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Kalamazoo College Upjohn Library

COURSE RESEARCH GUIDES

Feature Writing: Narrative Journalism (ENGL 205)

Books | Journal Articles | Critical Thinking | Citing Sources

FINDING BOOKS

A Step-by-Step Guide

1.) Ariadne
  • Search by Keyword (use Boolean Logic)
  • Find and Use Subject Headings
2.) MeLCat
  • Search by Keyword
  • Find and Use Subject Headings
  • About MeLCat
3.) Western Michigan University's WestCat
  • Search by Keyword
  • Find and Use Subject Headings
  • Browse the shelves by Call Number
  • How to get to Western
4.) WorldCat and 5.) Interlibrary Loan
  • Search by Keyword
  • Find and Use Subject Headings
  • Order item through ILL - Interlibrary Loan

See the English Research Guide on Finding Books.

Using Subject Headings

Search by Keyword and look for Subject Headings in individual records.
To modify a search:

  • Use words from the Subject Heading in a Keyword search
  • Click on the Subject Heading itself

Examples of Subject Headings:

Background Sources

  • Datapedia of the United States, 1790-2005 : America year by year (Ref. HA 202 .K87 2001)
  • Encyclopedia of Communication and Information (Ref. P87.5 .E53 2002)
  • Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media (Ref. Z 6951 .A97 v.1-5)
  • Information please almanac (Ref. A Y64 .I55)
  • Polk's Kalamazoo City Directory (Ref. F 574.K1 A18). Older issues at Kalamazoo Public Library.
  • Webster's New World dictionary of media and communications (Ref. P 87.5 .W45 1996)
  • Who's Who (Ref. DA 28 .W62) NOTE: These are mostly living British people.
  • Who's Who in Africa South of the Sahara (Ref. DT 351 .A37)
  • Who's Who in America (Ref. E 663 .W62)
  • Who's Who in the Middle East and North Africa (Ref. DS 49 .M5)
  • Who's Who in the Midwest (Ref. E 747 .W63)
  • Who's Who in the World (Ref. CT 120 .W5)
  • Who's Who of American Women (Ref. CT 3260 .W5)
  • World almanac and book of facts (Ref. A Y67 .W893)
Don't forget to use bibliographies contained in reference books, annotated bibliographies, circulating books, and journal articles!

FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES

See Finding Journal Articles and the English Research Guide.

A Step-by-Step Guide

1.) Look for citations and articles

2.) Locate the journal when you have a citation

What Journals does the Library Own?

  • In paper - Check Ariadne - search on your discipline or subject area, and in Step 2, limit the location to "Periodicals"
  • Online - Check Online Journals at K - to find out what online journals the Library subscribes to

Which index includes the journal I'm looking for?

Sources for Citations and Articles

Use the indexes below, or see the English Research Guide: Indexes and Databases to help select an index or database. To use these resources from off campus, see Off-Campus Access to Licensed Resources. For newspaper information, see also our Newspapers guide.

Online Indexes

Indexes will lead you to article citations that include author, article title, journal title, volume number, publication date, and page number information about the article. Citations do not include the entire article. You must locate the journal once you have a citation.

Kalamazoo Gazette Index Online Index
Available through the Kalamazoo Public Library.
In the Kalamazoo Public Library Catalog, click on "Local Information," then click on "Local Newspaper." You will be searching the Kalamazoo Gazette Index.
Coverage: 1972 - present (often a few months behind).

Alternative Press Index < about >

Historical Abstracts < about >

Newspaper Abstracts < about >

PAIS International < about >

Full-Text Online Resources

Full text online resources include citation information as well as the article itself.

Databases:

LexisNexis Academic Universe < about >
Includes selected full text of the New York Times from June 1, 1980 - present
Searching in LexisNexis:
> Use the "Guided Search" form
> Search by source
> Headline VS full text
> Boolean searching [about Boolean logic]
> Proximity operators (Jennifer w/2 Granholm)
> Use the Help feature for more advanced search techniques

New York Times 1851-2001 (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) < about >

Proquest < about >

Infotrac General Reference Center Gold < about >

Expanded Academic ASAP < about >

Infotrac Custom Newspapers < about >

Wilson Select Full Text < about >

Types of Periodicals

Periodicals are publications that are issued "periodically" - that is, at regular time intervals, such as weekly, monthly, or quarterly. They can be magazines, journals, or newspapers. Periodicals can be divided into two broad categories: scholarly journals, and news or popular magazines. These two types of publications serve different purposes and different audiences.

Scholarly Journals (Shakespeare Quarterly)

  • Authors are scholars or researchers in their fields.
  • Authors cite their sources in footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographies.
  • Individual issues have little or no advertising.
  • Articles must go through a peer-review process.
  • Articles usually report original scholarly research.
  • Most illustrations are charts, figures, or graphs.
  • Authors use the specialized language or jargon of the discipline.

Popular Magazines (Smithsonian)

  • Authors are freelance writers or magazine staff members.
  • Authors may mention sources, but rarely cite them in notes or bibliographies.
  • Individual issues contain many advertisements.
  • There is no peer review process. Articles are reviewed by editors or publishers.
  • Illustrations are numerous and colorful.
  • Articles are meant to inform and entertain an educated audience.
  • Language is written for the general adult audience (no specialized jargon).

Scholarly or not?

Use Ulrich's Periodicals Directory (Ref. Z 6941 .U5)
It MUST say "Academic," "Scholarly," or "Refereed" to be considered scholarly!

Don't forget to use bibliographies contained in reference books, annotated bibliographies, circulating books, and journal articles!

CRITICAL THINKING

When evaluating sources, pay attention to:

1. Accuracy
How reliable is the information? Are there editors and fact checkers?
2. Authority
What are the author's qualifications? Is the publisher reputable?
3. Objectivity
Is the author trying to sway opinion? Is the information free from bias?
4. Currency
Is the publication date indicated? Is the source up to date?
5. Coverage
Does the site cover the topic comprehensively, or are there information gaps?

Guides for Critical Thinking:

Guides for Evaluating Web Sites:

Web Sites to Compare:

Resource Web Sites:

Local Websites

Finding Facts

  • Acronym Finder
    Look up acronyms/abbreviations and their definitions
  • CIA World Factbook
    Country profiles, maps, and statistics worldwide
  • FACSNET
    A search engine by topic for journalists that contains resources "designed to help journalists find information they need and to understand the subjects upon which they report."
  • FirstGov.gov
    "Official Web portal" of U.S. government Websites.
  • JournalismNet
    Includes resources to find people and information as well as the latest news.
  • Journalistic Resources Page
    Includes "resources designed to serve scholars, journalists and other professionals to access information on the Internet" as well as links to schools of journalism and journalism organizations.
  • SearchGov.com
    A search engine that focuses on government Web sites, including federal and state governments, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.

Finding People

  • Experts.com
    Find an expert in a particular field or location.
  • Expertclick.com
    Free searchable database of experts in the United States.
  • Harvard Research
    Find experts at Harvard University.
  • Journalism.Net Experts
    List of Websites for finding experts from Journalism.net.
  • ProfNet
    "ProfNet (Professors Network) is dedicated to linking reporters quickly and conveniently with expert sources." Requires free registration. You will be contacted with information.
  • See also the Who's Who books in the Reference section. Some have indexes by occupation, geography,etc., and include biographical and contact information. [Ariadne search: Title = Who's Who]

Newspaper Headlines

  • Newseum
    The Interactive Museum of News. Includes 217 front pages from 28 countries, Daily.
  • Newslink
    This site provides links to newspapers from around the world.
  • Pandia Newsfinder
    A searchable database of daily world headlines.

CITING YOUR SOURCES

The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law
Edited by Norm Goldstein. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing, 2004.
WMU: PN 4783 .A83 (regular stacks and Reference)

Guide to Associated Press Style
By Dr. Michael S. Sweeney of Utah State University. Includes rules for usage, punctuation, and spelling.

Quick AP Style Reference
By Prof. Griff Singer of the University of Texas at Austin Department of Journalism. Includes sections on abbreviation, capitalization, titles, and numbers.

ALWAYS check the style manual!! DO NOT rely on other guides!

See: How to Cite Sources

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism: copying or stealing another’s work or ideas.

To avoid plagiarism, you must cite:

  • spoken and written quotations
  • ideas and opinions
  • facts that are not general knowledge
  • paraphrases of all of the above

Turnitin.com: Preventing Plagiarism
A section of Turnitin.com's Website dedicated to educating students about plagiarism.

Plagiarism: What it Is and How to Recognize and Avoid It
A site produced by Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University, that gives examples of acceptable and unacceptable paraphrases.

When in doubt, ask your instructor!