Picking a Topic

Selecting a topic for a research paper or project can be very challenging. You will want to select a topic that is of interest to you. This will make the research, reading and writing less of a chore. (TIP: Always start with a broad topic. It is easier to eliminate information as you write than it is to start with too little.) It is a good idea to wait to decide on a topic until you do some preliminary searching for books, articles, and web-based resources. If you can't find enough, you will want the flexibility to select a new topic. A great start to preliminary research is browsing the REFERENCE SECTION in the library (located on the 3rd floor).

Suggested Reference Sources:
The Motion Picture Guide	Annual Publication PN 1995 .M672 (year)	Discusses close to all films released in the previous year of the volume you are looking in, both in the US and abroad. An information key is located in the front of the Annual to make research easier.
International Directory of Films and Film Makers	Ref PN1997.8 .I58 1990	Multi-volume encyclopedic set covering Films, Directors, Actors and Actresses, Writers and Production Artists, and a Title Index.
Critical Dictionary of Film and Television Theory	Ref PN1993.45 .C75 2000	Alphabetical listing, cross referencing, with many references containing a selected bibliography and suggested futher reading.
Films by Genre: 775 Categories, Styles, Trends, and Movements Defined, with a Filmography for Each	Ref PN1998 .L63 1993	An alphabetical listing of entries with a brief description of the genre, subgenre, trend, or film grouping alluded to in the entry heading, which may include in brackets synonymous or related words. Hint: Search back Index for film to see if and where mentioned.
How to Read a Film: The World of Movies, Media, and Multimedia: Language, History, Theory	Ref PN1994 .M59 2000	Looking at film from many vantage points, the text explores the medium as both art and craft, sensibility and science, tradition and technology. Using the same models as one would critique the novel, painting, photography, etc. the text discusses those elements necessary to understand how films convey meaning, and more importantly, how we can best discern all that a film is attempting to communicate.
Magill's Survey of Cinema...	Various call numbers. Do a catalog search for this title to find browsing areas	Presents major information on a film (release date, production, direction, screenplay, etc.), major characters and actors, as well as offering a brief critque and plot summary of the film.
St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture (access online)	Print edition: Ref E169.1.S764	Includes bibliographical references and index.

Finding Books

Find Books at our library

Catalog:use this link to find Books, government documents, reserve items, music, movies and journal titles (NOT JOURNAL ARTICLES) in our library

Search the catalog using
- Write out a few keywords on your topics and enter them into the search box.
- Don't write out a sentence. You will get zero results.

For Example: I am writing a paper on film criticism
- my FIRST search might be: film criticism
- DON'T STOP here! Revise your searches and use the results to find other material
- Revised Search: I want to focus on film criticism of the Spike Lee's movies
- my NEXT search: film criticism and Spike Lee

REMEMBER - not all directors or films have books devoted to them... you may have to search resources which focus on many topics. Hint: you don't have to read an entire book before finding out if your director or film is covered in it... check the INDEX FIRST!!!

After you finish looking in the catalog, try browsing the shelves! A starting point for browsing for books on film is on the 1ST FLOOR within the PN1993-1999 section.

Find Books at other NJ Academic libaries

Additional Catalogs: use this link to locate material at other NJ academic libraries. Use Interlibrary Loan to get the material you find or drive to local schools and pick up the book.

Finding Articles

These databases are for finding journal articles
They are available 24/7 ONLY to Ramapo students
Off campus use requires login: Ramapo email and password
Some useful Databases for your projects:

Suggested Databases:
JSTOR	Tip: Entirely full-text and contains scholarly sources. Cannot email articles -- email yourself the stable url. Do not print from browser print button. Use the JSTOR print option.
Literature Resource Center	While this database is mostly associated with literature, articles on directors are indexed. In addition to searching by director name, you can search under "Authors by Type" and conduct a search under "Genre."
Historical New York Times	Provides full-text and full-image articles for The New York Times dating back to the 1851. Includes digital reproductions of every page from every issue. *Find movie reviews
Communication & Mass Media	Provides content in areas related to communication and mass media Tip: When only a citation/abstract is included, click on the Check availability at Ramapo link to see if the full text of the article is available in our collection.
General Databases:
Lexis-Nexis Academic	Articles from newspapers and popular magazines. Tip: Used Guided News Search and then select "Arts and Sports News" in Step 1 and "Books, Music, Movies, and Play Reviews" in Step 2.
Expanded Acdemic ASAP	Another multidisplinary database that contains many full-text articles. Tip: Check availability link within each citation to see if you have access to the journal being cited. If your search results include citations or abstracts (not full-text articles), click on the Check availability link within each citation to see if you have access to the journal being cited.
Academic Search Premier	A multi-disciplinary database containing both full-text articles and citations. Tip: When only a citation is included, click on the "Check availability at Ramapo" link to see if the full text of the article is available in our collection.

Strategies for searching the databases

Always go back and revise your searches! Look at using different terms and synonyms.

Always switch to the Advance Search page in a database. This will give you more control over your results.

Always use Boolean Operators-AND, OR, NOT when running a search:

AND: narrows your search ex: criticism and film
OR: broadens your search ex: (film or motion pictures) and criticism
NOT: narrows and eliminates undesired terms/topics from your search ex: "Film Criticism" not "Literary Criticism"

Always check your spelling if the catalog or database results are zero

To look for full-text use the: check availablity at Ramapo, primary catalog, or "check availability" links in the databases

Use the Subject Terms or Thesaurus link in databases to find the best search (or descriptor) terms to use

Some useful subjects for searching :

Cinematography
Motion Picture Actors and Actresses
Motion Picture Producers and Directors
Motion Pictures - History
Motion Pictures - Reviews
Historical Films
Experimental films -- United States -- History and Criticism
Motion Pictures -- History and Criticism

Find specific journals in the library

Use the Journal Finder to locate the full-text of journals in our library. These can be either online or in print.

Use interlibrary loan

Use Interlibrary Loan if we don't have a book or article that you need

Fill out the online form using your Ramapo Email (it will not be processed without that email address)

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Library Basics