How do I find sources?
The most effective way to find sources can vary by database and source type. But don't worry, we've broken it down for you step by step to make it easier. Click on the links for the best databases to find the source type and instructions on how to use them.
- Primary Sources
When you need a poem, play, short story, novel, or film to analyze. - BiographiesWhen you need information on the author or the author's life.
- Work OverviewsWhen you need to know the themes in a work, what literary devices are used, the style, how it fits in the historical time period, the work's significance, or other broad, easy to understand information about a work of literature.
- Topic and Theme OverviewsWhen you need easy to understand coverage of a theme, genre, topic, or critical lens.
- Literary CriticismWhen you need a deep analysis of a work of literature, a critical lens to view with, or an interpretation of the work by a literary scholar.
- Peer-Reviewed Literary CriticismIn depth analysis of a literary work by a literary scholar that has gone through a rigorous process of review.
- What sources do I need?
Not sure which source type you need? Give this page a click. - Need something else?Not seeing the sources you need listed here? Click on this page for more resources and search tips.
Keep in mind that databases label source types differently from one another and from the definitions above. Use your evaluative judgment on which type a source is rather than relying only on how the database categorizes it.
Primary Sources
- English Course Readings GuidePoems, plays, short stories, and essays organized by author or title.
- Poetry FoundationPoems, readings, poetry news and the entire 100-year archive of POETRY magazine.
Search the library catalog for books and ebooks. You can try searching by the title of the work of literature, but you may need to search by the author's name to get collections of their work. Once you find the collection, look through the table of contents to find the work you're looking for.
- How can I chat with the library?
Want help searching? Librarians are available 24/7 on chat. - Need something else?Not seeing the sources you need listed here? Click on this page for more resources and search tips.
Literary Criticsm
Head's up! You will likely need to search in more than one database with more than one search strategy to find relevant literary criticism for your project. Because literary criticism contain such deep analysis, they tend to focus on a very specific aspect of a work that may not apply to your thesis or analysis. To save yourself some time, you can search multiple databases at once by starting at Academic Search Complete.
- Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Use the Choose Databases Link above the search box and add Literary Reference Center Plus and Humanities Source to the search list.
Start by searching using the title of the work of literature. The database defaults to the literary criticism source type.
You can try adding your topic, theme, genre, critical lens, etc. on another line in the advanced search or using the Search Within tab of the Filter Your Results area.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
- Need something else?Not seeing the sources you need listed here? Click on this page for more resources and search tips.
- How can I chat with a librarian?Want help searching? Librarians are available 24/7 on chat.
Biographies
Type the name of the author in the search box and choose the correct author from the list. The biographies will be at the top of the page. If you're doing a biography research project, Biography in Context also includes magazine, news, and journal articles about the author.
Type the name of the author in the search box and make sure to choose the Biography Source type from the top tabs.
- How can I chat with the library?Want help searching? Librarians are available 24/7 on chat.
Work Overviews
- Literary Reference Center Plus (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
When searching for a work overview, type in the title of the work in the search box. If your number of results is overwhelming, try adding one of the following reference series names to the second line - Masterplots, Literary Contexts, or MaGill's.
When searching for a work overview, type in the title of the work in the search box. Then make sure to choose the Topic & Work Overviews Tab at the top. It will default to Literature Criticism when you first hit search.
- How can I chat with the library?Want help searching? Librarians are available 24/7 on chat.
Topic and Theme Overviews
- When searching for an overview of a topic, genre, critical lens, or theme in Gale Literature, make sure to choose the Topic & Work Overviews Tab at the top. It will default to Literature Criticism when you first hit search.
- If you're looking for a specific theme, try using the advanced search. Input your theme in the first box. Input "Literary Themes for Students" in the second box and choose Publication Title from the drop down menu beside the search box. Literary Themes for Students is a reference series title.
To find theme overviews in Bloom's, click on the Literary Themes tab on the right.
Then use the drop down menu to choose a theme.
- Need something else?Not seeing the sources you need listed here? Click on this page for more resources and search tips.
- How can I chat with the library?Want help searching? Librarians are available 24/7 on chat.
Peer-Reviewed Literary Criticism
Follow the same instructions as Literary Criticisms, only make sure to check the peer-reviewed or Scholarly Journal Articles boxes when you are searching. This is not a fool proof method for determining whether an article is peer-reviewed, but it's a start. Editorials and Reviews reflect only the opinion of the author and have not gone through the rigorous process of formal review by other literary scholars. And if you're ever unsure whether a journal is peer-reviewed, you can google the title to find the journal homepage to find out or Ask a Librarian for help!
- Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
- Need something else?Not seeing the sources you need listed here? Click on this page for more resources and search tips.
- How can I chat with the library?Want help searching? Librarians are available 24/7 on chat.