Outline of this guide: MLA Style: Guides & Tools Reference Works: (Background Information) Exercises Books Articles

Other useful links: Book Review Sources The Dewey Decimal System: An Outline The Library of Congress Classification System: An Outline RefWorks RefWorks: A Guide Research Log Research Planner Scholarly Articles: How to Identify Them Text a Librarian Theatre Review Sources

• Office hours:
  • Monday 1:00-3:00 pm
  • Tuesday, 3:00-5:00 pm
  • Wednesday, 1:00-2:00 pm
  Location: Consultation Room (directly behind the reference desk)
• Also available by appointment.

• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: Modern Language Association, 2009.
  Little Library Reference Desk: REF LB2369 .G53 2009
  • Have an older edition of the MLA Handbook?
    For an overview of the changes in the 7th edition and examples of citations, see Documenting Sources in MLA Style: 2009 Update: A Hacker Handbooks Supplement, from Bedford/St. Martin's
• MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. 3rd ed. New York: Modern Language Association, 2008.
  Reference Desk: REF PN147 .G444 2008
  A guide for scholars and professional writers.
• RefWorks
  Use to capture, retain, and organize citations, generate bibliographies using MLA style, share references, and more. See also the library's guide to using RefWorks.

Dictionaries | General Guides & Encyclopedias | Critical Theory | Works About Specific Authors & Texts

General tips:

• For etymologies, definitions, and information about the meaning and use of words in particular time periods, search The Oxford English Dictionary (OED).
• For information about specific critical methods or theoretical approaches, consult The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism.
• For biographical information, critical overviews of authors and their works, and general bibliographies of secondary sources, search Literature Resource Center.
• For more information, consult the reference works listed below.

• Credo Reference
  Includes The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.) and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.).
• The Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Ed. J.A. Simpson and E.S.C. Weiner. 2nd ed. 20 vols. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989.
  Reference R 423 O98m
• Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged. Ed. Philip Babcock Gove. Springfield, MA: G & C Merriam, [1971].
  Reference R 423 W38n, 1971

• The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English. Ian Ousby. Rev. ed. New York: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1993.
  Reference R 928 C178
• The Columbia Encyclopedia of Modern Drama. Ed. Gabrielle Cody and Evert Sprinchorn. 2 vols. New York: Columbia Univ. Press, 2007.
  Reference R 809.2 C726
• The Columbia Guide to the Twentieth-Century American Short Story. Ed. Blanche H. Gelfant. New York: Columbia Univ. Press, 2000.
  Reference R 813 C726
• The Companion to Southern Literature: Themes, Genres, Places, People, Movements, and Motifs. Ed. Joseph M. Flora and Lucinda H. MacKethan. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State Univ. Press, 2002.
  Reference R 810.9 C737
• The Continuum Encyclopedia of British Literature. Ed. Steven R. Serafin and Valerie Grosvenor Myer. New York: Continuum, 2003.
  Reference R 820.3 C762
• Credo Reference
  A collection of online reference books, including a selection of literature resources, such as The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English (3rd ed.), The Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature, and the The Continuum Encyclopedia of British Literature.
• A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms. Edward Quinn. New York: Facts on File, 1999.
  REF PN44.5 .Q56 1999
• A Dictionary of Literary Devices. Bernard Dupriez. Trans. Albert W. Halsall. Toronto: Univ. of Toronto Press, 1991.
  Reference R 803 D943g-T
• Dictionary of Literary Themes and Motifs. Ed. Jean-Charles Seigneuret et al. 2 vols. New York: Greenwood, 1988.
  Reference R 803 D5541
• Gale Virtual Reference Library
  A collection of over 250 electronic reference works; covers multiple disciplines.
• A Handbook to Literature. William Harmon. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003.
  Reference R 803 H747h9
• The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Ed. Alex Preminger and T.V.F. Brogan. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press, 1993.
  Reference R 809.1 P957 1993
• Oxford Companions
  • The Oxford Companion to American Literature. Ed. James D. Hart. 6th ed. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1995.
    Reference R 810.3 O98c6
  • The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature. Ed. Eugene Benson and William Toye. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1997.
    Reference R 810.3 O981 1997
  • The Oxford Companion to English Literature. Ed. Margaret Drabble. 6th ed. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2000.
    Reference R 820.3 H34o6
  • The Oxford Companion to Irish Literature. Ed. Robert Welch. New York: Clarendon Press, 1996.
    Reference R 820.9 O981
  • The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature. Ed. Roger Robinson and Nelson Wattie. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1998.
    Reference R 820.3 O981
  • The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English. Ed. Jenny Stringer. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1996.
    Reference R 820.3 O98
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature. Ed. David Scott Kastan. 5 vols. New York: Oxford, 2006.
  Reference R 820.3 O982
• The Poet's Dictionary: A Handbook of Prosody and Poetic Devices. William Packard. New York: Harper & Row, 1989.
  Reference R 803 P119p
• Twentieth-Century Literary Movements Dictionary: A Compendium to More than 500 Literary, Critical, and Theatrical Movements. Ed. Helene Anderson and Jay P. Pederson. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 2000.
  REF PN597 .T94 2000

• The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. Ross Murfin and Supryia M. Ray. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003.
  Reference R 801.95 M975b
• Contemporary Critical Theory: A Selective Bibliography. Donald G. Marshall. New York: Modern Language Association, 1993.
  Reference R 016.8 M367c
• The Continuum Encyclopedia of Modern Criticism and Theory. Ed. Julian Wolfreys. New York: Continuum, 2002.
  REF PN94 .C695 2002
• Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. J.A. Cuddon. 4th ed. Oxford: Blackwell, 1998.
  REF PN41 .C83 1998
• Dictionary of Narratology. Gerald Prince. Rev. ed. Lincoln, NE: Univ. of Nebraska Press, 2003.
  Reference R 801.95 P995d 2003
• Encyclopedia of Contemporary Literary Theory: Approaches, Scholars, Terms. Ed. Irene R. Makaryk. Toronto: Univ. of Toronto Press, 1993.
  Reference R 801 E56
• Encyclopedia of Feminist Theories. Ed. Lorraine Code. New York: Routledge, 2000.
  Reference R 305.42 E56
• Encyclopedia of Literary Critics and Criticism. Ed. Chris Murray. New ed. 2 vols. London: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1999.
  Reference R 801.95 E56
• A Glossary of Contemporary Literary Theory. Jeremy Hawthorne. 4th ed. London: Arnold, 2000.
  Reference R 801.95 H399g4
• The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism. Ed. Michael Groden et al. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 2005.
  REF PN81 .J554 2005
• The Penguin Dictionary of Critical Theory. David Macey. New York: Penguin, 2000.
  Reference R 801.95 M142p
• Postmodern Fiction: A Bio-Bibliographical Guide. Ed. Larry McCaffery. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1986.
  Reference R 809.3 P858
• The Routledge Critical Dictionary of Feminism and PostFeminism. Ed. Sarah Gamble. New York: Routledge, 2000.
  Reference R 305.42 R869

• American National Biography. Ed. John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes. 24 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999-2002.
  Reference R 920.073 A512
• Biography Reference Bank. H.W. Wilson, 2003- .
• Contemporary Novelists. Ed. Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer. 7th ed. Detroit, MI: St. James Press, 2001.
  Reference R 823.09 C7611 2001
• Critical Survey of Drama. Ed. Carl Rollyson. 2nd rev. ed. 8 vols. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2003.
  Reference R 809.2 C934
• Critical Survey of Poetry. Ed. Philip Jason. 2nd rev. ed. 8 vols. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2003.
  Reference R 809.1 C934
• Critical Survey of Short Fiction. Ed. Charles E. May. 2nd rev. ed. 7 vols. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2001.
  Reference R 809.3 C934 2001
• Encyclopedia of American Poetry: The Twentieth Century. Ed. Eric L. Haralson. Chicago, IL: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2001.
  Reference R 928.1 E561
• Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English. Ed. Eugene Benson and L.W. Conolly. 2nd ed. 3 vols. New York: Routledge, 2005.
  Reference R 820.9 E561 2005
• Encyclopedia of World Literature in the 20th Century. Ed. Steven R. Serafin. 5 vols. Farmington Hills, MI: St. James Press, 1999.
  Reference R 803 E562 1999
• Literary Reference Center
  Contains full-text biographies, book reviews, critical essays, journal articles, and plot summaries as well as author interviews, selected reference works, and thousands of classic and contemporary poems, short stories, and other texts.
• Literature Resource Center
  Contains full-text biographies, critical essays, journal articles, and excerpts of criticism and reviews about over 130,000 literary authors and their works; covers dramatists, essayists, novelists, poets, and other writers from all time periods.
  Includes:
  • Contemporary Authors
  • The Dictionary of Literary Biography
  • Feminist Writers
  • Scribner's American Writers
  • Scribner's British Writers
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. ed. H.C.G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. 60 vols. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2004.
  Reference R 920 N2111
  See also the first edition: Dictionary of National Biography, edited by Leslie Stephen and Sidney Lee (22 vols.; 1885-1901; reprinted London: Oxford Univ. Press, 1963-1965), shelved in Reference at call number R 920 N211.
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature. Ed. David Scott Kastan. 5 vols. New York: Oxford, 2006.
  Reference R 820.3 O982
• Postmodern Fiction: A Bio-Bibliographical Guide. Ed. Larry McCaffery. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1986.
  Reference R 809.3 P858
• A Reader's Companion to the Short Story in English. Ed. Erin Fallon et al. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2001.
  Reference R 809.3 R286
• Reference Guide to Short Fiction. Ed. Thomas Riggs. 2nd ed. Detroit, MI: St. James Press, 1999.
• Reference Guide to World Literature. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. 3rd ed. 2 vols. Detroit, MI: St. James Press, 2003.
  Reference R 809 R332

1. Question 1
2. Question 2: compare the following records. How do they differ?
   • Record 1
   • Record 2
   • Record 3
   • For record 4, search for the article in Web of Knowledge.
3. Question 3

General search tips:

• Use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to connect terms/concepts
• In most databases, the truncation symbol is a *
• Enclose phrases in double quotation marks " "

• Library Catalog
  Lists the books, government documents, and journals, magazines, and newspapers in our Library.
  • To locate works about an author, do a subject search for the person's name (last name first).
  • To locate bibliographies on a person or topic, do a keyword search and add the following: su bibliography.
  Tip: truncation symbol: $
• ebrary
  A collection of over 50,000 e-books published by over 220 academic, trade, and professional publishers; covers all subject areas. Also includes tools that allow you to create your own virtual bookshelf, bookmark pages, and add and save notes and highlights.
  Note: for full functionality, use the ebrary Reader and create an ebrary account for yourself. The ebrary plugin is on all library and ITS computers, but if you are using your own computer, you can download it from the ebrary home page.

• Google Books
  Be sure to limit your search to "Full view only" or "Public Domain only" in order to find books that you can view cover-to-cover and/or download.
  For more information about public domain, see our guide to works in the public domain.
• Hathi Trust
  A digital collection of works held by a number of major research libraries. Be sure to limit your search to "Full view only" to view works that you can view cover-to-cover.
  Note: as of October 2010, only 23% of works in the Hathi Trust are in the public domain. For more information about public domain, see our guide to works in the public domain.

• WorldCat
  Lists books, periodicals, and other materials held by libraries around the world. You can submit an interlibrary loan request to borrow books that aren't available at Davidson.
  • Identify relevant Library of Congress Subject Headings in the Library Catalog first; you can then do a subject search in WorldCat to find additional items with these subject headings.

• Library Catalogs Worldwide

Starting Points | Core Indexes & Databases for English | Other Article Indexes & Databases

General search tips:

• Use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to connect terms/concepts
• In most databases, the truncation symbol is a *
• Enclose phrases in double quotation marks " "

• Academic Search Premier
  (1975 to present) Indexes popular and scholarly articles in a broad range of subject areas; also includes citations to book reviews and citations to articles in several national newspapers.
• OmniFile Full Text Mega
  (1982 to present) Indexes articles from over 3,000 scholarly and popular periodicals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences; also includes the full text of selected articles from over 1,650 of these periodicals.

• Online Sources
  • Annual Bibliography of English Language & Literature (ABELL)
    Indexes journal articles and books published from 1920 to present; also includes citations to book reviews. Covers all literatures in English as well as the English language, bibliography, textual studies, and the history of publishing.
    ABELL is a particularly good source of information about books published in the U.K. Many of these works do not appear in the MLAIB.
  • Literature Resource Center
    Contains full-text biographies, critical essays, journal articles, and excerpts of criticism and reviews about over 130,000 literary authors and their works; covers dramatists, essayists, novelists, poets, and other writers from all time periods.
    Includes nearly all of the content in the following series: Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, Literature Criticism from 1400-1800, Shakespearean Criticism: Excerpts from the Criticism of William Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry, from the First Published Appraisals to Current Evaluations, Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, Contemporary Literary Criticism, Drama Criticism, Poetry Criticism, and Short Story Criticism.
  • MLA International Bibliography
    (1926 to present). Indexes journal articles, books, and doctoral dissertations in the fields of English, American, European, Asian, African, and Latin American linguistics, modern languages and literatures, film studies, and folklore.
    For more information, see the MLAIB Search Planner.
  • Web of Knowledge
    (c. 1900 to present) A multidisciplinary resource that provides citations to articles in thousands of journals in the social sciences, humanities, and sciences.
  • World Shakespeare Bibliography Online
    (1971 to present) Includes citations to articles, books, theatrical productions, and audiovisual materials related to Shakespeare; also includes performance reviews, books reviews, and film reviews.
• Print Sources
  • American Short Fiction Criticism and Scholarship, 1959-1977: A Checklist. Joe Weixlmann. Chicago, IL: Swallow Press, 1982.
    Reference R 016.81 W436a
  • Moulton's Library of Literary Criticism
    • Moulton's Library of Literary Criticism of English and American Authors through the Beginning of the Twentieth Century. Rev. Martin Tucker. New York: Ungar, 1966.
      Reference R 820.9 M92L1
    • New Moulton's Library of Literary Criticism. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1985-1990.
      Reference R 809 C5162
    • The Major Author's Edition of the New Moulton's Library of Literary Criticism. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1985- .
      Reference R 809 C5163
    • Twentieth-Century American Literature. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1985-1988.
      Reference R 809 C5166
  • Poetry Explication
    • Poetry Explication: A Checklist of Interpretation since 1925 of British and American Poems Past and Present. Joseph Marshall Kuntz. Rev. ed. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1980.
      Reference R 016.82 K96p3
    • Guide to British Poetry Explication. Nancy C. Martinez and Joseph G.R. Martinez. 4 vols. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1991-1995.
      Reference R 016.82 M385g
  • Short Fiction Criticism: A Checklist of Interpretation since 1925 of Stories and Novelettes (American, British, Continental) 1800-1958. Jarvis Thurston et al. Denver, CO: Alan Swallow, 1960.
    Reference R 016.8 T54s
  • Twentieth-Century Short Story Explication. Comp. Warren S. Walker. Hamden, CT: Shoestring Press, 1977- .
    Reference R016.8 W186t
    Includes supplements.

• America: History & Life and Historical Abstracts
  (Time period covered: 1450 to present [world history]; prehistory to present [U.S. and Canadian history]. Publication coverage: 1954 to present). Indexes journal articles, book chapters, doctoral dissertations, and book reviews. (Each database can also be searched separately.)
• Art Abstracts
  (1929 to present). Indexes over 600 periodicals, including journals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins. Subjects covered include art history, archaeology, architecture, decorative art, film, folk art, graphic art, industrial design, interior design, landscape architecture, museology, photography, and sculpture.
• Contemporary Women's Issues
  (1992 to present) Indexes popular articles, scholarly articles, books, newsletters, and reports on all aspects of women's studies, including gender, sociology, education, political science, and health.
• Essay & General Literature Index
  (1900 to present) Indexes chapters and essays in edited collections.
• General Science Abstracts
  (1984 to present) Indexes articles in over 250 English-language periodicals in a variety of science disciplines, including astronomy, biology, chemistry, environmental science, food and nutrition, genetics, mathematics, medicine, physics, and zoology.
• Humanities Abstracts
  (1907 to present). Indexes articles in over 500 English-language journals in the fields of archaeology, art, classics, communication, film, folklore, history, languages and literatures, music, philosophy, religion, and theatre. Also includes citations for book, theatre, and film reviews as well as interviews, obituaries, and some original creative works. Includes the full text of selected articles from 1995 to the present.
• International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance
  (c. 1982 to present) Includes citations to journal articles, books, essays, and doctoral dissertations on all aspects of dance, theatre, and the performing arts; international in scope. Includes the full text of 100 periodicals and over 350 e-books.
• JSTOR
  A collection of the back issues of over 1,200 electronic journals in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Note: JSTOR does not usually contain articles from the most recent 3-5 years.
  Tips: truncation symbol: +
• Periodicals Index Online
  (c. 1665-1995) Indexes journal and magazine articles as well as book reviews in a broad array of humanities, social sciences, and science subjects.
• Project Muse
  A collection of over 400 electronic journals in the humanities and social sciences.
• Women Studies Abstracts
  Reference Index Area R 050 W872
  (1972 to present) Indexes popular articles, scholarly articles, and books on all aspects of women's studies, including history, education, gender, literature, religion, and art.

Note: Decorative intials are public domain images from fromoldbooks.org.