University of Southern Maine

English 150 - Beast: Animals in Literature (Edmands)

Introduction | Reference Sources | Indexes & Databases | Internet Resources | Writing the Paper

For further research assistance, please contact Barb Mann (bmann@usm.maine.edu; 780-4672), Coordinator, Information Literacy Program, Glickman Library, University of Southern Maine.

In order to find books, journal titles, videos, government documents and other materials held in the University of Maine System you will need to consult URSUS, the online catalog. Because journal article citations are not individually included in URSUS, you will need to use a discipline-specific index to find this information (see Resources by Subject).

If you do not know the exact subject heading describing the topic you need, try doing a keyword search using other word/s related to that topic and then click on the subject heading links found within the relevant records to find additional, useful resources.

To obtain materials not located at your USM campus, but within URSUS, you will need to click on the Request button on the URSUS screen and enter your name and barcode number (found under the barcode on your USM Card, always beginning with 25022....). Your barcode will first need to be activated at the Circulation Desk.

If the item is not available through the University of Maine System (URSUS) or Maine Info Net you can request it via Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad).

Reference sources are useful tools to obtain background information and to develop a vocabulary of possible search terms. The following items are print resources available within the University of Southern Maine system.

Contemporary Literary Criticism
POR Reference PN94 .C6
Also available electronically.

Encyclopedia of American Social History
POR Reference HN57 .E58 1992

Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology
POR, GOR, LEW Reference GN307 .E52 1996

Encyclopedia of Psychology
POR and GOR Reference BF31. E52 2000

Encyclopedia of Sociology
POR and GOR Reference HM425 .E5 2000

Encyclopedia of World Literature in the 20th Century
POR Reference PN771 .E5 1981

International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences
POR Reference H41 .I58 2001

Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
POR Reference B51 .R68

Short Story Criticism
POR Reference PN3373 .S386

Twentieth Century Literary Criticism
POR Reference PN771 .G27; GOR Reference PN771 .G27 (v. 1-23)

Because of the lengthy publishing cycle for a book, information in a book is not always current. Periodical articles are current sources of information. There are two main types of periodicals: scholarly and popular. Scholarly periodicals are usually referred to as journals. Articles in journals contain reports of primary research; the articles are written by experts in the field and for other researchers/scholars; use terms and language specific to that discipline; may include graphs, charts, etc. related to the topic; most often are peer reviewed via an editorial board; are published by professional organization or society, university, research centers, scholarly presses; and often include a bibliography. Popular periodical articles contain general information; are written using easily understood language that appeals to a varied audience; are usually written by journalists or others who are not experts in the field; do not include citations; has a limited or non-existent editorial review board; and may contain glossy photographs. The Finding Articles tutorial provides more information on how to find articles.

To find scholarly articles it is necessary to consult a discipline-specific electronic or print index/database. The following are indexing sources available to the University of Southern Maine community.

Academic Search Premier
Date coverage: varies according to publication. See coverage information
Provides full text for nearly 4,000 scholarly publications of which 3,100 are peer reviewed. Academic areas of study include: social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies.

America: History and Life
Date coverage: 1954-current
Index to research on the history of the United States and Canada, from prehistoric times to the present. Includes references to journal articles, books and book reviews, dissertations, and collective works.

ERIC-Education
Date coverage: 1966-current (note: ERIC has changes contractors and there may be some lags in coverage)
Indexes and abstracts journal articles and documents on education research and practice.

Literature Resource Center
Includes: Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, Scribner Writers, and Twayne's Authors Series.

MLA International Bibliography
Date coverage: 1963-current
Index to scholarly research in literature, language, linguistics, and folklore. Indexes articles from more than 3,500 journals and series. Also includes monographs, working papers, proceedings, and bibliographies. Updated 10 times / year.

Oxford Reference Online
A cross-searchable collection of 100 language and subject dictionaries and reference works published by Oxford University Press. The scope is broad, including works in the areas of science and medicine, the humanities and social sciences, and business and law. English dictionaries and thesauri, guides to grammar and usage, and dictionaries of etymology, foreign languages, quotations, and names are provided.

PsycINFO
Date coverage: 1887-current
Index to the professional and academic literature in psychology and related disciplines, including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, and other areas. Coverage includes references and abstracts to over 1,300 journals in more than 20 languages, and to book chapters and books in the English language. The database includes information from empirical studies, case studies, surveys, bibliographies, literature reviews, discussion articles, conference reports and dissertations.

Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature
POR and GOR Reference AI3 .R48 (1900-1995)

Sociological Abstracts
Date coverage: 1974-current
Covers sociology and related disciplines including anthropology, criminology, demography, education, gerontology, mental health, minority studies, political science, public health, social psychology, social work, urban studies, welfare programs, and women's studies. Comprehensive and international in scope.

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
Date coverage: 1975-present
This database supplies citations, abstracts, and indexing of the international serials literature in political science and its complementary fields, including international relations, law and public administration/policy.

There is no authority control for the Internet. In choosing Internet resources it is imperative to evaluate the authenticity of the source. Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources (UCLA College Library) provides excellent evaluation criteria.

his category contains information on how to write the paper. In using resources it is imperative that they be used ethically and legally. The sources listed here provide assistance in this process.

USM has a site license for Endnote, a personal reference database program. The main functions of this program include maintenance of a database of references, downloading references from other databases, using the database to link to references in word-processed document, and generating a bibliography in the correct style for publications. See the Endnote Help for further information.

Writing Handbooks

St. Martin's Handbook
POR Reference PE1112 .L86 1989
Contains sections on the writing process, sentence construction, punctuation, doing research, and academic writing.

A Writer's Reference, 3rd Edition
POR Reference PE1408 .H2778 1995
Includes sections on composing and revising, design, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, writing, and documentation.

Citation Style

Citing Sources (MLA) (Indiana University)

MLA (University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center)

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th edition
POR Reference LB2369 .G53 2003

Online! A Reference Guide Using Internet Resources

Using Modern Language Association (MLA) Format (Purdue University Online Writing Center)

Plagiarism

Plagiarism-The Do's and Don't's: Guidelines for Avoiding Plagiarism (University of California-Davis)

Plagiarism Examples (Indiana University School of Education)

Last update: 03-31-05 bjm
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