Finding Books
For books in the circulating collection (Main Stacks), use the Online Catalog. Type in the author's name (last name first name) as a Subject search. For biographies and literary criticism, look at the book titles listed under the main heading for the author, under the Biography subheading, under the Criticism and Interpretation subheading, and under the subheading for the individual work (if listed). Literature-related books in the Main Stacks will have a call number which starts with a 'P' and will be found on the third floor.
Sources for Selected Works
You will not find criticisms on the following stories and poems in Literature Resource Center. Use these print sources instead:
Eliot, T.S. "Journey of the Magi:" Masterplots II: Poetry Series,
vol. 3, p. 1135-1137
Location: PN 1110.5 .M37 1992 (Reference, 1st floor)
Williams, William Carlos. "The Great Figure:" The Hieroglyphics of a New
Speech, p. 76-78
Location: PS 3545 .I544 Z585 (Main Stacks, 3rd floor)
Book Locations:
Research Guides:
The Lang & Lit, Literature Resource Guide provides useful materials for literature searching.
A Variety of Research Guides are available for subject searching. The PRINT guides provide resources in print at FLITE, while the WEB guides provide electronic resources available at FLITE.
Finding Journal Articles
To find journal articles on a particular topic, it's necessary to use one or more of the databases available on the FLITE Web site. These databases cumulatively provide indexing to thousands of journal titles. A few of the databases provide full-text (content of the articles is found directly within the database), but most only provide citations (description of where the article originally appeared in print).
Humanities Abstracts
Art, film, folklore, history, literature, performing arts, philosophy, and religion are among the fields in the humanities covered in this database. Mostly indexing journal articles, citations extend back to 1984.Wilson Select Plus
Guide to Searching Wilson Select Plus
This completely full-text database includes articles from a wide range of subject fields including science, humanities, education and business. Coverage is from 1994 to the present.Literature Resource Center
Guide to Searching Literature Resource CenterUse the Literature Resource Center database to find biographical and critical information on your author and story/poem/play.
This wide-ranging product from Gale Group includes much of the content found in Gale's various print reference series (including the Dictionary of Literary Biography). Also included are full-text articles from over 250 literary journals as well as the ability to search the MLA Bibliography. Remember to use "Exact Title" when conducting title searches.
MLA (Modern Language Association) International Bibliography is the most comprehensive source for citations relating to literature, linguistics, and folklore. MLA includes over 1.3 million citations to articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, and bibliographies extending back to 1963.
How to search a Citation
Citation:
Wasserman, Loretta. "Is Cather's Paul a Case?" Modern Fiction Studies 36 (Spring 1990): 121-29.
Parts of the citation:
Author: Wasserman, Loretta
Title of Article: Is Cather's Paul a Case?
Title of Journal: Modern Fiction Studies
Volume: 36
Issue: Spring 1990
Pages: 121-29
To find this article search the Title of the Journal in the Ferris Online Catalog. If found in the catalog check the date, locate the call number, and notice the location. With this information you should be able to find this item in the library.
Off Campus Access
FLITE's subscription databases are available to all current Ferris students, faculty, and staff. Login and additional information can be found at Off Campus Database Access.
Interlibrary loan requests for materials FLITE does not have access to can be electronically submitted at through the InterLibrary Loan (ILL) Request form.
If you experience problems logging on, please call (231) 591-2669 or (800) 4-FERRIS (ext. 2669), or stop by the Check Out Desk at the Library.
Additional information can be found at Off Campus Database Access.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of presenting another's work or ideas
as your own. Plagiarism is often unintentional, but it occurs whenever you use someone else's ideas
or words without giving them credit. It can be obvious - purchasing a term paper or turning
in a project done by someone else. It can be putting other's ideas into your own words. A simple rule:
do not copy text from Web pages or other sources without identifying the original author. In this description,
I am using ideas presented in the FLITE Online Tutorial called PILOT.
The tutorial provides these four
tips to avoid Plagiarism:
For more information about Plagiarism, please explore the Plagiarism webpage provided by the
Ferris State University Writing Center.
Citing Sources
Whenever you are quoting or using information from a source, you must credit or cite that source. Failure to do so is plagiarism which can lead to expulsion from the University. The following links provide information on how to use MLA:
Citation Style Guide: MLA (PDF)
MLA List of References
More examples of how cite different types of sources using the MLA format.
Copies of the full-length APA manual (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed.) and MLA Handbook (MLA handbook for writers of research papers) are found in the Ready Reference section on Floor 1 of the library near the South Service Reference Desk.
If you have any questions about what we went over during the library
visit, Email Jodi Shepherd.
Don't forget, you are welcome to come to the South Service Desk and ask for help at any time. You can also call us 231-591-3602 or chat with us.
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Last Update: January 23, 2007