COURSE RESEARCH GUIDES

Shakespeare (ENGL 265)

Books | Journal Articles | Critical Thinking | Citing Sources

A Step-by-Step Guide

1.) Ariadne

• Search by Keyword (use Boolean Logic)
• Find and Use Subject Headings
• Browse the shelves by Call Number

2.) MeLCat

• Search by Keyword
• Find and Use Subject Headings
• Browse the shelves by Call Number
• 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 Interlibrary Loan when item is not available through Ariadne or MeLCat

See the English Research Guide on Finding Books.

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:

• Comedy -- History and criticism
• English drama -- Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500-1600
• English drama -- 17th century -- History and criticism
• Ethnic groups in literature
• Ethnicity in literature
• Race in literature
• Gender identity in literature
• Literature and society -- England -- History -- 16th century
• Sex role in literature
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Criticism and interpretation
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Characters -- Women
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Comedies
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Political and social views
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Twelfth night

Background Sources

• Oxford companion to Shakespeare (Ref. PR2892 .O94 2001)
• Oxford English Dictionary Online < about >
• Shakespeare the Playwright : A Companion to the Complete Tragedies, Histories, Comedies, and Romances (Ref. PR 2976 .C27 1991)
• Shakespeare A to Z : the essential reference to his plays, his poems, his life and times, and more (Ref. PR2892 .B69 1990)
• A New and Complete Concordance or Verbal Index to Words, Phrases, & Passages in the Dramatic Works of Shakespeare (Ref. PR 2892 .B284)

FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES

See Finding Journal Articles and the English Research Guide.

A Step-by-Step Guide

1.) Look for citations and articles

• Gather citations with Indexes and Databases
  • Indexes and databases in English
  • Alphabetically by index or database name
• Find citations in books and articles with Bibliographies
• Search for articles in Full Text Databases

2.) Locate the journal when you have a citation

• Seach Ariadne for the journal title
• Search the Online Journals at K for the journal title
• Search WestCat for the journal title
• Interlibrary Loan

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"
  • Or - Search Ariadne for a specific journal - enter the journal title into the Ariadne Title Search
• 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?

• Periodical titles in FirstSearch indexes and databases
• Ulrich's Periodicals Directory < about >

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.

Print and Online Indexes

Print and online 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.

MLA International Bibliography < about >
Some relevant journals in MLA:

Shakespeare Bulletin	Shakespeare Survey
Shakespeare Newsletter	Shakespeare Yearbook
Shakespeare on Film Newsletter	Renaissance Drama
Shakespeare Quarterly	Renaissance Quarterly
Shakespeare Review	Renaissance Studies
Shakespeare Studies	Theater History Studies

Humanities Abstracts < about >
Some relevant journals in Humanities Abstracts:

Shakespeare Quarterly	Theatre History Studies
Shakespeare Survey	Theatre Research International
Shakespeare Studies	Theatre Survey
Renaissance Quarterly	Literature Film Quarterly

Arts and Humanities Search < about >
Some relevant journals in Arts and Humanities Search:

Shakespeare Quarterly	Theater History Studies
Shakespeare Survey	Literature - Film Quarterly
Renaissance Quarterly	Journal of Film and Video
Renaissance Drama

Historical Abstracts < about >
Some relevant journals in Historical Abstracts:

Renaissance and Modern Studies	Theatre History Studies
Renaissance and Reformation	Theatre Research International
Renaissance Quarterly	Theatre Survey
Renaissance Studies	Literature and History

Full-Text Online Resources

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

• Online Journals at K

Databases:

JSTOR < about >
Some relevant journals in JSTOR:
ELH (1934-1994)
Modern Language Notes (1886-1961)
MLN (1962-1994)
PMLA (1889-1990)
Renaissance Quarterly (1967-1999)
Shakespeare Quarterly (1950-2000)
Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 (1961-1998)
Studies in the Renaissance (1954-1974)

Project MUSE < about >
Some relevant journals in Project MUSE:
ELH (1993-current)
Shakespeare Quarterly (2001-current)
SEL: Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 (1999-current)

Proquest < about >

General Reference Center Gold < about >

Wilson Select Full Text < about > <off campus access >

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 Preiodicals Directory Online < about > <off campus access >
or
Ulrich's Periodicals Directory (Ref. Z 6941 .U5)
It MUST say "Academic," "Scholarly," or "Refereed" to be considered scholarly!

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:

• Baloney Detection Part 1 and Part 2
  A 10 step guide by Michael Shermer in the journal Scientific American.
• A Field Guide to Critical Thinking
  An article by James Lett, in Skeptical Inquirer (Volume 14, No. 2, Winter 1990)
• Critical Thinking by Tim van Gelder
  A directory of Web resources on critical thinking across disciplines and formats (not just for the Web).
• Gullibility Test
  From the Museum of Hoaxes. See also the Urban Legends Reference Pages.

Web Site Evaluation:

• Guides for Evaluating Web Sites:
  
  • Evaluating Web Resources
    Widener University Library
  • Evaluating Information Found on the Internet
    Johns Hopkins University Library
  • The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, or Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Resources
    New Mexico State University Library
  • Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources
    UCLA College Library
• Helpful Resources:
  • WHOIS services from NetSol.com, Internic.com, or Register.com
    Use WHOIS to find out who registered a domain name, their contact information, etc.

Shakespeare Web Sites:

• Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet
  This site attempts to be a complete annotated guide to the scholarly Shakespeare resources available on Internet and to present new Shakespeare material unavailable elsewhere on the Internet. The "Other" Sites page is a definite exception to the term "scholarly." Maintained by Terry A. Gray at Palomar College.
• The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
  Offers the full text of Shakespeare's works online.
• Plays of William Shakespeare
  A product of the "Electronic Literature Foundation" (ELF), this page offers the texts of Shakespeare's plays, a chronology, and a list of all characters.
• Literary Criticism Online (Internet Public Library)
  Includes literary criticism for international authors of various time periods. Includes a section specifically on William Shakespeare.

CITING YOUR SOURCES

See: How to Cite Sources

Examples of Citations in MLA Format:

Book citation:

Orgel, Stephen. Impersonations: The Performance of Gender in Shakespeare's England. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1996.

Journal Citation:

Gilman, T. "Why Seems It So Particular with Thee? Hamlet Among the Revisionists." Hamlet Studies: An International Journal of Research on The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke 17.1-2 (1995): 78-93.

Chapter in a Book:

Cohen, Walter. "The Merchant of Venice and the Possibilities of Historical Criticism." The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare. Ed. Martin Coyle. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998. 251-300.

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

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

See Plagiarism: What it Is and How to Recognize and Avoid It
(Produced by Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University)

When in doubt, ask your instructor!