Research Guides: LIBR 170 Course Guide (Writing and Library Research Methods: The Romantic Age, 1770-1850): Essays, Articles, Books, etc.

Introduction

This guide will help you find published scholarship (essays, books, chapters, journal articles, etc.) and primary source material on a topic.

Choose a topic that interests you and fits within your assignment's parameters.
Read good summaries of the topic in subject encyclopedias, like those listed below, to gain a basic overview of your topic.
Search for published scholarship in library discovery systems, catalogs, databases, scholarly & research organizations, etc.
Identify primary source material (e. g. documents & records, art & artifacts, personal narratives & memoirs, data & statistics, maps & charts, photographs & illustrations, etc.) through your scholarly readings, and by searching or browsing the digital collections of libraries, archives, museums, and other scholarly & research organizations.

Remember to evaluate the accuracy of your sources, and think critically about their content and arguments.

For remote login to the Library's electronic resources, see our instructions for Off-Campus Access.

Reference Essays (from Encyclopedias & Dictionaries)

Reference essays inside subject encyclopedias and other reference guides can provide good background information on a topic. Many reference books are in printed format, while others are available in electronic resource collections such as:

Gale Ebooks (previously Gale Virtual Reference Library)

Oxford Reference

A Mary Shelley Encyclopedia
"This reference is a comprehensive guide to the life and career of Mary Shelley. Included are hundreds of alphabetically arranged entries about her works, friends, relatives, residences, fictional characters, allusions, and more."

Britannica Academic This link opens in a new window
Britannica Academic: Includes Encyclopedia Britannica plus Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, magazines and periodicals, and many other research tools.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch
Gale Literature: Dictionary of Literary Biography This link opens in a new window
The series provides reliable information on authors and their works in an easy-to-understand, engaging format while placing writers in the larger perspective of literary history.
Users may experience linking issues. We are working with the vendor to resolve this as soon as possible. Should you have any questions, please email us at access-support@qc-cuny.libanswers.com or Open a ticket.

Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History (5 vols.) by William H. McNeill (Editor), et. al.
ISBN: 9780974309101
Publication Date: 2005-06-01
A comprehensive encyclopedia of world history with 538 articles that trace the development of human history -- with a focus on area studies, global history, anthropology, geography, science, arts, literature, economics, women's studies, African-Americanstudies, and cultural studies related to all regions of the world--Provided by publisher.
Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2nd. ed., 10 vols.)
ISBN: 9780028660721
Publication Date: 2005-12-01
"English-language reference source for philosophy," has been the cornerstone of the philosophy reference shelf. Lauded for its clear and accessible presentation of wide-ranging philosophical subjects,"
Encyclopedia of Science Technology and Ethics by Carl Mitcham
ISBN: 9780028659916
Publication Date: 2004-11-01
"This Encyclopedia considers both the professional ethics of science and technology, and the ethical and political issues raised by science and technology in an increasingly complex and global society. This broad coverage supports the numerous courses in applied and professional ethics and policy related to the practice of science and technology in education."
Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment by Alan Charles Kors (Editor)
Call Number: B802 .E53 2003 (4 vols.)
ISBN: 0195104307
Publication Date: 2002-12-26
Defining the Enlightenment as the "long eighteenth century," the Encyclopedia focuses on the entire range of philosophic and social changes engendered by the Enlightenment.
Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World (6 vols.) by Jonathan Dewald
ISBN: 068431200X
Publication Date: 2003-11-19
"European history from 1450-1789, from the print revolution to the French Revolution...major topics in art, government and education as well as providing biographical entries on key figures of the period. In addition...covers topics specific to the era, such as apocalypticism, guilds, food riots, royal mistresses and lovers, the Spanish inquisition, Utopia and others."
Europe, 1789 to 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of Industry and Empire (5 vols.) by John Merriman (Editor); Jay Winter (Editor)
ISBN: 0684313596
Publication Date: 2006-08-13
'Europe, 1789 to 1914' offers encyclopedic coverage of European institutions, events and personages over the 'long' 19th century, including the continent's increasing world dominance during this period.
New Dictionary of the History of Ideas (6 vols.) by Maryanne Cline Horowitz
ISBN: 9780684314525
Publication Date: 2004-12-01
"Survey of the history of Western thought and culture, presented through 700 alphabetically arranged entries. Each entry explores the origin, cultural interpretations, and historical themes of such subjects as beauty, love, feminism, diversity, and social capital, among many others."
Oxford Companion to the Romantic Age: British Culture, 1776-1832 by Iain McCalman (Editor); Kate Fullagar (Editor); Patsy Hardy (Editor); Jon Mee (Editor); Gillian Russell (Editor); Clara Tuite (Editor)
Call Number: Ref. DA 485 .O94 1999
ISBN: 0198122977
Publication Date: 1999-10-28
"The book's multi-disciplinary approach treats Romanticism both in aesthetic terms-its meaning for painting, music, design, architecture, and above all literature-and as a historical epoch of 'revolutionary' transformations which ushered in modern democratic and industrialized society.

English Language Dictionaries and Thesauri

OED | Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
Oxford English Dictionary includes comprehensive definitions, quotations documenting historical uses of words, and etymological notes.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.

New Oxford American Dictionary
ISBN: 0195392884
Publication Date: 2010-09-02
"As Oxford's flagship American dictionary, the New Oxford American Dictionary sets the standard of excellence for lexicography in this country. With more than 350,000 words, phrases, and senses, hundreds of explanatory notes, and more than a thousand illustrations, this dictionary provides the most comprehensive and accurate coverage of American English available."
Oxford Dictionary of English by Oxford Languages
ISBN: 0199571120
Publication Date: 2010-10-19
"The foremost single volume authority on the English language, the Oxford Dictionary of English is at the forefront of language research, focusing on English as it is used today. It is informed by the most up-to-date evidence from the largest language research programme in the world, including the two-billion-word Oxford English Corpus"

Dictionary.com
Dictionary by Merriam-Webster
Thesaurus.com
WordNet
English lexicon that provides word definitions, synonyms, and usage examples.
YourDictionary.com
Includes several dictionaries, thesauri, and other books of words.

Journal Articles = Scholarly (Search Databases)

America: History & Life This link opens in a new window
Definitive index of literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Atla Religion Database This link opens in a new window
This database is an essential resource for religious and theological studies, providing bibliographic records covering topics such as biblical studies, world religions, church history, and religion in social issues.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. Please sign to QC Library when prompted to browse articles within the Queens College Library collections.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Remote access to Google Scholar may not always work. In such cases we advise that you follow the steps below or review the FAQ on Google Scholar
How to access QC subscribed articles via Google Scholar:
1.Access Google Scholar via the un-proxied version: Google Scholar
2. From the Menu Icon on the Top Left select Settings then Library Links
3. In Library Links, search for Queens College then select "Queens College --> Fulltext at QC"
4. SAVE and return to the Google Scholar Homepage
5. You should be able to search for articles. When you see the "Queens College --> Fulltext at QC", select to either be re-directed to the Library Catalogue, OneSearch or asked to login to the library proxy in order to access articles.
6. Please review the FAQ on logging into the library proxy.
Should you have any additional questions, please contact our Electronic Resources Librarian by completing the Electronic Resources Access Form.
Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Historical Abstracts is the definitive full-text database covering world history (excluding the United States and Canada) from the 15th century to the present.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Humanities Source This link opens in a new window
Humanities Source is a valuable full-text database covering literary, scholarly, and creative thought.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR is a multi-disciplinary collection of scholarly journals and e-books that include primary sources, images, and more.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
JSTOR provided expanded access during the pandemic (June 2020-June 2023). Expanded access expires on June 30, 2023. CUNY will reinstate that access beginning in January 2024.You may review the Electronic Resources Status Dashboard for updates. Questions? Email: access-support@qc-cuny.libanswers.com or Open a Ticket!
MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
MLA International Bibliography Produced by the Modern Language Association (MLA), the electronic version of the bibliography dates back to the 1920s and contains millions of citations from journals and series, as well as book publishers.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Philosopher's Index This link opens in a new window
This current and comprehensive bibliographic database covers scholarly research in all major fields of philosophy.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Collection of scholarly journals and e-books, primarily in the humanities and social sciences.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch
ScienceDirect This link opens in a new window
Collection of scholarly journals with strong coverage for the life and physical sciences, medicine, and technical fields, with additional content in the social sciences and humanities.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.

What is a scholarly journal article?

A scholarly journal article is written by a scholar or an expert, and provides a detailed analysis of a topic. It is written in the specialized language of a scholarly discipline (such as Philosophy). It documents the resources the writer used by providing bibliographic citations such as footnotes, endnotes, and bibliography so a reader can check or repeat the research the scholar has completed.

A scholarly journal is edited by scholars, and any article published in the journal has usually been approved by the author's peers or by referees (other scholars expert in the subject who serve as editors or readers and critique the article before it is accepted for publication). This is why most scholarly journals are referred to as a Peer-Reviewed or Refereed journals. Here is a comparison between popular and scholarly periodicals. There are usually several databases that can be used to search for journal articles on a topic.

Magazine Articles = Popular (Search Databases)

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Academic Search Complete is a multidisciplinary database of scholarly journals, magazines, and news sources. It is a good starting point for research in all areas of study.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Readers' Guide Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
A database providing full text, indexing and abstracts for a broad selection of periodicals covering many subjects, including art, business, education and entertainment. It is ideal for educators, students, and patrons seeking current events, curriculum support, and popular periodicals.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Readers' Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982 (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
Readers' Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982 includes all the information from 44 Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature annuals, as well as access to over three million articles from approximately 550 leading magazines.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Research Library This link opens in a new window
Research Library provides access to a wide range of core academic titles, from business and the sciences to literature and politics.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.

Required Books

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley; David H. Guston (Editor); Ed Finn (Editor); Jason Scott Robert (Editor); Charles E. Robinson (Introduction by)
ISBN: 9780262340267
Publication Date: 2017-04-28
"The original 1818 text of Mary Shelley's classic novel, with annotations and essays highlighting its scientific, ethical, and cautionary aspects. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has endured in the popular imagination for two hundred years."

Scholarly Books

OneSearch; Search for printed and electronic scholarly books at QC and other CUNY libraries.

WorldCat: Search for scholarly books in the national catalog for the United States and Canada. Includes holdings from libraries in other parts of the world, primarily European or English-speaking.

Writing Instruction

Visual Materials (Images, etc.)

ARTSTOR This link opens in a new window
Artstor provides faculty and students with a complete image resource in a wide array of subjects with the breadth and depth to add context beyond the confines of your discipline.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
ArtStor is expected to be retired by August 1, 2024. For additional information please review the ER Dashboard.

LIBR 170 Course Guide (Writing and Library Research Methods: The Romantic Age, 1770-1850)

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