Term paper notes

Mother Philemon Doyle Library and Your Term Paper

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs:

Where do I start?

What are the criteria for selecting a topic?

How can I define my topic?

How can I refine my topic?

How can I expand my bibliography?

My teacher requires academic journals; how do I find them?

How do I find a literary journal to which Notre Dame Prep does not subscribe?

How do I know it is a journal article I can use?

What about the magazines to which NDP subscribes but are not literary journals?

How much time will it take to gather the information?

What is the BEST advice you can give me?

How can I get help creating a bibliography?

Where do I start?

Select a topic
This may not be as easy as it sounds. You will have to do a lot of pre-reading and skimming in order to make an informed choice.
As you do your pre-reading keep in mind that you will have to develop a thesis statement and you will have to include published literary criticisms.
If no literary critic has ever considered your thesis, it will be very difficult to find a criticism which supports it!

What are the criteria for selecting a topic?

Is it of interest to you? If you don't enjoy poetry, don't select a poet; choose a novelist or a playwright.
Does it meet the requirements of the teacher? Be sure to review the handout from your instructor. (Don't wait until you are finished with the paper before you look at the rubric - if there is one. Look at it FIRST!)
Will I be able to find enough information on the subject?
- First - Check NDP's catalog (look SPECIFICALLY for information about your topic/author/etc.)
- Second - Check NDP's catalog (look GENERALLY for information about that genre or subject)
- Third - Browse the shelves in a specific call number. Look at all of the books with the call number that corresponds to your topic.
- Fourth - Check out the reference section. The call numbers that you use in the regular stacks apply to reference books as well.
- When you find a possible book, be SURE to check the tables of contents and the indexes for information on YOUR particular topic.
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How can I define my topic?

Make sure you understand the definition of the terms you will need. You may have to look some up in a dictionary. We have specialized dictionaries, such as the Dictionary of Literary Terms, if you need one.
Check out the information about your topic that can be found in a general encyclopedia.

How can I refine my topic?

This is the time to READ and REFLECT.
To give you some ideas, start with excerpts from critical sources, such as:
- Dictionary of Literary Themes and Motifs
  - One hundred forty-three themes of literature are explored in alphabetically arranged and signed essays.
- Library of Literary Criticism: Modern British Literature
- Library of Literary Criticism of English and American Authors
  - Both of these have significant excerpts from a variety of critical opinions.
- Besides using the materials specifically on your subject, consult the general Critical Survey series by Magill. These books have synopses, background notes and critical commentaries. Some are arranged by title and others by author:
  - Critical Survey of Long Fiction
  - Critical Survey of Drama
  - Critical Survey of Poetry
  - Critical Survey of Modern Fantasy
  - Critical Survey of Short Fiction
  - Critical Survey of Science Fiction
Once you have an idea of your theme, explore other reference materials.
REMEMBER: Many of these entries are EXCERPTs and should be used to decide whether or not to go to the full article for further information.
In books that were published in 1980 and on, if it is an EXCERPT, it will indicate that in the initial paragraph; if it does not indicate that it is an excerpt, it will be the COMPLETE ARTICLE. (See below for how to find the full article.)
- Chelsea House Library of Literary Criticism
- Gale Series:
  - Contemporary Literary Criticism
  - Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism
  - Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism
  - Poetry Criticism
  - Short Story Criticism
  - Shakespearean Criticism
  - Novels for Students
  - Poetry for Students
  - Drama for Students
  - Short Stories for Students
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How can I expand my bibliography?

Check for more reference sources like these:
- Magill's Bibliography of Literary Criticism: A listing of studies on works of western literature arranged by author.
- Research Guide to Biography and Criticism: Biographical sketches, select bibliographies and an overview for each author.
- The English Novel: 20th Century Criticism: A bibliography of criticisms in books and periodicals dealing with the novel.
- English Novel: Explication: Detailed explanations of English novels from 20th century critics.
- Articles on Twentieth-Century Literature: An annotated bibliography arranged by author. Entries provide succinct descriptions and bibliographic sources.
- Twentieth-Century Short Story Explication: A bibliography of interpretations of books and periodicals on short stories published after 1800; it is arranged by author and then by title.
And two of our online databases:
- Discovering Authors CD-ROM: some excerpts from criticisms; check for bibliographies.
- Magills Literature: brief overviews of works and essays; check for bibliographies.
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My teacher requires academic journals; how do I find them?

Online databases are probably the easiest to use. Try:
- Literary Reference Center: This database contains an enormous number of articles and literary criticisms. You might want to try this one first!
- Project Muse: Includes nearly 250 FULL TEXT academic journals. The following journals are an especially good source of literary criticisms:
  - The Lion and the Unicorn
  - Arethusa
  - Children's Literature
  - ELH: English Literary History
  - Literature and Medicine
  - SEL: Studies in English Literature 1500-1900
  - Shakespeare Quarterly
  - Yale Journal of Criticism
  - Victorian Studies
- Proquest: We subscribe to both Proquest Platinum and Proquest Learning: Literature: The Literature database may be easier to search.
  - When using Proquest Learning: Literature, click the tab marked "Criticism" for literary criticism only.
  - When using Proquest Platinum, click the tab marked "Scholarly Journals" and/or "Full Text" if necessary.
  - Some searches will return only an abstract (summary) of the journal article. In that case you will have to find the full text of the article at a local college library.
- Access them all from home! By going to http://remote.notredameprep.com , you can access both of these databases (and more) from anywhere on the NDP campus and from home. Access is available through the "NDP Links" icon on the Citrix desktop.
- Your local library probably has many helpful online databases as well. To access these databases, go to their website and enter your library card barcode and PIN. (If you don't have either of these - go to the nearest branch and a librarian will be happy to help you get them!)
  - Baltimore City: http://www.pratt.lib.md.us
  - Baltimore County: http://www.bcpl.lib.md.us
  - Harford County: http://www.harf.lib.md.us/
  - Howard County: http://www.howa.lib.md.us
Bound journals: We subscribe to some literary journals in print form:
- Nineteenth Century Literature (1989 - )
- Notes on Contemporary Literature (1988 - )
- Sewanee Review (Fall, 1989 - )
- Studies in Short Fiction (Winter, 1970 - )
- Studies in American Indian Literature (1992 - 1998)
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How do I find a literary journal to which Notre Dame Prep does not subscribe?

The best place is an academic (college) library.

PLEASE make sure that you have the entire citation of the article you want BEFORE you go to a college library. The librarians will be happy to help you find a specific article if you have the journal title, volume and number and page numbers. They will be less willing to help you find an article on "love and Jane Austen".
- To search local college library catalogs, go to http://www.sailor.lib.md.us
- In the window, type "colleges and universities".
- Click on "Maryland Colleges and Universities".
- Click on "Four Year Public and Independent Colleges and Universities."
- Select the college catalog you want to search.
- Search by the journal title, and if you find the title, check the dates to see if the specific issue you need is in the collection.
- After you find it in the catalog, you will need to go to the college library.
- Typically, these journals do not circulate, so you will have to make copies of the articles you need.

You can also request a journal article from the Enoch Pratt Free Library
- To search the Enoch Pratt Free Library, go to http://www.pratt.lib.md.us
- Search the catalog for the journal title and the issues that are available.
- Call the telephone reference service (410) 396-5430 and have the article faxed to the NDP library (410) 321-4809.
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How do I know it's a journal article I can use?

If it has (in parentheses) a season and a date or a month and a date, it is a journal.
- Example: The Hudson Review (Winter 1982)
If it has a volume number before the page number, then it is probably a journal.
- Example: Comparative Drama 17, No. 4: 297-317
- ("17" is the volume number, "297-317" are the page numbers)
If the publication contains the words, "journal", "quarterly" or "review" it is probably a journal.
- Example: Shakespeare Quarterly or The Henry James Review
If after the author's name there is a title in quotes, it may be a journal, but it could also be a chapter from a book.

What about the magazines to which NDP subscribes but are not literary journals?

The NDP library subscribes to several magazines that are not literary journals, but might be helpful in writing your paper.
- "The Atlantic Monthly" (1960 - )
- "New York Review of Books" (Sept. 27, 1987 - )
- "The New York Times Book Review" (1960 - )
- "Saturday Review of Literature" (Jan., 1953 - April, 1972)
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How much time will it take to gather the information?

The amount of time it will take depends on the topic. If there is only one book on the topic there will probably not be enough information for you to pursue that topic. Do not count on interlibrary loans; materials take at least 3 weeks to arrive and by that time it may be too late.

What is the best advice you can give me?

START RIGHT AWAY!!!
READ
REFLECT
TAKE COMPLETE NOTES (ESP. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION!!!)
ASK FOR ASSISTANCE

How can I get help creating a bibliography?

Try: http://www.easybib.com OR: http://citationmachine.net and follow the directions on the screen.
OR use an MLA Handbook that is available in the Library and ask for assistance if you have a question.