on your
assignment):
Prochain épisode de Hubert Acquin (analyse
temporelle…)
MLA search: aquin AND prochain episode AND temporelle
=1
MLA search 2: aquin AND prochain episode AND
(temporelle OR temps OR time) = 4
Search Strategy Tips
Search Strategy Tips
Search Strategy Tips