MLA Handbook - 9th Edition
MLA Handbook - 8th EditionSpanish capitalization is the same as English capitalization EXCEPT
(unless they begin sentences).
Capitalize only the first word and all words normally capitalized in prose.
For this project, you will practice the methodology of sociolinguistics and expand your knowledge base about Spanish and Spanish speakers in the United States.
You will need scholarly resources to inform your research process and how it relates to your topic.
This guide should help you begin locating these resources.
In attempting to create pan-ethnic terms of identification, we must recognize the erasure that can happen. Language is contextual and contested, and my rule is to mirror the language of any person who self-identifies. This is relatively easy in one-on-one conversation but more challenging when navigating information systems. If you are interested in getting involved in changing these systems, I highly recommend the documentary Change the Subject about a group of Dartmouth students who challenged anti-immigrant language in the Library of Congress subject headings.
Each database or information system has made decisions about its controlled vocabulary to organize items into groups. Language is ever-changing and fallible, however, so it's essential to take note of the vocabulary being used by the system you are trying to navigate.
For example, the Library of Congress (LC) includes subject headings for Latin Americans--United States, Hispanic Americans, and Spanish Americans. While Latinos/Latinx is cross-referenced to Hispanic Americans, it is not its own subject heading.
Keyword searching relies on the accuracy of your search. For example, if I search LatinX, the results will exclude any results that do not include that word, and Latina and Latino results will be excluded.
Truncation can help your search! Using Latin* (word with an asterisk) will catch any word that starts with "Latin" and ends with other letters. This search is inclusive of Latine, Latinx, Latina, and Latino.
Many databases have a "Language" limiter within their advanced search. It may be worth it to search your topic using Spanish words and phrases to mirror the keywords in the articles and not just rely on the subject headings, which are in English.
Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts is your best friend for sociolinguistic research. It contains reliable, high-quality resources vetted by experts in the field.
Not every record in this database contains full text, but all (or most) can be requested through Interlibrary Loan.
While these are the two databases I recommend using for your political science research, be aware they are multidisciplinary and contain many subjects.
...to find more articles! Each article record will give you some clues for future searches. Do not rush by this treasure trove of information.
Contrary to what Google would have you believe, most information is not free. Rod Library pays a lot for the resources you access through our databases. Unfortunately, budgets never go as far as we wish they would. If we cannot access the material you need, our Interlibrary Loan staff will try to get it for you.
In addition to filling out the form, many of our databases include "Find It" buttons.
These buttons will sometimes open the article's full text from another product we subscribe to. However, if we do not have full-text access, they will take you to a library catalog (OneSearch) screen where you can "Request from ILLiad."
NOTE: You must sign in to your Rod Library account using your CatID to see this option in the library catalog.
