Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age with 2009 MLA Update

by Hacker

• ISBN13: 9780312593384
• ISBN10: 0312593384
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Spiral Bound
• Copyright: 2009-06-15
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's

Summary

With advice for finding, evaluating, and documenting sources, this handy booklet covers the essential information students need for college research assignments in any discipline. Lightweight and spiral-bound, it's the perfect companion for research whether at the library or at home. An abridged, online version contains links to a wide selection of useful Web sources.

Table of Contents

PART I. RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND SEARCH STRATEGIES
    Posing a research question
       Choosing a narrow question
       Choosing a challenging question
       Choosing a grounded question
    Mapping out a search strategy
       Getting started
       Including the library in your plan
       Choosing an appropriate search strategy
    
PART II. FINDING AND EVALUATING SOURCES
    Finding articles using a database or print index
       What databases offer
       How to search a database
       When to use a print index
    Finding books in the library's catalog
    Finding quality resources on the Web
       Search engines
       Directories
       Digital archives
       Government and news sites
       Discussion forums
    Considering other research tools
       Reference works
       Bibliographies and scholarly citations
    Evaluating sources
       Select sources worth your time and attention
          Scanning search results
          Previewing sources
          Distinguishing between primary and secondary sources
      *Select appropriate types of electronic sources
         *Distinguishing between an abstract or excerpt and a full-length document
         *Distinguishing among electronic versions of source material
       Read with an open mind and a critical eye
          Being alert for signs of bias
          Assessing the author's argument
       Assess Web sources with special care
    
PART III. SPECIALIZED LIBRARY AND WEB RESOURCES
    Researching in the humanities
       General Resources in the humanities
       Art and Architecture
       Classics
       Literature and Linguistics
       Music
       Philosophy
       Religion
       Theater, Dance, and Film
      *World languages
    Researching history
       General resources in history
       World history
       American history
       Primary sources
    Researching in the social sciences
       General resources in the social sciences
       Anthropology
       Business and Economics
       Communication studies
      *Criminal Justice
       Education
       Ethnic and area studies
       Geography
       Law
       Political science
       Psychology
       Sociology
       Women's studies
    Researching in the sciences
       General resources in the sciences
       Biology
     Chemistry
      *Computer science
       Engineering
       Environmental sciences
       Geology
       Mathematics
       Nursing and health sciences
       Physics and Astronomy
    
PART IV. DOCUMENTATION STYLES
    MLA style: English and other humanities
       MLA in-text citations
       MLA list of works cited
       MLA information notes
       MLA manuscript format
       Sample research paper: MLA style
    APA style: The social sciences
       APA in-text citations
       APA list of references
       APA manuscript format
       Sample research paper: APA style
    Chicago style: History
       Chicago-style documentation (footnotes or endnotes)
       Chicago-style bibliography
       Chicago-style manuscript format
       Sample pages from a research paper: Chicago-style
    CSE style: Biology and other sciences
       CSE number system
       CSE reference list
       CSE manuscript format
       Sample pages: CSE style
    List of style manuals
    
PART V. GLOSSARY OF LIBRARY AND WEB TERMS
    
    
   *new to this edition