Introduction
This subject guide highlights some key discipline resources to get you started with study and research.
- Refer to the New Students Library Guide for everything you need to know about Library services and resources.
- Build your researching, reading and writing skills with the Research Essentials Library Guide.
- Streamline your access to online resources with the Library's quick access tools.
Language resources
Below are some dictionaries and grammar works to get you started. For further resources, also check the following subject headings in the Library catalogue:
Dictionaries:
Pocket Oxford German dictionary : English-German / by Call Number: electronic resourcePublication Date: 2009Authoritative and up-to-date, this fourth edition covers over 90,000 words and phrases, and 120,000 translations of contemporary German and English.
Pocket Oxford German dictionary : German-English / by Call Number: electronic resourcePublication Date: 2009Authoritative and up-to-date, this fourth edition covers over 90,000 words and phrases, and 120,000 translations of contemporary German and English.
Grammar and workbooks:
Basic German / by Call Number: electronic resourcePublication Date: 2016Basic German: A Grammar and Workbook comprises an accessible reference grammar and related exercises in a single volume. The book introduces German people and culture through the medium of the language used today, covering the core material which students would expect to encounter in their first years of learning German. Each of the 29 units presents one or more related grammar topics, illustrated by examples which serve as models for the exercises that follow. These wide-ranging and varied exercises enable the student to master each grammar point thoroughly.
Essential German Grammar / by Call Number: electronic resourcePublication Date: 2015Essential German Grammar is a student-friendly grammar and workbook designed to give learners a firm foundation on which to build a real understanding of both spoken and written German. The reference grammar section offers clear explanations of key grammar points while a separate exercise section gives students the opportunity to test themselves and put into practice what they have learned.
German Grammar in Context / by Call Number: electronic resourcePublication Date: 2019Includes updated textual examples which provide the basis for an accessible and engaging approach to learning grammar. Using authentic texts from a variety of contemporary sources such as newspapers, magazines, poems, TV and film scripts, books or online sources, each chapter explores a key aspect of German grammar.
Mastering German vocabulary : a practical guide to troublesome words / by Call Number: electronic resourcePublication Date: 2004How often have you looked up an English word in a German dictionary only to be confronted by a bewildering array of German equivalents? Which is the correct word for the context in question? Mastering German Vocabulary explains how to use over 2,200 common German words correctly, using example sentences in German with English translations.
Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias and handbooks relevant to German Studies:
The Oxford Companion to German Literature / by Call Number: electronic resourcePublication Date: 1997This edition includes around 80 new and over 200 substantially revised entries. It explores authors and topics at the heart of contemporary debate on literature including Kafka, Kleist Christa Wolf, Jelinek, Peter Handke and Günter de Bruyn.
The Oxford handbook of modern German history / by Call Number: electronic resourcePublication Date: 2012This is the first comprehensive, multi-author survey of German history that features cutting-edge syntheses of major topics by an international team of leading scholars.
Encyclopedia of Contemporary German Culture / by Call Number: electronic resourcePublication Date: 1999With more than 1,100 entries written by an international group of over 150 contributors, the Encyclopedia of Contemporary German Culture brings together myriad strands of social, political and cultural life in the post-1945 German-speaking world.
Books
To find books on a particular subject, do a keyword search in the Library Catalogue. Alternatively you can search by title, author, etc.
You can also find books on similar topics through the subject headings in item records. Click on these headings to find related subjects and titles.
Looking for a book we don't have or is not on our shelves?
Inter-Library Loans
University of Melbourne staff and students can request resources through the Library’s Inter-Library Loans service. For more information visit the ILL web page, or you can access the request forms.
A CAVAL card allows you to borrow from other universities and TAFEs. Visit the CAVAL website to find out how to sign up for a CAVAL card.
You can then use the Trove website to see which library has the book you want.
Databases and journals
Use databases to search across many academic resources (including peer-reviewed journals) at the same time.
Refer to the A-Z Ejournals and Databases page for a comprehensive list of available resources.
Core Arts and Humanities databases (try these first):
The selection of multidisciplinary databases below will retrieve results from different subject areas.
- Discovery (EBSCO)Use Discovery to look for books, ebooks, journal articles and more. It's a great place to start your search but does not give you everything the Library has. We highly recommend searching in at least one other database on this list as well as Discovery.
- Google ScholarGoogle Scholar is one of the most popular ways to find academic sources for study and research. Did you know you can use it to search for journal articles that the University of Melbourne has access to? You can do this through the link above or set up your Google Scholar preferences to include Library content.
- JSTORJSTOR is one of the largest databases the Library has access to. It is a multidisciplinary database so it looks in thousands of journals in over a hundred subjects - many of them related to arts and humanities. Highly recommended as your first or second place to search.
- Scopus (Elsevier)Scopus is another large, multidisciplinary database. It looks through journals, books, and conference papers. It has some advanced tools that can help you discover new research quickly - the 'times cited' and 'related articles' links are great time-savers. While it doesn't always have full-text PDFs it is still an excellent place to look for your research.
- Web of ScienceWeb of Science is a massive, multidisciplinary database which includes a large amount of humanities and social sciences material from as far back as 1900. Like Scopus it has some advanced features that allows you to quickly link to related research.
- ProQuest CentralCovering more than 160 subjects areas, ProQuest Central is the largest aggregated database of periodical content. This award-winning online reference resource features a highly-respected, diversified mix of content including scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, books, newspapers, reports and videos.
German Studies-specific databases:
For more focused results try searching in one of these subject-specific databases.
- Digital Karl Barth LibraryThe collection features the entire corpus of Barth's Gesamtausgabe. Published under the TVZ imprint, this definitive edition of Barth's works in German currently comprises more than 40 volumes of sermons, letters, lectures, conversations, and academic writings. It also includes the English translation of Barth's magnum opus, The Church Dogmatics, and the original German version, Die kirchliche Dogmatik. These works have been made available to Alexander Street Press through a special licensing arrangement with the TVZ.
- Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts : LLBA (Proquest)This database abstracts and indexes the international literature in linguistics and related disciplines in the language sciences. The database covers all aspects of the study of language including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. Documents indexed include journal articles, book reviews, books, book chapters, dissertations and working papers.
Tip: try using German keywords, or use the language filter in the Advanced Search - Command Line Search menu. - Literature Online (LION) (ProQuest)Literature Online is an online resource for the study and teaching of literature in English. The collection contains works of poetry, drama and prose, full-text literature journals, and key bibliographies, biographies, reference works and student guides. Literature Online also contains the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (ABELL), with records covering monographs, periodical articles, critical editions of literary works, book reviews, collections of essays and doctoral dissertations published anywhere in the world.
Tip: try using German keywords, or use the language filter in the Advanced Search - Command Line Search menu. - MLA International Bibliography (EBSCOhost)Produced by the Modern Language Association the International Bibliography is the definitive index for the study of language, literature, linguistics, rhetoric and composition, folklore and film, covering scholarly publications from the early 20th century to the present. It includes citations to content published in journals, books, series, translations, scholarly editions, websites and dissertations. The database also includes the Directory of Periodicals and the Thesaurus.
- Project Muse Journal CollectionProject MUSE offers full-text current and archival articles from scholarly journals published by major university presses covering literature and criticism, history, performing arts, cultural studies, education, philosophy, political science, gender studies, and more. Search results can be limited by language, such as German, French, Spanish and Latin. Updated continually.
News
Websites
You can find relevant information and resources for your research on the websites of professional organisations and bodies, institutes, NGOs, government departments, etc.
This guide gives a few suggestions to get you started and to give you an idea what to look for. It is by no means comprehensive. If you are a coursework student, check your LMS to see if your lecturer has provided website recommendations.
Tip: if you want to limit your Google search results to organisational, governmental, or educational websites, use Google's advanced search option to limit the site or domains to .org, .gov, .edu.
Some website suggestions to get you started:
- Deutsche WelleGermany's international broadcaster.
- Goethe Institute AustraliaAims to "promote knowledge of the German language abroad and foster international cultural cooperation. We convey a comprehensive picture of Germany by providing information on Germany's cultural, social and political life."
- Project GutenbergThe German page of Project Gutenberg, offers free access to German e-books.
- SBS German/ DeutschPodcasts in German, or about topics related to Germany.
TV and streaming media
Television databases
- EduTV (Informit)EduTV is a Video Streaming service of over 50,000+ broadcast programs from free-to-air and pay TV channels in Australia. Coverage commences with 2006 and includes content across a wide range of learning areas. Free to air content is recorded from the ABC, SBS, NITV, 9, 7, 10, etc. channels. EduTV also includes several programs broadcast on Pay TV such as The History Channel, National Geographic, BBC Knowledge and Discovery channels.
Streaming media
- Kanopy (Kanopy)The Kanopy Streaming Service is the leading supplier of streamed videos to global academic institutions. The service utilises sophisticated platform and delivery technology to offer a new world of online engagement that empowers University of Melbourne Library to stream on demand video at optimal quality to their registered staff and students.
Explore the catalogue of over 20,000 videos from the world’s most prominent filmmakers and production houses. Specially curated collections cover a wide range educational disciplines including literacy, mathematics, history and issues in society. Kanopy also offers a hosting service allowing for DVDs to be uploaded and streamed online provided digital rights is obtained. Kanopy offers a large range of Australian content and videos can be searched using the library catalogue. - Alexander Street VideoAlexander Street Press offers video, audio and text-based resources covering an extensive range of subjects. This site allows users to cross-search the content purchased by the University of Melbourne Library. It features a single, fully integrated platform, offering access to thousands of full-length streaming video titles and audio recordings. Almost every video in the collection is fully transcribed in addition to being indexed for subjects, people, places, release date, language, publisher, and video type. Users can also select to view a single subject collection by using the dropdown menu at the top of the homepage.
Referencing and citing
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