MA Academic Writing Development & Research: Subject Resources
Top 5 Databases
It is difficult to state categorically that some databases are more appropriate for researching Academic Writing than others because it is part of every discipline and everything that we do at university. You may wish to explore the databases listed in the other LibGuides to find ones that are relevant to your own field.
I have listed five databases here that I would tend to use, but you may well discover your own favourites. There is a fuller, annotated list of resources to the right.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
- Humanities Index This link opens in a new window
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
- Sage Premier This link opens in a new window
- SCOPUS This link opens in a new window
Search Hints
Where we buy two or more databases from the same service, such as EbscoHost or ProQuest you can simultaneously cross-search them by selecting the Choose Databases link above the search box, or in the top menu bar and choosing the appropriate ones.
Try using "..." around common phrases such as "project management" to retrieve the exact phrase
Try using the truncation symbol * to retrieve all variant endings of words. e.g. work* will find work, works, worker, workers, working, workplace, etc.
When using the ProQuest databases change the end menu from 'Anywhere' to 'Anywhere except full text'
When using the Sage or Emerald databases, tick the radio button for 'Only content to which I have full access'
Information sources
The links below are for databases to which the library subscribes, the majority of which can be used to search for academic journal articles. Run your mouse over each title to see a description of the resource.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new windowOne of the best databases that we have for Education, we get this through EbscoHost.
- Alexander Street Press Academic Video Online This link opens in a new windowA video database that contains some material on academic writing, literacy and writing genres.
- Arts & Humanities Database This link opens in a new windowThis is a database that we buy from ProQuest. When using the ProQuest databases I suggest change the search field menu from 'Anywhere' to 'Anywhere except full text'
- ASSIA Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts This link opens in a new window
- Box of Broadcasts This link opens in a new windowThis gives access to thousands of television programmes, past and present. You can search for programmes relevant to your teaching and play them in lectures, or tell students to watch a certain programme in advance of a teaching session. There are quite a few videos specifically about writing. It is really easy to make clips from programmes to embed in Moodle/PowerPoint and liven up presentations!
- Box of Broadcasts LibGuideThis is a guide to using Box of Broadcasts - it's really easy!
- Communication & Mass Media Complete This link opens in a new windowGreat for journalism and communication, this database also indexes journals such as Journal of Writing in Creative Practice. This is one that we buy from Ebsco.
- Emerald Insight This link opens in a new windowJournals, books and case studies - a library of real world research at your fingertips
- EThOS (British Library Theses) This link opens in a new windowPhD theses at the British Library. Many are now available to download free of charge. You have to create an account, but it is free.
- Humanities Index This link opens in a new windowOriginally known as the British Humanities Index this database covers arts, music, literature, history, etc. We buy it from ProQuest.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowJSTOR provides access to more than 12 million academic journal articles, books, and primary sources in 75 disciplines. It is a wonderful resource for researching writing.
- Lexis+ This link opens in a new windowThis is a newspaper and legal database which indexes British daily newspapers. Click on the link for News in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
- Sage Premier This link opens in a new windowA useful database for education, psychology and some aspects of writing. I suggest that you try setting the search field to search abstracts or possibly keywords and remember to tick the radio button for the content to which we have full access.
- SCOPUS This link opens in a new windowScopus is a very comprehensive database which also searches the content of Science Direct, the database of Elsevier publications.
The links below are for web sites that I come across which I think may be of use or interest. Please contact me if you would like to add anything that you feel would be of use to others.
- European Association for the Teaching of Academic Writing
EATAW is a scholarly forum which seeks to bring together those involved or interested in the teaching, tutoring, research, administration and development of academic writing in higher education in Europe. - Explorations of style
Explorations of Style offers readers an ongoing discussion of the challenges of academic writing. The ability to formulate and clarify our thoughts is central to the academic enterprise; this blog discusses strategies to improve the process of expressing our research in writing - First Story
First Story brings talented, professional writers into secondary schools serving low-income communities to work with teachers and students to foster creativity and communication skills. - International Writing Centers Association
The International Writing Centers Association, a National Council of Teachers of English affiliate founded in 1983, fosters the development of writing center directors, tutors, and staff by sponsoring meetings, publications, and other professional activities; by encouraging scholarship connected to writing center-related fields; and by providing an international forum for writing center concerns. - National Association of Writers in Education
NAWE is the one organization supporting the development of creative writing of all genres and in all educational and community settings throughout the UK - Times Higher Education
The University now has an institutional subscription to THE. Register using your Coventry email address.
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