Zurich University
of Applied Sciences

Research guide to applied linguistics resources

Be efficient in your research and use the various databases, reference works and additional literature in the field of applied linguistics.

Databases

We recommend that you search the databases in order to research and review up-to-date and discipline-specific content on a topic. They mostly contain references to resources as well as full text articles from journals. Depending on the database, additional types of publications such as conference reports, book chapters, pictures, videos and much more are included.

Linguistics databases

Name Content Guide
Bibliography of German Language and Literary Studies – BDSL
  • Subjects: German studies
  • Coverage: International, predominantly German
  • Content: Books, journal articles, reviews, essays, some only abstracts
 Further information
Bibliography of Metaphor and Metonymy
  • Subjects: Metaphor, metonymy and figurative language, focus on cognitive linguistics and rhetoric
  • Coverage: International, English
  • Content: Books, essays, journal articles and other content, some only abstracts
 -
Bibliography of Pragmatics Online
  • Subjects: Pragmatics, language use and communication
  • Coverage: International, English
  • Content: Scholarly articles, books, conference proceedings, studies, some only abstracts
 -
Bibliography of Linguistic Literature Database – BLLDB
  • Subjects: General and applied linguistics, English studies, German studies and Romance studies
  • Coverage: International, mostly German
  • Content: Books, journal articles, conference proceedings, some only abstracts
  • Special feature: One of the most comprehensive bibliographic databases in the field of linguistics.
 -
German Studies Online
  • Subjects: German studies, cultural history
  • Coverage: International, German
  • Content: Journal articles, books, reviews, some only abstracts
  • Special feature: Online edition of the specialist bibliographic journal Germanistik
 -
Linguistics Portal
  • Subjects: Linguistics, language, communication, semiotics
  • Coverage: International, multilingual
  • Content: Grammars, dictionaries, linguistic maps, research articles, multimedia elements, primary sources, some only abstracts
 -
Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts – LLBA
  • Subjects: Linguistics, language behaviour
  • Coverage: International, English
  • Content: Journal articles, books, dissertations, some only abstracts
  • Special feature: Focus on sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics
 Further information

Communication and media sciences databases

Name Content Guide
Communication Source
  • Subjects: Communication studies, linguistics, rhetoric and discourse, speech and language pathology, media studies and media research
  • Coverage: International, English
  • Content: Journal articles, conference proceedings, book chapters, some only abstracts
 EBSCO guides
Further information
Renteria
  • Subjects: Swiss PR and media directory
  • Coverage: Switzerland, German
  • Content: Addresses and contacts
Login details on the intranet (ZHAW login required). Limited to one simultaneous user – log out after use, no emailing (see Guide (in German), chapter 10) 		Guide [in German]

Press databases

Search the press databases for journalistic content.

Translation studies databases

Name Content Guide
Bibliography of Interpreting and Translation - BITRA
  • Subjects: Translation studies (translation and interpreting)
  • Coverage: International, multilingual
  • Content: Journal articles, books, dissertations, some only abstracts
  • Special feature: Freely accessible; international reference database
 -
Translation Studies Bibliography - TSB
  • Subjects: Translation studies (translation and interpreting)
  • Coverage: International, mostly English
  • Content: Books, journal articles, dissertations, some only abstracts
 -

Reserve collections

The following links will take you directly to the ZHAW swisscovery search portal. You can use them to display a list of the titles contained in the respective reserve collection.

Please note that physical titles in the reserve collections cannot be borrowed and are only available in the library. If available, additional copies can be borrowed.

CAS DaF/DaZ Sprachförderung für Erwachsene

Phonetik und Phonologie

Reference works

farbige Bücher stehen in einem Regal in der Hochschulbibliothek

Not sure where to start yet? Reference works are a good first step: they provide definitions, give an overview of a topic and help you find the right search terms for your research.

You can find all reference works in ZHAW swisscovery. To help you get started quickly in your specialist area, we have put together a selection of titles below. 

General reference works can be found with the monolingual and multilingual dictionaries.

Bachelor's and master's theses

Selected bachelor's and master's theses from the School of Applied Linguistics are available in the ZHAW digitalcollection.