Guide to Literary Research
Databases, Indexes and Abstracts
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The following databases and paper
indexing and abstracting publications may be used to locate articles relevant to
literature in journals, magazines, conference proceedings, books, and other
sources.
Email the SDSU Librarians
or call 688-5570 or 800-786-2038 for more
information or if off-campus access is denied to a current SDSU student, faculty
member, or staff member.
Electronic
Resources
MLA International Bibliography. 1926+
This exhaustive resource provides bibliographic access to literary scholarship
published throughout the world. It covers literature, language, linguistics, folklore,
literary theory and criticism found in over 4,400 journals and series, as well
as in relevant monographs, working papers, proceedings, bibliographies,
and other formats. The library has volumes from 1963
to 1992 in paper as well; they are shelved on the library's main floor
in the Abstracts & Indexes area (406 M721).
Arts & Humanities Search.
This citation index references approximately 1,300 of the world's significant
arts and humanities journals.
Biography and
Genealogy Master Index.
This database is an index to current and retrospective biographical
dictionaries and who's whos.
Books in Print.
This database, updated monthly, provides bibliographic information, prices,
and publisher information for books that are currently in print.
Contemporary
Literary Criticism Select.
CLC Select provides internet access to extensive biographical and critical
information about authors who are currently active or who died in recent
years. Search by author name, title, subject/theme, critics/critical source
and other powerful search options. Older paper volumes of Contemporary
Literary Criticism are located in the reference collection on the main
floor of the library (Reference PN771.C59).
Current
Contents.
This multidisciplinary, current awareness resource provides indexing
and tables of contents to over 7,000 journals covering a broad range of disciplines, including
the arts and humanities.
Dissertation
Abstracts International.
This resource provides a subject, title, and author guide to over 2
million doctoral dissertations and masters theses written since 1861.
Current Research - SDSU provides access to the full text (pdf) of recent dissertations and theses
completed at SDSU.
Literary Index
(Gale Group).
Gale's Literary Index is a master index to the major literature series
published by the Gale Group. It combines and cross references author names, including
pseudonyms and variant names, and titles into one source.
Academic Search Premier
(EBSCOhost).
The largest academic multi-disciplinary database, Academic Search Premier
provides full text for nearly 4,700 scholarly publications, including full
text for more than 3,600 peer-reviewed journals. Coverage spans virtually every
area of academic study and offers information dating as far back as 1975.
Ingenta.
A database indexing the contents of thousands of journals and magazines in a
wide range of disciplines. Full text articles are available on a fee basis.
JSTOR.
Provides electronic full text/image access to the back issues of more
than 125 scholarly journals in many fields including literature.
Project
MUSE.
Provides full text/image access to articles from scholarly journals
in the humanities and social sciences, including literature and criticism.
ProQuest.
ProQuest allows access to many bibliographic and full-text databases.
The Humanities Module and the Research Library Core are perhaps of most
relevance for locating literary information. However, other modules may
be appropriate for certain topics. Many of the journal articles are full-text.
Bibliographic resource containing millions of records for books, videos, journals, newspapers, Web resources, and a variety of information resources cataloged by OCLC libraries worldwide.
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Print Resources
Abstracts of English Studies. 1958-1991 (Abstracts &
Indexes 805 Ab89)
Provides abstracts of articles appearing in core journals covering
American and English literature, world literature in English and related
languages, and English language.
Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature. 1920+ (Reference PR3.A11 M6a) An international bibliography of scholarship about the English language and literatures in English.
Bibliographic Index: A Cumulative Bibliography of Bibliographies.
1937-2000 (Abstracts & Indexes 016.016 B471)
A subject index to bibliographies that are published separately, as
parts of books, or in periodicals.
Biography Index
(Reference Z5301.B5)
This is an index to selected periodicals, indexes, and
books of individual and collective biography. Available in paper through 1998
Book Review Digest.
1905-1998 (Abstracts & Indexes 015.73 B64)
Book Review Index.
1965-2001 (Abstracts & Indexes 016.0281
B64)
An index to reviews of books and serials in newspapers,
popular periodicals, and scholarly journals.
British Humanities Index. 1962-1999 (Abstracts & Indexes
050.B777)
An abstracting and indexing service covering around 350 British journals
and newspapers in the humanities area.
The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry in Anthologies (Reference PN1022.H39 2002)
The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry in Collected and Selected Works (Reference PN1022.C63 2004)
Essay and General Literature Index.
1900-2001 (Reference AI3.E8)
"An author and subject index to essays published in collections, with
particular emphasis on materials in the humanities and social sciences."
Humanities Index. 1974-1998 (Abstracts & Indexes 050
H88)
A cumulative index providing coverage to over 400 English language
journals in the humanities field. Book reviews are grouped separately at
the back.
Index of American Periodical Verse.
1971-1999 (Reference Z1231.P7
I47)
Contains entries for individual poems, poets, and translators. Poems
are indexed by title and first line.
Literary Criticism Index (Information Desk PN523.W45
1984)
An index to 86 period and genre bibliographies. Useful when you are
uncertain which bibliographies include sections on a work or an author.
Play Index. 1953+ (Reference Z5781.P53)
A selective author, title, and subject index to English-language plays
and translations published separately or in collections since 1949.
Short Story Index. 1953+ (Reference Z5917.S5
C62)
An author, title, and subject index to short stories published in anthologies
and periodicals.
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For more in-depth information or for assistance in using these sources, ask a librarian.
This page was created and is maintained by Lisa Lindell.
Return to: Research by Topic Page
Contact Information:
Hilton M. Briggs Library, SBL 2115, SDSU, Brookings, SD 57007-1098,
Phone: 605-688-5570, Fax: 605-688-6133,
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Updated: 14 February 2008 by me