ENGL/LING 482/582 History of the English Language

If you are just looking for books, you can search directly from the library catalog.  From the  Mardigian Library homepage, under "More Research Tools" locate the link for Books, Ebooks & Media to begin your search:

How To Evaluate a Scholarly Book

There are several steps to consider when evaluating a scholarly book.  You may not be able to apply all of these questions when evaluating a book, but try to use many as you can

The Book:

• Does it have the depth you require?  
  • Look at the table of contents and the index to confirm the information you require is covered in the book
• Has the book been reviewed?

Find scholarly book reviews from library sources:

• Humanities Abstracts
• JSTOR
• Book Citation Index

• Is the information reliable?
• What perspectives in the book matter given? Or ignored?
• What was the editorial process?
• When was it published?  Is the information still relevant?

The Author:

• Is the author an expert in the field?
• What work or educational experiences does the author have?
• Is the author affiliated with an organization or company?
• Has the author written other publications?
• What is the author's motivation?

Find author information by "Googling" their name and locate their author's website.  It may be a personal website, or information provide by the publisher of their work(s).  Use library resources, such as Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors or Literature Resource Center.