LibGuides: English Literature: Find articles

Databases

Databases are online collections of material from scholarly journals, newspapers, and other sources. Some databases are subject-specific, and are best used when searching for information in that subject area. Others are multidisciplinary, and can be used to search for many different types of information. When researching, you should try both types. This Database Tip Sheet will give you a few pointers to get started.

English literature databases:

MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
The most important index covering literature, languages, linguistics, folklore, and film. Contains over 2.6 million records and annually indexes over 70,000 journal articles, books, Web sites, and dissertations. and other formats. Coverage from 1926 to the present. MLA database searching help videos
Iter Bibliography This link opens in a new window
Covers all literature pertaining to the Middle Ages and Renaissance (400-1700). Citations for monographs, journal articles, reviews, review articles, bibliographies, catalogues, abstracts and discographies are included.
International Medieval Bibliography This link opens in a new window
Indexes articles, notes, and similar literature on medieval subjects in journals, Festschriften, conference proceedings, and collected essays on all aspects of medieval studies within the date range of 400 to 1500.

Multidisciplinary databases:

JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Collection includes PMLA and a range of core journals in the diverse fields of literary criticism that have emerged in the last thirty years.
Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
Comphrehensive multi-disciplinary database providing full-text for over 3,600 scholarly journals. Up-dated daily.
Project Muse This link opens in a new window
Search across all Project Muse titles for citations and articles of interest. Full-text of articles is available to only Dalhousie users
Periodicals Archive Online This link opens in a new window
Archive of hundreds of digitized journals published in the arts, humanities and social sciences.
Dissertations & Theses (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Citations and abstracts for dissertations and theses accepted in institutions located around the world. Full text is available for most of the dissertations made available from 1997. Download help handout.

Other related databases:

Film & Television Literature Index with full text This link opens in a new window
The definitive online tool for film and television research.
Gender Studies Database This link opens in a new window
Use this database to find articles on gender-related scholarship.
International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance with full text This link opens in a new window
Research database for theatre and dance studies.

How to search databases with Boolean operators (and zombies)

Boolean search expressions are magical formulas compatible with most databases in which keywords are combined with Boolean operators to create super effective searches.

Zombies are terrifying former humans that want to eat your brain and/or transform you into a zombie (their exact motivations are unclear).

ZomBool is a 'choose-your-own-path' video game created by a Dal librarian to help you learn how to survive the zombie apocalypse (maybe) with the help of search strategies and Boolean operators (PC or Mac).