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French & Arabic

Search Strategies & Examples

Searching the MLA International Bibliography Database 

  • Searching on a specific work
    • Type in the main Title of the Work AND the author's last name 
    • Choose SU Subject for field type

Ex: Where the work title is La grève des bàttu and the Author's last name is Sow Fall

Note: You must put the word AND between the Work title and the Author last name

  • Searching on a Writer - including all their works   
    • Type the author's full name
    • Choose the SU Subject Field Typ

  • Adding a Theme / Topic / Type of Criticism 
    • Leave the Author or Work Box as is - with SU Subject chosen
    • Click in the 2nd Box to add a Keyword or Subject Term - Leave Field type as "Select a Field" unless you know you are using an Official Subject Term

  • Finding Official Subject Terms Using the Thesaurus 
    • Click on the MLA Thesaurus Option in the upper menu bar

  • Type in a term for the topic you are interested in - that you want to find the Official Term for - and then click Browse : 

  • The - Option in blue is the Official Term

So here it is not cities, but urban areas

  • You can now use that term in your search as an SU Subjects Term 

 

Tips for Google Scholar

scholar.google.com

  • Search Strings - Start with the terms that you think will work best and start fairly specific.   You can always adapt if your starting search doesn't work  Examples : 
    • Feminist criticism of Aminata Sow Fall
    • Marie Louise Mumbu politiques 
    • Hemley Boun Douala 
  • Use French terms - You can use French Terms or English Terms
  • Get only French Results - if you want only items in French
    • Click on the Menu bar next to the Google Scholar logo
    • Choose Settings > Languages > Search Only Pages in these Languages
    • Check French

 

  • Use OR for synonyms - You can OR terms together - but you have to put the synonyms in parentheses and use the + sign and capitalize the OR.  Examples : 
    • Sow Fall +(Cities OR Urban) 
    • African literature feminism +(senegalese OR congolese)
    • Cameroon* Literature +(feminis* OR Female OR women) 
  • Use quotation marks for phrases - To specify a phrase put it in quotation marks "" Examples   
    • "African Literature" - this can help avoid African American Literature
    • "greve des battu" - use it for the title of a work 
    • "Roman de Moeur" - use it for a specific phrase 
      • Use an Asterisk * to search the root of a word.  You can do this in English or French.  Examples : Feminis* - gets you feminist, feminists, feminism, feminisms  

Searching JSTOR

 

Under Construction - Please check back or send your question to claytons@grinnell.edu

Searching WorldCat ~

Finding Book Chapters on Specific Writers or Works 

Under Construction ~

Check back or send your question to

claytons@grinnell.edu