English Language and Literature - Subject Research Guide

Finding Journal Articles and Citations

Some databases may also include literary criticisms, books, essays, book reviews, conference papers, and more.

Academic Search Complete
Google Scholar Free on the Web: Peer-reviewed articles; some indexing, some free full text.
Historical Abstracts with Full Text
Humanities International Complete
Literary Encyclopedia: A reference work focused on literature originally written in English or translated into English; entries are authoritative summaries written by 1,500+ experts and edited by a scholarly board. (requires individual registration using ORU email) More...
Literary Index: Provides indexing for the entire Gale literary series, including cross-references for authors and titles; NO full text. More...
Literary Reference Center: Contains full text for 34,000+ plot summaries, 100,000 articles/essays of literary criticism, 179,000+ author biographies, 450 literary journals, 675,000+ book reviews, 74,000 poems, 18,000 short stories, and 6,100+ author interviews from such works as Masterplots, 4th ed.; Magill's Guide to Science Fiction & Fantasy Literature, Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature, The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, and others. More...
MLA International Bibliography: Provides indexing of journal articles, books and dissertations relating to literature, language, and the dramatic arts. More...

± TIP: How to select and search multiple EBSCO databases simultaneously.

For more search tips see Find...Articles library guide.

Literature - Authors & Biographies

Biography in Context: Contains media rich content and includes nearly a million biographical entries spanning history and geography. Search occupation, nationality, ethnicity and more. View tutorial on basic searching. Tip Sheet PDF

Search the author's name then click View All next to your selected document type (reference, academic journals, featured content, etc.). Use the tools on the left, including the "Search within results" option, to narrow or limit your results.
To find an author entry in Contemporary Authors online click Advanced Search. On the first line search the author's name for keyword and on the second line add Contemporary Authors Online in Publication Title.

Credo Reference: Provides general reference information.
Academic Search Premier: To search for articles about an author:
In the top menu, mouseover More and click Indexes.
For Browse an Index choose People (shown right).
Type the author's last name first. Mark the author(s) and click the Add button. Add other relevant keywords in the search text box. Click search.
America: History & Life: Search suggestion: Type biography and change Select a Field (optional) to SU Subject Terms. On the second line type the person's name. (shown below)

Or, use the People index (See Academic Search Complete, above)
Humanities International Complete

Library research guide: For more tips and databases see Biographical Information.

English and Literature - Books & eBooks

In the ORU library catalog try a subject search for Literature to browse topics. Click a subject to view the books. Also try a keyword or author search.
ebooks
ebrary: Language and Literature ~10,600 ebooks: Use subject searches and relevant keywords.
ebrary: Multiculturalism in Literature ebrary: Ethnicity in Literature ebrary: Race in Literature
To browse ebook titles in a specific call number section (shown below): Use Advanced search. Change Search in menu to LC Call Number. Type the call numbers (see LC outlines). Click Search ebrary. To view the 20 most relevant chapters from your result list: Do a search. When you have a list of results, click the Chapter Results tab. Combine keyword and subject searching to focus your results.
eBook Collection: Literature & Criticism

Library research guide: For general information on ebooks see How to Find Books & ebooks

Literature - Periodicals and eJournals

General instruction for locating periodical articles is provided in the "How to Find Periodicals" research guide. The following information is specific to the topic.

A-to-Z: Language and Literature ~3,188 periodical titles: From the list, select your subject. Click on a database name below the journal title and follow the links to full text.
A-to-Z: American Literature ~509 titles
A-to-Z: English Literature ~537 titles: Try a title keyword search.
1. Go to the A-to-Z Journals List title search page.
2. Type your relevant term(s).
3. Select a journal title and follow the links to the full text.

Language and Literature - Using Reference Books

Reference Databases
To get general and background information on a topic or subject, search the reference databases below or browse the contents of a relevant reference book.
Credo Reference: Credo Reference Book Titles; Credo Reference Topic Pages: Literature
Gale Virtual Reference Library: Literature: Access the database then select from the list of reference book titles (pdf). Or, at the top of the GVRL search page, type your topic to search all GVRL books. Gale More...
In the Library, 4th floor LINC To find specific reference titles, search the ORU library catalog and limit your results to "Reference Collection."
Library of Congress Call Numbers (partial list)

PN
Literary history and collections (general)

PQ
Romance literature

PR
English literature

PS

American literature

PT
Germanic literature

Browse the shelves in the PN-PZ call number sections of the reference collection and bound periodicals area. Materials are shelved in Library of Congress (LC) call number order, so similar subjects will be shelved next to each other.
For a detailed call number list see the Library of Congress Classification Outline, Class P - Language and Literature.
Sample titles:
General Reference Use for background information, brief biographical information, etc.

Cassell's Encyclopaedia of World Literature - PN41.C3 LRC-R
Includes "Histories of the Literature of the World," "General Literary Subjects," and biographies of authors.
Companion to the American Short Story - PS374.S5F33 LRC-R
See Table of Contents. Includes national literatures, forms of literature, articles on individual authors (with some pictures), and a list of Nobel Prize winners for literature 1901-1962.
Concise Encyclopedia of Modern World Literature - PN41.C64 LRC-R
See Table of Contents. Includes national literatures, forms of literature, articles on individual authors (with some pictures), and a list of Nobel Prize winners for literature 1901-1962.
A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory - PN41.C83 LRC-R
A Dictionary of Writers and Their Works - PN451.C99 LRC-R
Handbook to Literature - PN41.H6 LRC-R

Subject Specific Resources

African-American Writers - PS153.N5.A3444 LRC-R
Asian American Novelists - PS153.A84.A825 LRC-R
Flannery O'Conner: An Annotated Reference Guide to Criticism - PS3565.C57.Z857 LRC-R
Harlem Renaissance - NX512.3.A35R63 LRC-R
Magill's Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature - PN3433.8.M24 LRC-R
Native American Literatures: An Encyclopedia of Works, Characters, Authors, and Themes - PS153.I52.W47 LRC-R
The Oxford Companion to Women's Writings in the United States- PS147.O94 LRC-R
Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature 1975-1991- PN3448.S45R4212 LRC-R

Literature - Websites

Bartleby.com: http://www.bartleby.com
Literary site with access to reference sources, older classics and some copyrighted titles. Includes fiction, non-fiction, and verse.
Chaucer MetaPage: http://www.unc.edu/depts/chaucer
Portal for Chaucer resources on the Internet.
ComicsResearch by Gene Kannenberg's, features The Comics Scholarship Annotated Bibliographies.: http://www.comicsresearch.org/
Donna M. Campbell, Gonzaga University: http://www.gonzaga.edu/faculty/campbell/
Links to American authors, literary movements, and American literature sites. Presents a chronological timeline of events in American literature.
Electronic Text Collections in Western European Literature: http://www.lib.virginia.edu/wess/etexts.html
Literary Resources on the Net: http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Lit/
Provides links to American literature sites. Compiled by Jack P. Lynch, Ph.D. candidate in English.
The Modern Word: http://www.themodernword.com/themodword.cfm
Focuses of 20th and 21st century authors. Includes reviews, essays, profiles and more.
The New Chaucer Society: http://artsci.wustl.edu/~chaucer/
The Perseus Digital Library: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/
Includes literary collections of primary and secondary materials from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Victorian Web: http://www.victorianweb.org/
Wright American Fiction, 1951-1875: http://www.letrs.indiana.edu/web/w/wright2/
A digital library of early American fiction. Hosted by Indiana University.

Directories and Portals
Librarians' Index to the Internet: Literature and Books: http://lii.org/; Selected web sites have been evaluated by librarians. Includes numerous subject categories such as literature by country, authors, folklore, fiction by genre, and full text works.

This page was developed to provide Composition 102 Students with several selected resources for getting ideas or starting on their research assignments.

Getting Ideas
CQ Researcher (eReference publication): In-depth coverage, including background information, chronology, maps, charts, issues, pros/cons, and the outlook of hundreds of current social and political "hot topics." Coverage is non-biased and authoritative. FAQs
Opposing Viewpoints Series, shown right (Books, in the Library)
Opposing Viewpoints Series Unnumbered (Books, in the Library): Use the library catalog "sort" to put newest titles at the top of the list. Article and book bibliographies are included, as well as organizations, for more information on the topic discussed.
Points of View Reference (database): Current, controversial topics with multiple sides supported by articles, primary sources, news briefs, and more. View the EBSCO Tutorial (6 min). Find out more
Taking Sides Series (Books, in the Library): Clashing views on controversial issues. Find out more
TIP: Access the record in the ORU Library Catalog then look at the "contents" to see a series of questions on the topic.

Keyword Suggestions
When searching your topic in a database use descriptive terms from your thesis statement. An effective search may also include some of the following terms:: argu* (-es, -ment)
compar* (-e, -ed, -s, -ison, -ing, -able)
concern
controvers* (-y, -ial, -ies)
debate, debates
issue, issues
problem
For more search tips see Key Points: Search Strategies

The tips below are provided to help Composition 303 Students researching for their assignments, which may include writing on an ethical issue within a discipline, analysis of contemporary lyrics, worldviews and more.

Getting Ideas -- Use Database Subject Headings and Thesauri

To view a list of articles on a variety of ethical issues within a discipline try a subject or thesaurus search in a relevant database.

During the LIBBIs we use database subject headings and thesauri to identify terms, related subjects and articles.

For example, in the database Education Research Complete (shown right), the Thesaurus search results for the term “ethics” include alternative subjects of "ethical problems," "student ethics," "work ethics," and "education-moral & ethical aspects." See Database Subject Headings and Thesauri. PDF

Then, to add thesaurus or subject terms to your search, just mark the checkboxes in front of relevant terms and click the add button. Browse and select additional relevant subjects for your topic. When finished, click the search button at the top of the database page.

In another thesaurus search example, “SCHOOL psychologists -- Professional ethics" and "STUDENT counselors -- Professional ethics" were added to the search using "or." There were 24 search results, including articles and citations, but some articles may be too old to use for the research assignment. So, in the left menu under Refine your results, for the Publication Date, type in the date(s) or drag the date bar to set your date restrictions, and then click update.
Try it. View the above example and limit the results to 2005-present. How many results?

Keywords Keyword Searching

To find articles, when searching your topic:

Use descriptive terms from your thesis statement
Use subject specific databases relevant to your topic
Consider alternative terms that identify your key concepts or the type of information you are seeking
If available, set date restrictions for your results

Finding Books in the Library

To find books on your topic, use the library catalog and try a subject search for your topic, discipline, or profession. If multiple subjects are listed, drill down to your interested topic for a listing of books.

Finding Information about a Musician, Performer, Lyricist

Search the artist's name in a relevant database, such as Academic Search Complete, Humanitites International Complete, and Biography in Context.
See the Biographical Information and Music library guides for more databases and search tips.

Background information

Browse books in relevant call number sections or search the library catalog.
Examples:
Titles for the subject Christian Rock Music--History and Criticism (call #ML3187.5...)
· Apostles of Rock: The Splintered World of Contemporary Christian Music -- ML3187.5 .H58
· At the Crossroads: An Insider's Look at the Past, Present, and Future of Contemporary Christian Music -- ML3187.5 .P37
· Living in the Rock N Roll Mysteys: Reading Context, Self, and Others as Clues eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)
· Open Up the Doors: Music in the Modern Church ebrary

Search or browse journals.
Examples:
· Americana: The Journal of American Popular Culture
· Journal of American Popular Culture
· Journal of Religion and Popular Culture