English 701 Questions You’ve Asked!

Getting Full Text How do you get full access to certain articles? What if I find a perfect source but can’t access it?

Getting Full Text First, check to see whether the library holds the book or journal in which this article was published. If it’s a journal, see if we have the right year. – If so, you can access them through the catalog/e- journals. If not, use ILL (exception: Books in CUNY can be obtained through the catalog) FindIt links you through, saving you some work.

Full Text Example Benjamin Kahan, "'The Viper's Traffic-Knot': Celibacy and Queerness in the 'Late' Marianne Moore," GLQ 14 (2008): 509–35

Selecting Databases Which databases would you use for women’s studies and literature? Which databases provide historical data to use with literary scholarship? Are there cultural studies databases?

Selecting Databases Women’s Studies and Cultural Studies are very interdisciplinary. You may need to search databases covering history, literature, etc. Multidisciplinary databases can also be helpful. Look at what kinds of sources are referenced in the sources you like. Branching out to other fields is a perfect time to follow the references

Narrowing Searches How do I search for texts in one area among possibly numerous articles? How can I narrow a search so I don’t have to sift through dozens of loosely related articles? Sometimes Boolean terms narrow a search too much.

Narrowing Searches This depends on what kind of search you are doing, and which resources (databases/catalog) you are using. Databases like MLA and Humanities Source allow more narrowing than JSTOR or Project Muse Examine the best sources you see to figure out what the best search terms are If adding a term makes your search too narrow, consider using OR searches to add synonyms

More Search Strategies How do I find articles and materials not directly related to my topic but which could support it? How can I research poetry in different languages in just one search?

More Search Strategies Thinking about contexts/ theories Using limiters (this doesn’t always work)

Using Books If I find a book on a shelf, can I assume the books near it will be useful? Is the index in the back of the book the best way to research a topic? How is an index a good source for research?

Using Books The LC Call Numbers attempt to order things by subject. Looking at the books nearby is always a good idea! However, in some cases, books on a subject may be found in several different call ranges. The index in the back of a book tells you what’s in that particular book, and where. So it’s very useful for identifying which books you actually want to read, but to find more, you’ll have to check the catalog or the bibliographies.

Other How do you go about doing archival research? Are there any tricks to make my research easier?

Other Archival research is an entire field! We do provide access to several newspaper and document collections through the database. We also have an Archives and Special Collections department—check out their website, and make an appointment if there is anything you want to see. Know what you want, look in the right place, and don’t be afraid to ask a librarian!