Guides: ENG 211: Introduction to Language & Literature: Continue Scholarly Conversation

What is Scholarly Conversation?

Any time you do research, you are joining a scholarly conversation. Scholarly conversation is the existing publications, conferences, online discussions, and more surrounding a particular topic. Most often when we talk about scholarly conversation, it refers to published material such as books, essay collections, or journal articles. For whatever research topic you choose to write about, there is already a scholarly conversation going on about that topic. Your job as the researcher is to enter into that conversation by doing research to find out what the scholars are saying. This will involve searching the NOBLE Catalog and Library Databases for books and articles. Then, you will lend your own voice to the conversation by crafting your own argument about the text.

Finding Books

NOBLE Catalog Search
Search the Jenks Library catalog for books, eBooks, audiobooks, scores, etc.

LC Classification Guide
Books on language and literature are located on Stacks 4 and 5 of the Library. Use the chart below to view where books on specific types of literature will be located.

Stack 4

PE - English Language
PN - Literature History & Collection
PQ - French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese literature
PR - English Literature

Stack 5

PS - American Literature
PT - German Literature

Interlibrary Loan: Article & Book Request
Can't find the article or book you're looking for at Gordon? Fill out the Interlibrary Loan request form and we'll track the article or book down for you!

Finding Scholarly Articles

Jenks Library has a number of library databases available to help you find scholarly journal articles related to your topic. When searching in databases, especially language and literature subject database like the ones listed below, often two good keywords to start with are the author's name and the title of the text you are studying.

MLA International Bibliography with Full Text This link opens in a new window
The MLA International Bibliography is the essential database for locating scholarly and critical studies of literature around the world and across time periods. It covers fields such as folklore and mythology, linguistics, theory, film and pop culture, and more.

Browse Journal Finder
Find individual journals and search within specific publications.

Use What You Have

As you start to gather secondary source material on your topic, use that information to help locate more sources that may be relevant to your argument. Bibliographies and Works Cited pages can tell you a lot about the existing scholarly conversation surrounding the particular author and text you are studying.

When looking at the sources authors' used to help craft their argument pay attention to two things:

What perspective is this source bringing to the interpretation of the text? Does the author use a mixture of literary criticism, theory, historical context information, etc. to build his/her argument? What other sources might you incorporate into your research to help craft your argument?
Are there a few sources that were cited multiple times by different authors? If yes, that is probably a source that you'll want to track down and at least skim through to see if it is relevant for your topic!

Google Scholar is a great resource for citation tracking, or seeing what other resources (articles or books) have cited a particular scholarly source. If you're curious, type the name of a journal article into Google Scholar and then look for the "Cited by" or "Related articles" link below the brief description to connect you to sources that either cited this article in their own work or are related.

Other Databases

In addition to the above subject specific databases, the multi-disciplinary databases listed below also contains scholarly articles on topics in language and literature.

JSTOR This link opens in a new window
A collection of core scholarly journals, many going back to the first volume. Emphasis is on back issue coverage and does not include the current 3-5 years, unless Gordon has a current subscription to the journal. JSTOR provides long term preservation for journals.

Criticism Collections You Should Know

Cambridge Companions
Cambridge Companions are often published for specific authors (such as Shakespeare, John Keats, and Jane Austen) or literary periods or movements. They contain collections of essays written for the student researcher. They provide a systematic critical account of the author, topic, or period.

Find Cambridge Companions within Jenks Library by doing a series search for "Cambridge Companions to literature" in the NOBLE Catalog.

Norton Critical Editions
Norton Critical Editions provide biographical sketches of the author, the text itself, a collection of critical essays, and a selected bibliography of additional resources all in one attractive volume! This series is a staple for any English major.

Find Norton Critical Editions within Jenks Library by doing a series search for "Norton Critical Edition" in the NOBLE Catalog.