Types of Periodicals in Literature Professional Scholarly Literary

Types of Scholarly Articles Analysis and interpretation Pedagogical Linguistic Textual Historical

Scholarly Press vs. Popular Press Purpose and content Audience Acceptance and rejection practices

Peer Review Process New information Fresh evaluations Innovative critical approaches

Peer Review Process Accept Conditional acceptance Potential acceptance Rejection

Review Process: Rejection Poor marketing Facts or interpretations already known Flawed conclusions More opinion not enough research Sloppy writing

Peer Reviewed? Journal’s Web site Print version of journal MLA Directory of Periodicals (

The following slides will: 1. Indicate how to access the MLA database 2. Describe the MLA database 3. Explain how to construct a search strategy

To access the MLA database from the Library’s home page...

MLA International Bibliography

Library’s Periodical Databases

MLA

MLA Database Search Interface

The following slides describe the MLA International Bibliography.

MLA Coverage Coverage includes literature from all over the world--Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America. Folklore is represented by folk literature, music, art, rituals, and belief systems. Linguistics and language materials range from history and theory of linguistics, comparative linguistics, semantics, stylistics, and syntax to translation. Other topics include literary theory and criticism, dramatic arts (film, radio, television, theater), and history of printing and publishing.

MLA Coverage The MLA database is a collection of records that identify: periodical articles books & monographs chapters & essays in books conference proceedings dissertations review essays

MLA Coverage

MLA Database Basics The MLA database contains citations from 1926 to the present. However, access to some articles date back to the 1880s.

MLA Database Basics A MLA database record is divided into fields. Each field represents a unit of information.

MLA Database Basics The major fields in MLA records include: Title Author Source Subject Areas Subject Terms

MLA Database Record

Searching the MLA database successfully means switching from simple keyword searches (Google-style) to the more sophisticated search method called Boolean.

Keyword Search vs. Boolean When searching a complex topic, use Boolean rather than a keyword search because...

Keyword Searches: Problems Simple keyword searches often retrieve: too many items irrelevant items zero items

Unsuccessful keyword search

Boolean Search A Boolean search is a flexible strategy that allows searches to be narrowed or broadened by adding terms.

Boolean Search The following slides illustrate how to construct a Boolean search strategy.

Boolean Searching 1. Write a clear statement about the topic. 2. Divide the topic statement into concepts. 3. Select words to express each concept. 4. Truncate appropriate words.

Step 1: Write a topic statement The topic can be stated as a: phrase question thesis

Step 1: Write a topic statement How is the feminine portrayed in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness?

Step 2: Divide statement into concepts How is the feminine portrayed in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness?

Fluff Words Separate the important words from the “fluff,” superficial or inconsequential words that can adversely affect a search. For example: “portrayed” is not included in the Boolean strategy because when “feminine” is combined with Heart of Darkness, “portrayed” is implied and thus not needed.

Fluff Words Note the key essays below. They would have been overlooked by the database if the term “portrayed” had been included in the search strategy. Why? Because “portrayed” is not expressed anywhere in the MLA database records for these essays.

Step 2: Divide the topic into concepts Below shows how to enter a basic Boolean search (step 2). When these two concepts are combined, the database retrieves 3 sources. But the database includes many more relevant sources. To include these, the search must be broadened to include synonyms of both concepts.

Step 3: Assign synonyms to concepts Authors and database specialists will express the concept “feminine” differently. This means that you must include other words that are used to express “feminine.” If synonyms and closely related words are not included, relevant items will be NOT be retrieved.

MLA Boolean Strategy This is how to enter a Boolean search that includes multiple synonyms or closely related words.

Step 4: Truncate appropriate words Even with this search, key sources have been overlooked because terms were not “truncated.” Truncating words retrieves all variant forms of a word: For example, the variant forms of the word “feminine” include: feminist, feminism, feminine, femininity

Truncate appropriate words To truncate, use the symbol * and cut far enough into the word so that all of its variant forms will be searched.

Truncate appropriate words If truncation is not used, the database may not retrieve key sources such as this one. It was not included in the results because the database was told to search only for “feminine.”

Remember a database is literal-minded, which means it attempts to match the terms as exactly as stated by the searcher. So, to retrieve variant forms of terms, the searcher must truncate the term.

Examples of Truncation Conrad*: Conrad, Conrad’s, Conradian female*: female, females women*: women, women’s litera*: literary, literature, literatures

Truncation

Boolean Searching: Summary 1. Write a clear statement about topic 2. Divide topic statement into concepts 3. Select words to express each concept 4. Truncate appropriate words