Linguistics Research Guide

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, etc. | Find Books | Find Articles
Web Sites | Citing Sources

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, etc.

Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. Reference P29 .C65 2003
Encyclopedia of Linguistics. Reference P29 .E483 2005
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics. Reference P29 .I58 2003
Oxford English Dictionary. 20 vols. Reference PE1625.O87 1989 or online
A Student's Dictionary of Language and Linguistics. Reference P29 .T69 1997

Find Books

To find books, videos or other materials located in Pickler Memorial Library, search the Library Catalog. It is usually a good idea to start with a keyword search so you can combine search terms that relate to your research project. For example:

heroes and literature
shakespeare and criticism
abjection and literature

Check the Subject Headings listed in the records you retrieve to find other useful terms and phrases to search. Below are some subject heading examples for language and literature. Each link performs the subject search in Truman's Library Catalog.

heroes in literature	shakespeare, william
women in literature	myth in literature
greek poetry	slavery in literature

The Curriculum Library, on the second floor, contains a collection of textbooks used in the public schools and a collection of children's books. These are all listed in the Truman's Library Catalog. You can search for children's books by author, title, keyword, or children's subject heading.

If Pickler Memorial Library doesn't have what you want, try your search in MOBIUS to find books in other libraries in Missouri. You can order books online, and they will be delivered usually within 3-4 working days. This service is available to current Truman students, faculty, and staff.

Find Articles

Databases in this section are restricted to use on the Truman network unless otherwise indicated.

Academic Search Elite (EBSCO). 1985+. A multi-disciplinary database offering full text for more than 2,000 journals, including more than 1,500 peer-reviewed titles.

Humanities Abstracts. 1984+
In print under various titles 1907-1996. Reference AI 3 S6
Contains citations from more than 465 periodicals in archaeology and classical studies, area studies, communication, folklore, history, language, literature, performing and visual arts, philosophy, religion and theology. Coverage: Click here to show journal list.

Humanities and Social Sciences Index Retrospective. Indexing of over 1200 periodicals, some going back as far as 1907. Also has coverage of many important scientific journals up to the 1950s.

MLA Bibliography. 1926+. A bibliography of scholarship in literature, language, linguistics, and folklore. Contains over 1.8 million citations from more than 4400 journals and series and 1000 book publishers. About 75% are language and literature journal articles. You can limit your searches by the following languages: Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, Swedish, and Ukrainian.

MLA Directory of Periodicals. Detailed descriptions of over 7100 journals, including information on editorial contacts, publication frequency, circulation, subscription prices, and submission guidelines.

JSTOR. Archive of scholarly journals. Truman campus has access to the Arts & Sciences I and II collections, Ecology & Botany collection, and General Science collection.

Project MUSE. Full-text titles from over 100 scholarly journals in the Basic Undergraduate Collection.

Communication & Mass Media Complete (EBSCO). Full text articles from over 200 journals covering all areas of communication and media and indexing and abstracting for many more.

ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center), 1966+
        On the Web through FirstSearch
        On the Web through The Educator's Reference Desk .   Free to the public.
        On the Web through the Dept. of Education. Free to the public.
        ERIC is a comprehensive database containing abstracts of journal articles, reports, curriculum guides, conference proceedings, etc. It covers all areas of education at all age and grade levels.   ERIC Documents 1993+ are available online. Documents before 1993 are on microfiche. The library's microfiche subscription ended with ED455358. Journal Coverage: Click here to show journal list.

Reader's Guide Retrospective. 1890-1982. Index to older magazine articles.

Print Indexes

Communication Abstracts, 1967-2001
Reference P90 C65
Provides coverage of recent literature in the areas of general communication, mass communication, advertising and marketing, broadcasting, communication theory, interpersonal and intrapersonal communication, small group communication, organizational communication, journalism, public relations, radio, public opinion, speech, and television.

Essay and General Literature Index,1900-2001
Reference AI 3 E752
A detailed index by author, subject, and some titles to essays published in books.

Index to Journals in Communication Studies
Reference P87 M37, beginning dates vary to 1990
Often referred to as the Matlon guide, this subject and author index covers a number of important communication journals.

Language Teaching, 1982+
In print only under various titles: Periodicals PB35 L322
Indexes scholarly journals on learning and teaching languages.

Web Sites:

Language/Linguistics

The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Center for Applied Linguistics
Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center
Ethnologue---a catalogue of more than 6,700 languages spoken in 228 countries
Glossary of Literary Terms
iLoveLanguages
Lexicon of Linguistics
Linguist List - international clearinghouse for linguistic information
Linguistic Bibliography
Linguistic Resources on the Internet
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Online Dictionaries and Translators

Citing Sources

Selected guides to help you cite sources correctly in APA, Chicago/Turabian, and MLA styles.

For further assistance, visit or call the Reference Desk (660-785-4051) or contact the Reference librarian for Language and Literature.

Daisy Rearick, Reference Librarian for Education
(660) 785-4048
drearick@truman.edu