ENGL 501: Techniques of Literary Research
Dr. Debora B. Schwartz

Introduction to Kennedy Library Research Tools

 One purpose of this class is to learn to use some of the research tools accessible online through the Kennedy  Library to identify and obtain appropriate secondary sources (scholarly criticism) on your research topic.  Contrary to popular belief, reputable scholarly resources are NOT typically available for free over the Web to anyone.  They are found in expensive, subscription-only databases which take an increasingly large bite out of the Kennedy Library's Materials Acquisition budget each year -- so you owe it to yourselves to use them effectively!  To access restricted resources from off campus, you will be prompted to log in (using your PolyCard barcode, the 14-digit number beginning 20150 on the front of your PolyCard); or you can log in at MyPolycat each time you visit the Kennedy Library site.

Research tools available through the Kennedy Library can be used for two distinct functions: to identify resources on a given topic, and to provide access to these resources.  While many of the tools offer both functions to some degree, the single most powerful tool to identify sources on a literary research topic, the MLA bibliography, does not provide direct access to the items it indexes.  However, a new (and still imperfect) tool, SFX, provides direct links between MLA bibliography entries and some (but not all) of the Kennedy Library resources which may be used to access to the item in question.

The present page offers a brief overview of some of the most important Kennedy Library tools for literary research.  The research exercises accessible from the class calendar will guide you as you learn how to use specific research tools to identify and access secondary sources on a literary research topic.  Before beginning these exercises, you should be familiar with the various types of resource that are available, the research tools that can be used to identify and access them, and the various modes of access that can be used to obtain them.  Use the following links to navigate the information on this page:
 
 
5 Types of Sources:
-- Primary sources
-- Secondary sources including: How to locate: MLA bibliographic citation formats for:
4 Modes of Access to print and electronic resources:
  • Kennedy Library (for print, audio-visual, and special collections)
  • Electronic access (through Kennedy Library subscription databases). 
  • LINK+ (to obtain books from a consortium of lender libraries)
  • ILL (to obtain journal articles not available at Kennedy Library and books not available from LINK+)
A new (and imperfect) tool, SFX is a linking technology that attempts to check whether an item can be accessed at Cal Poly, providing links to PolyCat, to Interlibrary Loan order forms, and/or to full-text electronic versions in some (but not all) of Cal Poly's subscription databases. While it is not itself a mode of access, it can facilitate access to materials. Follow the link for a cautionary word about SFX's limitations.
Profiles of 5 Types of Research Tools Every English Student Should Know (and use to identify and/or access secondary sources on a given research topic): Follow links for cautionary notes on using Polysearch to search multiple databases and on using web search engines for literary research.

 

PRELIMINARIES I: TYPES OF SOURCES

A "primary" source refers to a novel, poem, short story, collection, play, essay etc. by the author who is the focus of your literary research.

A "secondary" source refers to a scholarly work (e.g. a book, journal article, essay, or review) about the primary work, author, genre, technique etc. that is the focus of your research.  The secondary sources you are most likely to use in a research paper include:

1) Single-author book: a book-length scholarly work by one author (or several co-authors) published in book  form (but not an edited collection of essays by multiple authors).  A citation for a book includes the author, title, city of publication, publisher and year of publication. The basic MLA bibliographic format for a book citation is:
Author last name, Author first name.  Title of Book.  City of publication: Publisher, year.

[The above model presents the simplest form for a book citation; consult your MLA Handbook for specific rules that apply in different situations.  Note that the MLA bibliographic format in this and all other examples on this page should be followed exactly; pay attention to which information should be included, the order in which elements should appear, the punctuation (or lack of punctuation) between them, which elements should be underlined (or italicized), which elements should be enclosed in quotation marks, and the final punctuation.]

To locate a single-author book for which you have a citation, first check Polycat using the author and title of the book as search terms.  If the book is not available in the Kennedy Library collections, use the same search terms to look for it in LINK+.  If the book is not available from either Polycat or LINK+, you can order it from ILL using an ILL BOOK Order form.
 

2) Journal article: a scholarly essay by one author (or several co-authors) published in a scholarly journal or review which appears periodically.  A citation for a journal article includes the author's name, the title of the article, the title of the journal, volume and issue numbers, year (or month and year), and inclusive page numbers on which the article appears. The basic MLA bibliographic format for a journal article citation is:

Author's last name, Author's first name.  "Title of Article." Title of Journal x.y (year of publication): inclusive page numbers.

[In the model above, x=volume number in arabic numerals, y=issue number in arabic numerals; they are separated by a period.  For page numbers, indicate 1st and last page numbers with a dash between them.]  Note 1:  The title of the journal is found in an MLA Bibliography entry under "source."  Note 2: The above model presents the simplest form for an article citation; consult your MLA Handbook for specific rules that apply in different situations.

To locate a journal article for which you have a citation, search for the title of the JOURNAL in which the article appears (not for the author's name or title of the article itself) using Polycat's Journal Title Search AND Serials Solutions (an index of all e-periodicals available in the Kennedy Library collections).  If the journal is available, check the listing to determinee whether the specific issue you need is in the Kennedy Library collections; both Polycat and Serials Solutions will indicate the volumes/years covered, as well as the format (bound in the stacks, on microfiche, or electronic in a subscription database), provide a call number allowing you to locate the journal in the stacks or on microfiche, or indicate the specific subscription database(s) in which an electronic version of the periodical is found. Another tool under development (and not yet fully reliable) is Citation Linker, an SFX service which searches for full-text electronic access to a given article in some (but not all) Kennedy Library Subscription Databases.  If an article is not available in the Kennedy Library collections in print or electronic form, you can order it from ILL using an ILL Article Order form.
 

3) Essay in an edited collection: a scholarly essay by one author (or several co-authors) from an edited collection of essays published in a book rather than in a periodical.  A citation for an essay in an edited collection includes the author's name, the title of the article, the title of the book in which it appears, the editor(s) of the book in which it appears, complete publication information for the book in which it appears (city, publisher and year of publication), and inclusive page numbers on which the essay appears. The basic MLA bibliographic format for an essay in an edited collection combines the formats for a book and for a journal article:

Author's last name, Author's first name.  "Title of Essay." Title of Book.  Ed. Editor's full name (not in inverted order).  City of publication: publisher, year. inclusive page numbers.

[For page numbers, indicate 1st and last page numbers with a dash between them.] Note 1:  An essay in an edited collection is called a "book article" in the MLA Bibliography; the BOOK TITLE is found in an MLA Bibliography entry under "source." Note 2: The above model presents the simplest form for citing an essay in an edited collection; consult your MLA Handbook for specific rules that apply in different situations.

To locate an essay in an edited collection for which you have a citation, search Polycat by title for the title of the BOOK in which the essay appears (not for the title of the essay itself; the BOOK TITLE is found in an MLA Bibliography entry under "source"); or, do an "author" search in Polycat for the EDITOR of the book in which the essay appears (not for the author of the essay itself).  If the book is not available in Polycat, search LINK+ using the same search terms you used in Polycat.  If the book is also not available from LINK+, you can order it from ILL using an ILL BOOK Order form; under "author," be sure to put the name of the EDITOR of the BOOK IN WHICH THE ESSAY APPEARS (not the author of the essay itself); under "title," be sure to provide the title of the BOOK IN WHICH THE ESSAY APPEARS (not the title of the essay itself).
 

4) A review: a critical assessment of a literary work or works, film, performance etc., published in a periodical.  A citation for a review includes the author and title of the review (if applicable), the author (or editor/translator/director etc., as applicable) and title of the subject of the review, and publication information on the periodical in which the review was published.  See the MLA Handbook for specifics. The basic MLA bibliographic format for a review of a single book is:

Reviewer's last name, Reviewer's first name.  "Title of Review (if applicable)." Rev. of Title of Book Being Reviewed, by Author of Book Being Reviewed.  Periodical Title date of periodical: inclusive page numbers.

[The date of publication immediately follows the underlined periodical title without any intervening punctuation.  For the date, use the order "day month year" followed by a colon and inclusive page numbers comprising the 1st and last page numbers with a dash between them.] Note: see the MLA Handbook for format to use for reviews of more than one work or of a performance, translation, edition, etc.

To locate a book review for which you have a citation, follow the guidelines above for locating an article in a periodical.

5) Please note that the citation guidelines above cover only the simplest form of the four most common categories of secondary source and apply only to print versions of those sources  (not to electronically accessed versions).  For electronically accessed journal articles and e-books, see below; for variations upon these categories and for other types of secondary source (e.g. editions, translations, multivolume works, reprints, websites, etc.), consult your MLA Handbook.


PRELIMINARIES II: MODES OF ACCESS:

There are four ways to access an item for which you have a bibliographic citation:


PROFILES OF THE FIVE BEST RESEARCH TOOLS for Savvy Students of English:

1)Polycat

What it is: a catalogue listing all materials available in the Kennedy Library collections, including both print and electronic resources accessible through one of the library's subscription databases.  Searchable by keyword, author, title, subject, author/title, call number, or journal title.

What it contains:

When and why to use it: Strengths:
  • allows you to connect directly to LINK+ to continue a search for a book that is not available from the Kennedy Library Collections.
  • allows you to connect directly to ILL to place an order for an article from a periodical that is not available at the Kennedy library (in hard copy or electronic form) or for a book that is not available at the Kennedy Library or through LINK+.
  • allows you to virtually "browse" the stacks starting from a Polycat Call Number listing to determine what items are shelved together in the Kennedy Library Collections, even if these items are currently misshelved or checked out to another borrower.
  • allows you to put a hold on an item that is currently checked out to another borrower.
  • Limitations:


    2) LINK+

    What it is: a union catalogue of the combined holdings of 40+ participating academic and public libraries in California and Nevada, searchable by author, title, keyword or subject.  Patrons from member libraries electronically request an item not available in their own library which is delivered for checkout from their home institution at no charge to the individual patron (although at some cost to the library).  Books may be borrowed for a period of 21 days with one renewal.  Patrons may request no more than 15 LINK+ items at one time.  Items typically arrive in 2-4 days and will be held for pick-up at the circulation desk for up to 10 days.  LINK+ may be accessed directly at <csul.iii.com> or linked to from Polycat.

    What can be borrowed:  books which are not available in the Kennedy Library collections (or which are missing from the collections) and which are listed as "available" in the union catalogue.  LINK+ cannot be used to borrow journals, journal articles, software, audio/video materials, and certain rare books.

    When to use it:

    Strengths:
  • you can connect directly from Polycat to LINK+ to continue a search for a book that is not found in Polycat.
  • offers quick access to a far greater number of books than are available in the Kennedy Library collections.
  • faster, cheaper (to the library), and generally more reliable than ILL.  Requested books usually arrive within 2-4 days and will be held at the circulation desk for up to 10 days.
  • Limitations: Tip: LINK+ can be fruitfully used in conjunction with the MLA Bibliography to locate essays in edited book collections that are not available at Cal Poly. In the MLA Bibliography, limit your search by document type to "book article" (the term used to designate an essay in an edited collection as opposed to an article in a journal or periodical).  In the document record, note the title, editor and bibliographic information for the book listed as the "source," i.e. the book in which the essay appears; "source" information immediately follows the author and title of the "book article" (essay) itself.  Go to Polycat and do a "title" search for the BOOK LISTED AS THE SOURCE of the essay (NOT for the title of the individual essay); or, do an "author" search for the EDITOR OF THE BOOK LISTED AS THE SOURCE of the essay (NOT for the author of the individual essay).  If the book is not listed in Polycat, click on the "Search LINK+" tab at the top of the screen.
     

    3) The MLA Bibliography

    What it is: the single most powerful tool to identify published works on a literary research topic.  The most comprehensive literary and language database available, it provides citations only (not direct access) for a broad range of secondary sources and some primary sources (e.g. scholarly editions of primary texts).

    When to use it:

    Strengths: Limitations: TIP: because of the imperfect interface between SFX and some subscription databases, when looking for a journal article listed in the MLA Bibliography, it is prudent to check for the journal by JOURNAL TITLE (not by the title of the article) both in Polycat AND in Serials Solutions (an index of all periodicals available electronically in the Kennedy Library collections). You can also try Citation Linker (another SFX resource) to look for full-text versions of an article available electronically (but keep in mind that SFX doesn't search all of Cal Poly's full-text databases).
     
     

    4) Subscription Databases offering full-text journal access

    What's available: among the many databases to which Kennedy Library subscribes, there are four which offer full-text, electronic access to a significant number of scholarly journals in the fields of language and literature.  They are:

    When to use them: Strengths: Limitations: TIP 1: Polysearch is a new research tool which searches multiple full-text databases simultaneously.  While Polysearch can be a time-saver, it should be used with care for the following reasons: TIP 2: if you have a citation for a journal article, you can try Citation Linker (another SFX resource) to check whether a full-text version is available from three of the four databases.  However, the same limitations apply as for other SFX resources:  since SFX does not interface with all Cal Poly subscription databases, full text of a journal article may in fact be available electronically (e.g. through JSTOR), even though clicking on the SFX "FIND IT" tab produces the message "No online Full-Text available via SFX!"

    TIP 3: Be sure that you cite a journal article accessed electronically through a subscription database correctly.  1) Provide a complete citation as you would for the print version of the journal article.  (FULL pagination for the article may not be included in the initial entry describing the article, but it may appear in the text of the essay itself). Hint: if there is a choice, access the article in a .pdf file (which is essentially a photocopy of the print journal) rather than in .html format to ensure accurate pagination.  For an HTML version that does not provide inclusive pagination, you may be able to find the original print-version pagination in the MLA Bibliography. 2) At the end of the complete journal article citation, add: the name of the subscription database (underlined and followed by a period).  The library through which the subscription database was accessed (followed by a period).  The date of access followed immediately by the URL of the subscription database (not of the article itself) in triangular brackets and immediately followed by a period.  Thus, to the basic bibliographic entry for a journal article accessed through Project Muse, you would add the following:

    Project Muse. The Robert E. Kennedy Library, California Polytechnic State University. Date of access <http://muse.jhu.edu/>.
    (Alternatively, you can use the "stable URL" for the article itself -- but if it's excessively long, the URL of the database is preferable.)

    For fuller details, consult your MLA Handbook (in the 5th ed., see sections 4.9.4 and 4.9.7; in the 6th ed., see sections 5.9.4 and 5.9.7).
     
     

    5) Netlibrary

    What it is: a searchable subscription database offering access to e-books in the Kennedy Library Collections.  Also includes a number of e-books that are in the public domain.  E-books available through Netlibrary are included in Polycat records along with any print versions available. About half the collection consists of single-user titles, while the other half is licensed for 4 simultaneous users. If you access a title that is already in use, a message will appear to ask you to try the request later.

    When to use it:

    Strengths: Limitations: TIP: Be sure to cite an eBook accessed through NetLibrary correctly.  1) Provide a complete citation as you would for the print version of a single-author book (or, as appropriate, an essay in an edited collection).  2) After the complete book or essay citation, add: the name of the subscription database (underlined and followed by a period).  The library through which the subscription database was accessed (followed by a period).  The date of accessfollowed immediately by the URL of NetLibrary in triangular brackets and a period.  Thus, to the basic bibliographic entry for a book or essay in an edited collection, you would add the following information:
    NetLibrary. The Robert E. Kennedy Library, California Polytechnic State University. Date of access <http://www.netLibrary.com/index.asp>.
    A final word: Students of English literature should be aware that searching the Web with a standard search engine (such as Google, Lycos, etc.) will NOT typically turn up resources appropriate for citation in an academic research paper.  With the exception of genuine scholarly work made available on a reputable scholarly website  by a recognized, academic author (e.g. unpublished conference papers, previously published essays, book chapters or journal articles), material found online is HIGHLY UNLIKELY to be suitable for citation in your research paper.  If you DO choose to look for other resources on the web, be sure to consult Finding and Evaluating Websites for tips on how to evaluate the scholarly validity of a website or resource found online.  One sign of a reputable scholarly source MAY be a URL (web address) ending with ".edu"; but keep in mind that such web-sites may also be student-authored work (posted on his or her own or a professor's website) which is not typically suitable for citation in a research paper.
     

    Contents of this and linked pages residing on this site Copyright Debora B. Schwartz, 2004