Finding Articles :
To find articles on topics related to literature, use the following DATABASES:
(Library web page www.loyola.edu/library via English/Literature Resources or Databases by Title)

Literary Criticism:


• MLA Bibliography References to sources on literature, language and film. (1963-pres.)
• LION Provides text, criticism and biographical information of English and American authors.
• World Shakespeare Bibliography citations to books, articles, theatrical productions and other works on Shakespeare.

  Additional Useful Resources:

• Oxford English Dictionary definitions, etymology and the history of words>
• JSTOR backfile of scholarly articles on many academic topics including literary criticism.
• Project Muse Full-text journals in literature, performing arts and other topics.

• Literature Resource Center: excerpts of critical works, overviews of author's works, articles and biographical information.
• Bibliographies on the author studied (search library catalog)
• Reference series which include excerpts of criticism of author's works over time, e.g.:
Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800.   PN86 .L53 (reference section, library)
Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism   PN761 .N5
Contemporary Literary Criticism               PN771 .C59
Twentieth Century Literary Criticism         PN771 .G27
Poetry Criticism                                          PN1010 .P49


• New York Times (1851-1998) for reviews of works published during this time period.
• Reader's Guide Retrospective (1890-1982): references to reviews on works published during this time period.

• Formulate a thesis question on which your research will be centered
• Search a relevant database using keywords or search by subject when appropriate.
• Use AND to find citations containing both keywords: e.g., (symbolism AND Faulkner)
• Use OR for related terms to search for citations that contain one term OR the other.
  e.g., (women or feminine)
• Always put OR phrases in the same search box and enclose with parentheses
• Use truncation (often the asterisk*) to retrieve similar words with different endings, e.g., spirit* will retrieve, spirits, spiritual, spirituality, etc.

• Select if included with citation as a guide to full-text
• If is not available, search Electronic journals to see if a journal is full-text online (search by title of the journal, NOT the title of the article).
• Search the Library Catalog (SHARC) to see if a journal is located in our library.
• Request an article from interlibrary loan (ILL) if not full-text online or in the library.
  (use the Request forms on the library’s home page)

• Search the Library Catalog (SHARC) by keyword, title, author or subject.
• The library catalog is shared by 3 other libraries. Use the request button at the top of the page to request a book from one of these other libraries (24-48 hour turnaround).
• If you can’t find a book in the library catalog, you can request it through ILL

MLA Style for Citations:
      Citations that you find in databases, such as the MLA Bibliography, LION and the library catalog are not formatted in the MLA style but should include the necessary elements. The library’s web site has a tip sheet at:
http://www.loyola.edu/library/ref/MLASTYLE.HTM

See also:

Gibaldi, John. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2003.
Loyola Notre Dame Library (Ref and stacks) LB2369.G53 2003

Journal articles VS. Essays or articles in books (this is not in MLA style):

• Journal articles: include author, title, journal title, volume, issue number (if given), date, page numbers.
  
• Essays in books: include author of essay, title of essay, title of book, author or editor of book, edition (if given), place of publication, publisher, date published, page numbers.

Where do I find books, journals or media in the library?

• You'll find a guide in the library directory

Have questions?

Ask a Librarian!
Come to the library during reference hours
Phone us at 410-617-6802
Email us at askemail@loyola.edu
Use the live chat via the library home page