Grammar: Theory and Pedagogy - Recently Updated Pages

Getting Material from Other Libraries

skurzmann — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:15:49 CDT

Request a book or an article through Interlibrary Loan if we don't have the item that you need. There is a link from the Journal Finder page and under Quick Links on the library's homepage.

Step 1. Pick the appropriate form (either book or article) and fill out the required (*) fields
Step 2. Fill out the online form using your Ramapo Email (it will not be processed without that email address)
Step 3. Submit your form(s)
Step 4. Wait for your item to come in; you'll be contacted by email when it's ready for pick-up

Make sure you allow yourself enough time - articles take approximately a week to come in, and books can take two weeks.

Reciprocal Borrowing

You can go to other NJ State college and universities libraries for material *You must fill out a form at the reference desk

Grammar: Theory & Pedagogy Home

skurzmann — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:13:53 CDT

Choosing a Topic and Starting Your Research		Finding Books Finding Articles
Web Resources	Additional Help Contact me: Susan Kurzmann Email: skurzman@ramapo.edu Phone: 201.684.7199 Go to the Reference Desk! Hours: Sunday 2-10 p.m.; Mon-Thurs 9 a.m.-10p.m.; Friday 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Call the reference desk: 201.684.7574 Ask your question online QandA NJ.org - 24/7 online reference service Having technical problems? Call 201.684.7777	Citing Your Sources
Getting Material from Other Libraries		Finding Specific Journals
Fall 2009 Information Literacy Session Susan Kurzmann		LITR 314 Prof. Frances Shapiro-Skrobe

Finding Specific Journals

skurzmann — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:10:58 CDT

You found a citation for an article. Your next step is to see if you have access to that article through our library.

Use the Journal Finder!

The full text of the article can be either online or in print
For example, you want to read an article from a 2002 issue of American Speech: A Quarterly of Linguistic Usage. Enter the title in the Journal Finder search window, and you'll get the following results:

American Speech

ISSN: 0003-1283

available from EBSCO Host in EBSCO Communication & Mass Media Complete

find periodical

Full Text: 1925-10-01 - 12 months ago

available in JSTOR

find periodical

Full Text: 1925-10-01 - 1999-12-01

available in Project Muse Standard Collection

find periodical

Full Text: 2000-04 - 2004-01 (v75 i1 - v79 i4 )

You have access to articles in this journal through three databases: Communication & Mass Media Complete (an EBSCO database), from 1925 until 12 months ago, in JSTOR from October 1925 through 1999, and in Project Muse from April 2000 through January 2004. Your 2002 article is available through either Communication & Mass Media Complete or Project Muse. Click on the Find periodical link to go to the listing of years covered by that database, and then click on the particular issue you need. You'll then see a listing of all the full-text articles included in that issue.

If we don't have access to the journal in print or online through a database, you'll get the following note:

George T. Potter Library does not have fulltext with title matching xxxxx

If you cannot find the article you are looking for and would like to request it from another library, click here. This link will take you directly to an Interlibrary Loan Request form.

Finding Articles

skurzmann — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:04:08 CDT

Use the databases to locate citations, abstracts, and full-text articles

They're available to you 24/7

Off campus use requires login: Ramapo email username and password

Scholarly/peer reviewed/refereed articles have been reviewed by a selected panel of experts in the discipline covered by that journal.

Some useful databases for your projects:

MLA Bibliography [MLA International Bibliography] (also included in Literature Resource Center database)	For research in literature, language, and linguistics. Please Note: Click on the Check Availability link within each citation to see if you have access to the journal being cited.
JSTOR Complete	Full-text articles in more than 500 academic journals, includes coverage from volume one, issue one of any title. Coverage ususally does not include the most recent 4-6 years.
Project MUSE	Full-text access to prestigious humanities and social sciences journals
Depending on your topic, see also:
ERIC: the Educational Resource Information Center database: We have access to this database through two vendors: ERIC CSA and ERIC Ebsco	Provides access to education literature and resources. Please Note: To locate full-text of articles, open another window, go to the library's homepage, and click on Journal Finder to see whether or not we have access to the publication being cited. Additionally, check in Ulrich's (another database) to see if the periodical is peer-reviewed--ERIC has its own criteria that might not be approved by your professor.
Education Journals	Please Note: 1. If article is not available in full text, click on the "Find a copy" link included in each citation, and then click on Check for full text via 1Cate to see if you have access to the journal being cited. 2. At top of the results screen, see features: "Suggested Topics" and "Browse Suggested Publications".
The Oxford English Dictionary	The authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium
*Academic Search Premier and Wilson Omnifile Full Text Mega	Multi-disciplinary databases that contain both full-text articles and citations. NOTE: When only a citation is included, click on the Check availability [at Ramapo] link to see if the full text of the article is available in our collection.
America: History & Life	*An abstract database useful for historical overview topics. Includes some links to full-text articles in JSTOR. Please note: click on the Check availability at Ramapo link to see if the full text of the article is available through our library.
The Chronicle of Higher Education	Published every weekday, it is the top destination for news, advice, and jobs for people in academe. Includes articles published since September 1989.
Communications and Mass Media Complete	For areas related to communication and mass media. NOTE: When only a citation is included, click on the Check availability at Ramapo link to see if the full text of the article is available in our collection.

You can also choose the database you'd like to search
- By subject
OR

By using the alphabetic list: Title Directory (A-Z)

Citing Your Sources

skurzmann — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:55:11 CDT

You found it... so now what?

Use Citing Sources for examples of "In-Text Citations" and "Works Cited"

Print copies of the style handbooks are located at the circulation desk

Diana Hacker Online

The Open Handbook Online / Ann Raimes with Maria Jerskey

Follow the examples for the MLA style format

Get help with the MLA Citation Style and examples

For additional help see The Elements of Style, Reference section, 3rd Floor, PE1408 .S772 1999

Web Resources

skurzmann — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:54:22 CDT

See Subject Resources

"Directory of Open Access Journals" (DOAJ) : you can select a specific journal, e.g., English Teaching: Practice and Critique, or choose the subject area Language and Literatures

For Internet searching, use the library's link to Evaluating Websites t o determine if the site is authoritative enough to use in your paper

Forgot how to evaluate websites?Try this tutorial

Finding Books

skurzmann — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:51:25 CDT

Catalog: Use this to find books, periodical titles (NOT articles ), government documents, reserve items, music, and movies owned by the Library. You may limit a search by language, year(s) of publication, type of material, etc. This may take a few seconds to load.

In Basic Search, search the catalog using keywords to find material
- For example: search for english and dialects to locate a broad range of material and look for ideas for your project
- The system will pull up many results in order of relevance. Look over the items that have five red bars, four green bars, and three blue bars: these are the most relevant for your search.
- If you would like to search for a phrase of two or more words, enclose them in quotation marks, e.g., "spoken english"
  - This forces the system to look for that particular set of words in that specified order
  - You will get fewer, but more relevant, results
- When you you find an appropriate title, click on the Subjects, etc. tab located at the top of a catalog record to see which Library of Congress subject headings are addressed in that particular book/film/periodical
  - Click on any of the subject headings listed to find more material on the same topic
Also in Basic Search, use the Subject Browse feature if you know the relevant Library of Congress (LC) subject heading, for example:

English language
- many subheadings, e.g., --Foreign words and phrases --Punctuation --18th century
Oxford English dictionary
Black English
Americanisms
Language acquisition
Linguistic change

OR

Go to Advanced Search

The Boolean search terms are built in for your use
AND: you're directing the system to search for material that addresses both terms you've entered
OR: you're directing the system to search for material on either of the search terms you have entered
NOT: you're directing the system to search for material on the first term you've entered and to exclude any material on the second term you've entered
The catalog system will provide more focused results

TIPS

Start with broad searches. It's much easier to discard too much rather than start with too little.
If you don't know the official Subject Heading, use the Subjects, etc. tab located on the top of a catalog record to get to the headings. This will help you focus in on more relevant material.
You can "virtually" browse the shelves by clicking on the call number in a record

Choosing a Topic...

skurzmann — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:46:35 CDT

Selecting a topic for a research paper or project can be very challenging. You'll want to select a topic that is of interest to you. This will make the research, reading and writing less of a chore.

TIP: Start with a broad topic. It's easier to eliminate information as you write your paper than to start with too little.
It's a good idea to wait to decide on a topic until you do some preliminary searching for books, articles, and web-based resources. If you can't find enough material, you will want the flexibility to select a new topic.
A great way to begin your preliminary research is to browse the REFERENCE SECTION in the library (located on the 3rd floor).

Reference titles	Call numbers
English Language	N5300 .S923 2002
AskOxford.com	In addition to searching a dictionary of words, names or quotations, this site will answer questions on English grammar, spelling, and usage.
A Biography of the English Language	Ref PE1075.M64 1996
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language	Ref PE1072.C68 1995
The Cambridge Guide to English Usage	Ref PE1464.P47 2004
The Literature of Slang (a bibliography)	Ref Z2015.S6 B9 1965 (originally published 1939)
Spanglish: The Making of a New American Language	Ref PE3102.M4 S63 2003
Grammar
Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language	Ref PE1106.C65 1985
English Grammar	Ref PE1105.C77 1947
A Grammar of the English Language	Ref PE1105.C78
The Oxford Companion to the English Language	Ref PE31.)84 1992
Dictionaries
Americanisms: A Dictionary of Selected Americanisms on Historical Principles	Ref PE835.D52
A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary	Ref PE279.H3 1961
A Dictionary of American English	Ref PE2835.C72
Dictionary of American Regional English	Ref PE2843.D52 1985
The Dictionary of Bias-Free Usage	Ref PE1460.M26 1991
The Oxford English Dictionary	Print edition: Ref PE1625.M7
Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang	Ref PE2846.H57 1994
Right, Wrong, and Risky: A Dictionary of Today's American English Usage	Ref PE2835.D38 2006
Word-Hoard: An Introduction to Old English Vocabulary	Ref PE274.B3

Suggested reference material:

Reference titles Call numbers

English Language N5300 .S923 2002

AskOxford.com In addition to searching a dictionary of words, names or quotations, this site will answer questions on English grammar, spelling, and usage.

A Biography of the English Language Ref PE1075.M64 1996

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language Ref PE1072.C68 1995

The Cambridge Guide to English Usage Ref PE1464.P47 2004

The Literature of Slang (a bibliography) Ref Z2015.S6 B9 1965 (originally published 1939)

Spanglish: The Making of a New American Language Ref PE3102.M4 S63 2003

Grammar

Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language Ref PE1106.C65 1985
English Grammar Ref PE1105.C77 1947

A Grammar of the English Language Ref PE1105.C78

The Oxford Companion to the English Language Ref PE31.)84 1992

Dictionaries

Americanisms: A Dictionary of Selected Americanisms on Historical Principles Ref PE835.D52

A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Ref PE279.H3 1961

A Dictionary of American English Ref PE2835.C72

Dictionary of American Regional English Ref PE2843.D52 1985

The Dictionary of Bias-Free Usage Ref PE1460.M26 1991

The Oxford English Dictionary Print edition: Ref PE1625.M7

Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang Ref PE2846.H57 1994

Right, Wrong, and Risky: A Dictionary of Today's American English Usage Ref PE2835.D38 2006

Word-Hoard: An Introduction to Old English Vocabulary Ref PE274.B3