Finding Sources
Keyword vs. Subject Searching
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Step 1: Start your search process by brainstorming a list of keywords that describe the main concepts of your topic or question. |
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Step 2: Use these keywords for your initial searches. Step 3: Use the Subject Heading links in the Library Catalog record to refine your search. |
How to Find an Individual Work in a Collection
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use Advanced Keyword search
- 1. select words anywhere and enter a keyword or keywords in the title of the work
- 2. select author and enter the author's name (last name first)
How to Find Criticism on an Individual Work
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use Advanced Keyword search
- 1. select words anywhere and enter a keyword or keywords in the title of the work
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2. select subject and enter the author's name (last name first)
Finding Anthologies in Library Catalog
Anthologies are collections of articles by different authors with particular theme or historical focus. By incorporating in multiple scholarly voices, anthologies allow the reader to explore a given topic through a variety of lenses.
Anthologies are generally edited by one or more individuals who select the items to include. In some cases the articles have been previously published in magazines or journals and in other cases they are not previously published.
The following Advanced Searches in Library Catalog are ways to try to locate this type of collected work:
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The following databases will be of use for various topics related to your research:
- Literature Online This link opens in a new windowLiterary criticism, selected full-text works (poetry, poems, and drama), author pages, reviews, and reference sources including biographies, bibliographies, and encyclopedias.
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowSubject indexing of journals, books, proceedings, and dissertations in the areas of literature, language and linguistics, folklore, film, literary theory & criticism, dramatic arts, and the historical aspects of printing and publishing.
- Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature, 1920- (ABELL) This link opens in a new windowBibliographical listing of monographs, periodical articles, critical editions of literary works, book reviews, collections of essays and doctoral dissertations about English language, literature, and culture published anywhere in the world. Literature: poetry, prose, fiction, films, biography, travel writing, literary theory, and studies of individual writers. English culture: custom, belief, narrative, song, dance, and material culture.
Google Scholar provides access to "peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations."
What Google Scholar does not contain, in most cases, is the fulltext of the articles -- but it does work with the library's Findit@VU service to help you get to the fulltext when available. If you are on campus, Findit@VU will automatically appear -- but if you are off campus it won't. Not clicking on Findit@VU may lead to you receiving a message indicating that you must purchase the article to view it.
Bookmark this link as your access point to Google Scholar to ensure that the Findit@VU links appears in your searches or follow the instructions for setting your preferences in the video below. Don't get caught paying for articles when you don't have to!
FindIt@VU
