Tips and Resources for Academic Writing

For orientation in the field of North American literature and culture, consider taking a look at the following resources:

• Heike Paul: The Myths That Made America: An Introduction to American Studies (Open Access)
• Neil Campbell & Alasdair Kean: American Cultural Studies: An Introduction to American Culture. 4th ed. (or earlier versions, if the 4th edition is not availalbe)
• Peter Barry: Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 4th ed. (or earlier versions, if the 4th edition is not available)
• Cambridge Companions to Literature (American Literature), available for a variety of topics, e.g. The Cambridge Companion to African American Womens Writing, The Cambridge Companion to Postmodernism, The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction, etc.
• Keywords Series by NYU Press, available for a variety of topics, e.g. Keywords for American Cultural Studies (Full books available via the UB; selected essays available on the following Website)

Moreover, remember to make use of the resources provided by the University Library, for example, the library catalogue or online archives/data bases such as JSTOR or PROJECT MUSE for browsing journal articles. Google and similar search engines, whether AI-driven or not, can help you find materials too, but they are not necessarily good at selecting relevant book chapters and articles from reputable journals. Here are a few links to peer-reviewed, open-access American Studies journals that you can always consult for relevant articles:

• Amerikastudien/ American Studies (the journal of the German Association for American Studies)
• European Journal of American Studies (the journal of the European Association for American Studies)
• Journal of American Studies (the journal of the British Association for American Studies)
• American Quartlery (the journal of the U.S.-based American Studies Association)

• Review of International American Studies (journal of the International American Studies Association)

   

For general information on academic writing in English, see the resources provided by the Thompson Writing Program (Duke University), as well as the following documents: