Example of a citation to an essay in a book:

Rojas Mix, Miguel. "El imaginario nacional latinoamericano." Relatos de nación: La construcción de las identidades nacionales en el mundo                 hispánico. Ed. Francisco Colom González. Madrid: Iberoamericana, 2005. 1155-1175.

To obtain this book, you may have to check up to three catalogs:

1. Begin with SIMON. Remember to search by the title of the book, not the title of the chapter.
2. If the book is not in SIMON or is in SIMON but is checked out, go to SUMMIT. If the book is available through SUMMIT, you can request it by entering your name and university ID number (including the initial zeroes). It takes two to four business days for SUMMIT books to be delivered to the Circulation Desk. You will receive an e-mail message letting you know when the book is available for check-out at the Circulation Desk.
3. If the book is not available in SIMON or SUMMIT, go to WorldCat. If you find the title there, click on the ILLiad (interlibrary loan) link. If you have not used ILLiad before, you first will need to register for an ILLiad account. Books requested from WorldCat usually take a minimum of two weeks to arrive. If you request a book written in a language other than English, you must remove the default English setting from your ILLiad request:

Journal Articles

Example of a citation to a journal article:

Sánchez Macgrégor, Joaquín. "La estética de Vasconcelos como proyecto utópico." Cuadernos Americanos 6 (1992): 246-51.

To obtain this article:

1. First search the Journal Locator by the title of the journal, not the title of the article. If the article is available full-text, a link to the appropriate database will be provided. If the journal is available in microform or paper format, a link to the SIMON record will be provided. Current periodicals are located on the first floor of the library and bound periodicals and microform are located in the basement.
2. If the Journal Locator returns zero results, there is no need to search any other database. Simply submit an article request through your ILLiad account. An electronic copy of the article usually will be provided to you in a week or less. In rare cases, the library supplying the article will send a photocopy in the mail instead of electronically; in those cases, the photocopy will be forwarded to your Wheelock Student Center mailbox. If you request an article written in a language other than English, you must remove the default English setting from your ILLiad request:

Practical Matters

Context

Databases

Context

At some point in your research you may wish to either verify or learn more about a variety of contexts surrounding the work(s) you are analyzing. Consult the following resources for more information about the authors, historical context, and cultural context.

Basic Information about the Authors

• Literature Resource Center -- This full-text database offers biographical essays as well as selected criticism.
• Latin American Writers / PQ 7081 A1 L37 1989 Ref

Historical Context

• Encyclopedia of Latin American History & Culture, 2nd ed. (2008) / F 1406 E53 2008 Ref

Cultural Context

• Literary Cultures of Latin America: A Comparative History (3 vols.) / PQ 7081 A1 L525 2004 Ref
• While not specific to Spain, the following reference books provide useful information about the concerns and lexicon of cultural studies:
  • Cultural Theory: The Key Concepts / HM 621 K49 2002 Ref
  • Dictionary of Cultural and Critical Theory / HM 101 D527 1996 Ref
  • A Glossary of Cultural Theory / HM 621 B76 2002 Ref

 

Practical Matters

Context

Databases

Databases

Depending on your topic, you will need to consult one or more of the following databases:

MLA International Bibliography -- This is the preeminent database for literary studies, although it also includes some citations to film scholarship. If you are researching a literary text, MLA must be your first stop. MLA also contains some film criticism. Note: The MLA Bibliography is structured differently from any other database you may have used and accordingly requires a different search strategy. Consult this guide for the most effective use of the MLA database

Humanities International Complete -- This is an interdisciplinary database that sometimes picks up articles that the MLA misses. Also useful for film studies.

Historical Abstracts (limited to six simultaneous users) -- This database can be used to locate articles, books, and chapters in books on topics in literature and cinema placed within their social, intellectual, political, and cultural historical context.

Arts & Humanities Search -- This is another interdisciplinary database that may be useful for film, literary, and cultural studies.

Women's Resources International -- This database is useful for picking up citations to scholarly work with a feminist approach.

 

Content contact: Peggy Burge ~ Collins Library ~ University of Puget Sound ~ last updated October 24, 2008