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English 102Literary Research PaperLibrary Resources and Search Strategy

Determine Your Working Topic:

Think of an aspect of the work (short story, poem, play) that interests you. Consult a reference source that provides biographical and critical insights on your chosen author’s life and work. The following print sources can be found in the reference area of the library and are a great starting point for pulling together ideas: The Critical Survey of Short Fiction REF PN3321 C7 2001Short Story Writers REF PN3373 S398 2008The Critical Survey of Poetry REF PN1021 .C7 2003American Writers REF PS129 A55British Writers REF PR85 B688

Start collecting literacy criticism in the form of books or other media. If you are examining the author’s life in relation to the story, look for a biographical work. Search the library catalog in the Find AV & Books tab. Search with the author’s last name, the word ‘and’ and the words ‘criticism’ or ‘biography’, as shown below:

Use the literature databases to find literary criticism published in journal articles, as well as work overviews and biographical information

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about the author. Access these databases by clicking the Find Articles tab on the library website and then selecting English-Literature from the “Databases By subject” drop-down menu. Choose Literature Resource Center, as shown below. (Biographies Reference Center may be useful for biographical information and articles. Salem Press may also be useful for some authors.):

In Literature Resource Center, start by searching by the title of the work, as shown:

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Try another database for more articles. From the above page of Literature databases, try J-STOR and Academic Search Premier. A search in J-STOR might be set up as shown below (remember to click on advanced search just under the search box, uncheck the box for external content, and then check the box for article):

When you search Academic Search Premier click “advanced search” which sets you up to use multiple search terms. Remember to put titles in “quotations”.

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Check the box for full-text. When you find an article of interest to you, read the Abstract (summary) by pointing your mouse to the magnifying glass next to the title or clicking on the title. When you click on the title, use the email and cite tools on the right to help you with your citation format (you will still need to fix them to be completely correct.)

Cite your sources using proper MLA citation style. When you click on the title of the article in Academic Search Premier, use the email and cite tools on the right to help you with your MLA citation format.

Click the Help Zone box for citation assistance. Then try the resources linked the Citation box.

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Use the links under Citation Guides for help with in-text citations and formatting your works cited page. You can use the Citation Machine or BibMe links to generate citations. Don’t forget print anthologies of critical essays which are located in the reference area of the library. These volumes contain excerpts of critical essays originally published in literature journals. To find out which volume has an article, use this online index: www.galenet.com/servlet/LitIndex The print volumes are:

Twentieth Century Literary Criticism REF PN94 T83 (use for authors who died between 1900-1960.)

Contemporary Literacy Criticism REF771 C59 (use for authors who died after 1960 or are still living.)

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Evaluate and think critically about your sources. Remember that it can be difficult to find articles that address your specific thesis. As you review your results, be sure to read the abstract/summary of the articles first. You may need to skim the articles to see if you can make a connection – even in the smallest way – to your argument.

Please ask a librarian for help as you work to locate sources for your papers. We are here to help you use the library’s resources, and we enjoy helping you! Call

us at 215-641-6594; email refdesk@mc3.ed u ; or stop by the main desk in the Library! – mbp su/13