An English Research Guide
Very Short Introduction Ebooks from Oxford
- Very Short Introductions This link opens in a new windowBrief ebooks written by experts across the board - on physics, art, communism, beat poetry - almost anything!
CLA Librarian
Brett Bodemer
Subjects: Anthropology, Art and Design, Art History, Asian Studies, Child Development, Communications, Country Information, English, Ethnic Studies, Feminism, Geography, Government Information, Graphic Communication, History, Interdisciplinary Studies, Journalism, Linguistics, Music, News, Performing Arts, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Political Science, Primary Sources, Psychology, Queer Studies, Science, Technology and Society, Social Sciences, Sociology and Social Work, Theater and Dance, Women's and Gender Studies, World Languages and Cultures
Purpose of this Guide and Research Help Options
This guide gives you great pointers on the best databases and resources for your field. Don't forget that you can find help on 24/7 LIVE CHAT at any time of day or night. You can also email the CLA librarian, Brett Bodemer, at bbodemer@calpoly.edu.
- Video: Top 5 Reasons to Use 24/7 Live ChatThis 120 second video explains how 5 minutes of chat can save you 15 minutes of agony!
English Library Research Video
- English Library Research VideoThis brief video demos how to sign in, search, find peer-review articles, primary texts, and other materials. You can even speed it up!
Search Many Databases at Once
- EBSCOhost (All Databases) This link opens in a new windowEBSCOhost (All Databases) provides a single search across all EBSCO databases. Much of this content is different than what appears in OneSearch, but of high value and easy to use for all disciplines.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new windowUse the library link and/or be logged into My Cal Poly Portal when you use Google Scholar so you can link out to full text in our databases via the Get it At Cal Poly button. (Sometimes the Get it at Cal Poly Button is hidden UNDER a result so click the two little arrows >> )
- ProQuest (All Databases) This link opens in a new windowProQuest (All Databases) provides a single search across all ProQuest databases.
- OneSearchUse relevant keywords then use filters on left. For immediately available electronic results, use the filter on the left: "Available Online at Kennedy" and then filter for ebooks. For print items, sign into OneSearch to see your request options. Delivery times for tangible items retrievable from campus storage will be faster than items requested from other libraries (ILL.)
- Using OneSearchThis guide gives you lots of tips and tricks for using OneSearch effectively.
- Open LibrarySome books you identify in OneSearch may be available for free digital lending and reading online. This will be faster than requesting it. It only takes a moment to make an Internet Archive account and "borrow" these books. You can also search here for things not in OneSearch.
- Open Library - Many Books Available Online (Renovation Edition #1)3 minute video showing how to check Open Library for possible immediate online access to books you see listed in OneSearch.
Search Ebrary, SpringerLink and Project Muse for ebooks
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowScholarly books and articles, with some current content and lots going way back.
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new windowScholarly books and articles. To get books click Books on left column.
- Wiley Online Library This link opens in a new windowBooks and Articles. To get books, after first keyword search, click BOOKS in right column.
JSTOR
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowLots of great content here, going way back, very strong in English and the Humanities. Good trick: if you are getting TOO many results, take one of the pull down menus to Title and put one of your keywords in that field. If you still get too many results, try putting both keywords in a Title field.
MLA (Modern Language Association)
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowMLA International Bibliography indexes journals covering literature, language and linguistics, folklore, film, literary theory & criticism, dramatic arts, and the historical aspects of printing and publishing, as well as rhetoric and composition and the history, theory and practice of teaching language. Also included: MLA Directory of Periodicals.
Cambridge Shakespeare Online
- Cambridge Shakespeare This link opens in a new windowCambridge Shakespeare is a comprehensive collection of reference materials related to Shakespeare, including his complete works, historical and contextual information, guides and annotated editions, and multimedia resources.
More Books
- OneSearchUse relevant keywords then use filters on left. For immediately available electronic results, use the filter on the left: "Available Online at Kennedy" and then filter for ebooks. For print items, sign into OneSearch to see your request options. Delivery times for tangible items retrievable from campus storage will be faster than items requested from other libraries (ILL.)
- Open LibrarySome books you identify in OneSearch may be available for free digital lending and reading online. This will be faster than requesting it. It only takes a moment to make an Internet Archive account and "borrow" these books. You can also search here for things not in OneSearch.
- WorldCat This link opens in a new window100s of libraries in North America - and we share most print materials!
Asian American, Latino, Native American Literary Text Databases
- Asian American Drama (Alexander Street Press) This link opens in a new windowAsian American Drama contains 252 plays by 42 playwrights, together with detailed, fielded information on related productions, theaters, production companies, and more. The collection begins with the works of Sadakichi Hartmann in the late 19th century and progresses to the writings of contemporary playwrights, such as Philip Kan Gotanda, Elizabeth Wong, and Jeannie Barroga.
- Latino Literature: Poetry, Drama, and Fiction (ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowLatino Literature: Poetry, Drama, and Fiction includes poetry, short fiction, novels, and plays; some items are long out of print or have never before been published.
- North American Indian Drama: Second Edition (Alexander Street Press) This link opens in a new windowNorth American Indian Drama contains 244 plays by 48 playwrights of the twentieth century. More than half of the works are previously unpublished, representing groups such as Cherokee, Mtis, Creek, Choctaw, Pembina Chippewa, Ojibway, Lenape, Comanche, Cree, Navajo, Rappahannock, Hawaiian/Samoan, and others. Together, the plays demonstrate Native theater’s diversity of tribal traditions and approaches to drama.
- Latin American Women Writers (ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowThis collection contains literary works, memoirs, and essays in their original language by Latin American women from the colonial period in the 17th century to the present.
If you know the article you want and want to find the full text
Google Scholar: Try the author's last name and a good chunk of the title in " " and then use the Find it At Cal Poly link, often found hidden beneath the "more" under the result. Be sure that you are logged into MyCalPoly Portal AND signed into OneSearch.
- Google Scholar******
If Google Scholar doesn't work, fill out a form at the ILL link below with all the required fields (and more if you have patience) and ILL will seek the item from another library.
Find historic Book Reviews/Play Reviews/Movie Reviews
In many databases you can limit by date, type in title of book, play or film (use quote marks " "), the author/director's last name and also the word review.
Example 1: "The Sun Also Rises" Hemingway review
Example 2 "A Raisin in the Sun" Wright play review
This trick works well in the following:
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
- Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new windowBe sure and choose all the EBSCO databases once land on the interface.
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
- Academic OneFile This link opens in a new windowLike Academic Search Elite - a range of news, magazines, and scholarly journals.