Modern Languages & Literature
Research Basics
These tips should be used together with
the individual pages for:
Chinese, French,
German, Italian,
Japanese, Korean, Russian and Spanish
Research Basics includes: Getting Started | Finding Books | Finding Articles | Interlibrary Loan | Web Tips | Copyright
Getting Started
More Is Not Better
If you have a writing project, whether it's a 10-page paper or a 200-page thesis, try to avoid the "shotgun" approach to research. A person using this approach immediately searches the library catalog and journal databases to turn up every possible book and/or article the topic -- and is usually overwhelmed by the sheer amount of material he/she finds.
Start Small
Use introductory materials, such as encyclopedias or handbooks, which provide overviews. They often include short bibliographies, upon which you can begin to build your own list of works to consult.
Each of the language-specific pages listed above contains lists of relevant short-answer resources.
If you can find one good, focused book on your topic, you can (a) use its bibliography or the footnotes to lead you to other material and; (b) search the catalog or journal indexes for other books or articles by the same author. Often, the material your instructor has placed on Reserve is a good place to start.
Finding Books
In the Binghamton University Libraries:
Use the Libraries' online catalog, InfoLINK, to locate other books on your topic. You can access it from the Libraries' home page. The catalog also lists the journals we subscribe to, both print and electronic, but does not provide article-level access.
In the online catalog, clicking HELP at the top of the screen will give you tips on searching. Of particular importance is the difference between basic searching, keyword searching, subject searching, and advanced keyword searching.
basic searching -- allows
you to browse by author, title or subject. The
system will search only the field you have chosen.
subject searching -- requires you to use Library
of Congress Subject Headings. The system will search only the subject
headings
keyword searching -- allows you to put in any word.
The system will search for this word anywhere in the cataloging
record, and so, keyword searching is very imprecise. However it can
be used to retrieve records in order to see the assigned subject
headings, which you can then use to do a much more targeted search.
advanced keyword searching -- allows you to make
your keyword search much more precise. Of special interest is the
ability to limit a search by format and by language.
Another version of the catalog's
HELP material is available as a printable pdf file.
From the Libraries' home page, click on "How
Do I. . .?" and then on "Research Guides" and then on "Library Catalog."
In other Libraries
BU is a relatively "young" university, and our book collections are still growing. While our collections in modern languages and literatures can support fairly high level research, a researcher may need to consult other libraries. From the BU Libraries' home page, you can link to other libraries, including the national libraries of many countries. However, library online catalogs may all be very different in how they search. However, most have online help screens.
Finding Articles
Using Databases
A number of electronic databases, sponsored by the Libraries, can be used to locate critical articles and essays. From the Libraries' home page, click on "Subject Resources" and then on "Romance Languages". IMPORTANT: For any database, please take time to read the "Help" material for tips on searching and other useful information. Also note any buttons which allow you to print and/or e-mail material to yourself.
NOTE #1: These databases are licensed and their use is restricted to the BU community. If you are connecting to campus through an internet service provided like Road Runner or AOL, you will need to take an extra step to access these databases. From the Libraries' home page, click on "Technical problems?" (under HELP) and then on Accessing BU Only Resources -- and follow the directions.
NOTE #2: Many of our databases are linked
by Get it@BU software,
that allows us to link from databases that are citation-only to databases
that are full-text.
Get it@BU also provides direct links to the ILLIAD interlibrary loan system.
Using Print Resources
Remember, most databases are relatively "modern" creations, and their coverage rarely extends to periods before the 1980's. For thorough research, you should also consult the printed bibliographies relevant to your field.
Web Tips
The Internet is a massive collection of sites that vary greatly in quality. Try to approach web resources with a critical mind to make sure the information it contains is accurate. The Libraries have developed some useful guidelines for evaluating internet resources. Issues of authority and currency are of primary importance. That is, who is responsible for the site? Is someone claiming authorship and what credentials does this person have? Is the site updated regularly? When was ther last update? And so on.
To get to the internet, use your browser or one of the search engines accessible from the Libraries' home page. These allow a user to search the entire body of www resources, basically using a keyword approach. All such search engines have "Help" features which provide directions for searching.
Direct access to a site is possible if you know the address or url of a web resource. Click the "Location" box or "Open" button of your browser. Web addresses contain information that may be useful in evaluating a site:
-Note the "domain" embedded in the url, i.e.: .com = a commercial site; .edu = an educational site; .org = site of a nonprofit organization
-Note country of origin in the url, i.e.: fr = France; us = US; ca = Canada; uk = United Kingdom; de = Germany; es = Spain
Finally, if you find a good page, follow its links. For example, the page of a department of modern languages, especially from a highly rated university, would be a good starting point.
Interlibrary Loan
Occasionally, you may need material that BU
does not own. Books, and article as well, can be obtained via Interlibrary
Loan. The BU Libraries' Interlibrary Loan Service, called ILLIAD,
is now fully automated and requires a simple registration process. A
full description of our interlibrary loan service is also available on
the ILLIAD page.
Copyright, Plagiarism & Citing Sources
It's the Law
"Copyright" does not mean that you have the right to copy anything you find. When you use material that you have found, including material from web sites, whether it is someone else's exact words or just their ideas, you must credit, or cite, the source. Failure to do is plagiarism, even a violation of copyright, and may result in charges of academic dishonesty.
The Libraries have a page that outlines issues of copyright and plagiarism, and includes a link to Harpur College's Academic Honesty Policy.
Citing Sources
When you cite your sources, whether they are books, journal articles, a web site, speeches, television transcripts, etc., you will be expected to use a specific format with regard to order and punctuation. There are a number of style manuals, but most literary papers will tend to follow the Modern Language Association's recommended style.
A copy of the MLA handbook for writers of research papers is kept at the Reference Desk. An electronic version is available on the web from Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL).
Most style manuals now include guidelines for citing electronic/internet resources. You can also check out some basic styles on the Libraries' homepage. Click on "How Do I. . .?" (under HELP) and then on Cite Sources.