Questions? Just ask!
Office: Bracken Library BL 102
Email: setaylor@bsu.edu
MLA Citation Style
Use Find It @ Ball State to look for full-text
Look for "Access" options when you're trying to find the full-text of an article.
If "Find It @ Ball State" is a choice, click there.
Sometimes the article will come right up.
Sometimes you may have to click on an option under "Full Text Availability."
Questions? Just ask!
For quick questions, visit the Ask a Librarian page and chat with library staff to get answers to your library questions.
Or email Susan Taylor at setaylor@bsu.edu. I may be able to answer your question over email, or we can set up a time to meet. Don't hesitate to ask for help!
OneSearch: For finding books & articles
Use the Advanced Search option in OneSearch to combine a variety of concepts and synonyms together in a single search. Use the CHOP, DROP, and OR technique for maximum efficiency.
Sample search:
On the Results page, you may choose to use the limiters on the left of the screen to refine your results to articles or books, or to narrow in other ways.
To get an MLA citation for a source, look for the quotations icon.
Clicking there will bring up a window, prompting you to choose your citation format. Choose MLA from the drop-down menu.
And then use your mouse to highlight the citation and copy-paste it into your work.
Because citation generators are not guaranteed to produce perfect citations, you need to double-check the formatting. The links in the MLA Citation box on this guide are resources you can use.
Sociological Abstracts: For finding articles in sociology and gender studies
Here's a sample search:
You may want to limit your results to only academic journal articles. Look on the left-hand side for the 'Source type' limiter:
To get an MLA citation for a source, look for the quotations icon.
Clicking there will bring up a window, prompting you to choose your citation format. Choose MLA from the drop-down menu.
Because citation generators are not guaranteed to produce perfect citations, you need to double-check the formatting. The links in the MLA Citation box on this guide are resources you can use.
When looking for the full-text of an article, if you don't see a "Full Text" link, click on "Find a copy," and then choose "Find It @ Ball State." It will try to connect you with the full article.
Kanopy Streaming Films: For finding documentaries
- Kanopy Streaming Films This link opens in a new windowKanopy is a film database containing more than 30,000 films from more than 1,000 producers.
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature: For finding articles related to music
RILM is a good database to use whenever you want to get the perspective from musicians or discussion of music.
Sample search:
You may want to limit your results to just journal articles, however. To do that, look under the search box, choose "Source type", and then select "Academic Journals." Choose "Apply."
To get an MLA citation for a source, from the results page, look to the right of the article you're interested in. Click on the vertical ellipsis, which brings up a Tools box with "Cite" at the top.
Under "Select style," scroll down to MLA, choose "Copy to clipboard," and paste it into your work.
Because citation generators are not guaranteed to produce perfect citations, you need to double-check the formatting. The links in the MLA Citation box on this guide are resources you can use.
When looking for the full-text of an article, if you don't see "Access now," click on "Access options," and then choose "Find It @ Ball State." It will try to connect you with the full article.