Introduction | Reference Sources | Indexes & Databases | Internet Resources | Citation Styles

For further research assistance, please contact Pat Prieto (pprieto@usm.maine.edu; 780-5662) Research and Instruction Librarian, Glickman Library, University of Southern Maine.
Chat and e-mail research assistance are also available through our Ask a Librarian service.

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 an index to find this information (see Resources by Subject or the database list below).

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.

If the material you need is not available at the USM Libraries or online, the Libraries can usually obtain it for you. Books should be ordered through URSUS or Maine InfoNet if possible; for journal articles and for books unavailable through URSUS or Maine InfoNet, use Interlibrary Loan.

For information about Off-Campus Library Services, visit the Off-Campus Library Services web site.

Definitions and Background

The Cambridge encyclopedia of language
POR Reference P29. C64 1987

Dictionary of language and linguistics
POR/GOR Reference P29 .H34

Dictionary of linguistics and phonetics
POR Reference P29 .C65 1991

The encyclopedia of deafness and hearing disorders
GOR Reference RF290 T93 1992    

Encyclopedia of language and linguistics
POR Reference P29 .E48 1994

Key concepts in language and linguistics
POR Reference P29 .T687 1999

The linguistics encyclopedia
POR Reference P29 .L52 2002    

Oxford handbook of deaf studies, language, and education 
POR Reference HV2380 .O88 2003      

Information on Specific Languages

Dictionary of Languages: the definitive reference to more than 400 languages
POR Ref P29 .D35 1998

The World’s Writing Systems
POR Ref P211 .W714 1996

Note: Dictionaries for specific languages can be located in URSUS by searching subject headings such as Russian Language - Dictionaries, Spanish Language - Dictionaries, etc.

For Additional Research

Linguistics : a guide to the reference literature
POR Ref Z7001 .D45 2000

Because of the interdisciplinary nature of Linguistics, several different databases may be useful for a given assignment. The following are some of the databases available at USM, with their strongest emphases noted.

Communication and Mass Media Complete
In addition to indexing more than a hundred linguistics-related journals, this database provides full text access to American Annals of the Deaf, Annual Review of Language Acquisition, Australian Journal of Linguistics, Cognitive Linguistics, Journal of Applied Linguistics, Journal of Psycholinguistic Research and several others.

ERIC
An education database, ERIC has strong coverage of topics such as bilingualism, language policy, and first and second language acquisition. Full text available for some ERIC documents (not journal articles).

IngentaConnect
A multi-subject index to the tables of contents of over 20,000 English language periodicals; can be useful for obscure topics because of its comprehensiveness.

MLA Bibliography
MLA Bibliography’s strengths include topics relating to grammar and syntax, discourse analysis, and comparative linguistics.

MEDLINE
Index to more than 3,600 journals covering all areas of clinical and experimental medicine. Recommended for topics related to speech disorders, audiology, and cognition.

PsycINFO
PsycInfo indexes and abstracts the literature in psychology and related disciplines.

Sociological Abstracts
Recommended for sociolinguistic topics such as gender, age, and class variations in language use.

These indexes and databases help you identify journal articles and other publications. Once you have found your citations, consult Finding Articles at USM for detailed instructions on locating full text articles online and in print journals.

Because there is no authority control for the Internet, it is important to evaluate sources critically. For helpful criteria, consult our Checklist for Evaluating Web Resources.

Ethnologue
"An encyclopedic reference work cataloging all of the world’s 6,912 known living languages".

Linguistlist
Hosted by Eastern Michigan University and maintained by linguistics professors and graduate students, the LINGUIST List is "dedicated to providing... the discipline of linguistics with the infrastructure necessary to function in the digital world".

National Association for the Deaf
An advocacy organization, NAD provides legal information and news from a deaf perspective.

The sources listed here provide assistance in following correct citation methods and avoiding plagiarism. In addition, USM has a site license for Endnote, a personal reference database program. The program enables users to maintain a database of references, download references from other databases, link to references in word-processed document, and generate a bibliography in the correct style . See Endnote Help for further information.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
(POR Reference BF76.7 .P83)
(GOR Reference BF76.7 .P83)
(LEW Reserve BF76.7 .P83)

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

A Writer's Reference
(POR Reference PE1408 .H2778)
(GOR Reference PE1408 .H2778)
Includes sections on composing and revising, design, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, writing, and documentation.

Online! A Reference Guide Using Internet Resources

Created by: Pat Prieto
Created on: 06.07.2005
Last Updated: 01.25.08