Transcript Introduction to Research Methods in Literary Studies

Introduction to Research Methods
in Literary Studies
ENGLISH 1201
Today’s class
• Primary and Secondary Sources
• Scholarly and non-scholarly Sources
• Most common secondary sources in Literary
Studies
• How to Find Secondary Sources
• Keyword Selection (interactive exercise)
Primary Sources
• A primary source provides first-hand
information on the topic. The author or artist
personally participated in the event under
discussion, such as a science experiment, a
humanitarian mission, or the creation of a
work of art. The work has not been changed
or analyzed by another person or
organization.
Examples of Primary Sources:
• Original research (results of an experiment, an
archeological dig)
• Government Records (Parliamentary
Proceedings, Bills, Acts)
• Personal works (diaries, letters)
• Works of Art (paintings, sculptures,
photographs)
Secondary Sources
• Secondary sources present an argument,
interpretation, conclusion, or summary based
upon information found in primary sources.
Examples of Secondary Sources:
• A biography
• A review (of a book, film)
• Commentary and criticism (of a work of music
or a work of art)
• Histories
In Literary Studies
• Examples of primary sources?
In Literary Studies
• Examples of primary sources?
…A novel, short story, play, poem
In Literary Studies
• Examples of primary sources?
…A novel, short story, play, poem
• Examples of secondary sources?
In Literary Studies
• Examples of primary sources?
…A novel, short story, play, poem
• Examples of secondary sources?
…A book review
…A book or journal article about a novel, short
story, play or poem
Source for previous 8 slides (and for more information and examples):
Primary and Secondary Resources: A Research Guide,
http://www.mta.ca/library/primary_secondary.html
Scholarly vs. Non-scholarly
Secondary Sources
• Not every book or article about a literary work
is necessarily a scholarly source.
• An article about Margaret Atwood published
in The Globe and Mail or Macleans magazine,
for example, would not be considered a
scholarly source.
• Why not?
What is a Scholarly Source?
• Are generally written by experts in the field
(look for: credentials, author affiliations)
What is a Scholarly Source?
• Are generally written by experts in the field
(look for: credentials, author affiliations)
• Are generally peer-reviewed (critically
assessed by other scholars and experts in the
field prior to publication)
What is a Scholarly Source?
• Are generally written by experts in the field
(look for: credentials, author affiliations)
• Are generally peer-reviewed (critically
assessed by other scholars and experts in the
field prior to publication)
• Engage and build on previous research on the
same subject (see next bullet)
What is a Scholarly Source?
• Are generally written by experts in the field (look
for: credentials, author affiliations)
• Are generally peer-reviewed (critically assessed
by other scholars and experts in the field prior to
publication)
• Engage and build on previous research on the
same subject (see next bullet)
• Always cite all sources quoted or referenced in
the book or paper (articles and books aimed at a
non-academic audience don’t normally do this)
What is a Scholarly Source?
• Are generally published by a university press
or publisher specializing in scholarly works
What is a Scholarly Source?
• Are generally published by a university press
or publisher specializing in scholarly works
• Make a contribution to the field (present an
original argument or interpretation)
What about book reviews?
• Scholarly or non-Scholarly?
What about book reviews?
• Scholarly or non-Scholarly?
• Book reviews typically present one person’s
opinion about a newly published book. Book
reviews do not normally engage with (or cite)
existing scholarship on an author or attempt
to present an argument or interpretation.
Most Common Secondary sources in
Literary Studies?
• Books and journal articles (articles published
in academic, peer-reviewed journals)
Most Common Secondary sources in
Literary Studies?
• Books and journal articles (articles published
in academic, peer-reviewed journals)
Examples:
Nischik, Reingard M. Engendering Genre: The Works of
Margaret Atwood. Ottawa: University of Ottawa
Press, 2009.
Deery, June. “Science for Feminists: Margaret Atwood’s
Body of Knowledge.” Twentieth Century Literature
43.4 (1997): 470–86.
How to Find Secondary Sources
Books:
• MtA Library Catalogue
• Other Library Catalogues
• WorldCat
• Google Books
• Other books (scan the bibliographies of books
you’ve already found)
• Browsing library shelves
How to Find Secondary Sources
Journal Articles:
• Journal Indexes and Databases such as the
MLA Database, Project Muse, JSTOR
Some academic peer-reviewed journals are
available for free online and can be accessed
through Google Scholar or the DOAJ, but
many journals can only be accessed in library
databases or in print format at the library.
Finding Books
Nischik, Reingard M. Engendering Genre: The
Works of Margaret Atwood. Ottawa:
University of Ottawa Press, 2009.
• Search the Library Catalogue
Finding Articles
Deery, June. “Science for Feminists: Margaret
Atwood’s Body of Knowledge.” Twentieth
Century Literature 43.4 (1997): 470–86.
• When you already have a citation: Use the
Library Catalogue and/or Journal Finder to
search for the title of the journal (not title of
the article).
Finding Articles
When you do not already have a citation for an
article, and are looking for articles on a
particular topic or about an author or work:
• Use a journal index/library database
Examples of library databases for literary
studies:
• MLA International Bibliography (aka, the MLA
Database), JSTOR, Project Muse
What about Encyclopedias?
There are many specialized and disciplinespecific encyclopedias in the Library.
Examples:
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of American
Literature
• Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature
• The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory
and Criticism
Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias are often considered “tertiary”
sources. These are sources that compile,
summarize or repackage information found in
primary and secondary sources. Typically, the
contents of encyclopedias are based on the
work of other scholars.
Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias can help you:
• Find an overview of a topic
• Find a summary of the critical reception of a work or author
• Contextual information (historical, biographical, political,
etc.)
• Additional secondary sources (articles in encyclopedias
sometimes include a bibliography)
• Names of scholars who have published on a topic
• Become familiar with concepts and terminology that can
help with your search strategy (i.e. help you identify good
and relevant keywords!)
Search Tip
Truncation Symbol
• $ in the Library Catalogue
• * in most other library databases
Example:
Canad$ will find: Canada, Canadian,
Canadians, Canadiana…
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 no results.
Keyword Selection
However…
A search in the Library Catalogue for “poor and
american and playwrights” yields no results.
Try using: synonyms, related words, variant
spellings, etc.
In other words: try to account for the various
ways different authors may express the same
or similar ideas or topics.
Keyword Selection
poor and american and playwrights = 0 items
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
Examine the practice of women's life writing in
renaissance england
Keyword Selection
Examine the practice of women's life writing in
renaissance england
Wikipedia
“Among my friends and acquaintances, everybody
distrusts Wikipedia and everybody uses it…. Wikipedia
is the ultimate open source repository of information.
Everyone is free to read it and everyone is free to write
it…. The information that it contains is totally
unreliable and surprisingly accurate. It is often
unreliable because many of the authors are ignorant or
careless. It is often accurate because the articles are
edited and corrected by readers who are better
informed than the authors.”
Dyson, Freeman. “How We Know.” NYRB 10 Mar. 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2011.
Wikipedia
“Over the long term, the quality of a given
Wikipedia article will do a random walk
around the highest level of quality permitted
by the most persistent and aggressive people
who follow an article.”
Sanger, Lawrence. “The Fate of Expertise After
Wikipedia.” Episteme 6 (2009): 52-73. (Sanger is cofounder of Wikipedia and founder of Citizendium)