Look for options in databases to limit results to articles in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals.
Photo: Old Textures by Tom Woodward
MLA International Bibliography
1. Take advantage of folders and the ability to export citations in MLA format
2. Set search limits before you begin searching
3. Try using Names as Subjects and add terms from critical vocabulary
4. Further refine your search by adding Subject Terms
Title page of The Athenaeum, 1846, a British literary journal. The Athenaeum is searchable thru the British Periodicals database. Photo from The Library of Congress
ONE SEARCH
Searches multiple resources at once.
Use for very precise searches:
For best results, use limiters: field drop-downs (Title, Publication Title), content type (articles, book chapters, book reviews), etc.
For topical searches, first consult CBBcat and individual databases.
Photo: Silent and Still by Jessica Neuwerth
KEYWORD SEARCH
Databases and catalogs may only find the exact combination of letters entered.
SUBJECT SEARCH
Keyword searches are not looking for meaning and thus can miss important works in a field. Look at Subject Terms in item records to find items grouped by topic.
In CBBcat, subject sub-divisions can be helpful in focusing your research.
TYPE OF SEARCH
Use the drop-down menus to choose type of search.
To find items BY authors, do an Author Search (last name, first name).
To find items ABOUT authors, do a Subject Search (last name, first name).
LITERARY CRITICISM
Keyword Search: "author's name" AND critic*" ("Natalia Ginzburg" AND critic*)
Subject Search: "author's last name, first name" (Woolf, Virginia)
Look for the sub-division: Criticism and interpretation
Check the WORKS CITED, NOTES, REFERENCES and BIBLIOGRAPHIES of every relevant article or book. You may discover another book or article perfect for your topic.
Hafley, James Robert, 1928 - The Glass Roof: Virigina Woolf as a Novelist. Berkely: University fo California Press, 1954. (link to bibliography)
One good source can lead to another!
Look for a Cited Work using:
Older editions of the MLA handbook are also available. Many databases still use the 7th edition. OWL uses the 8th edition. Note the differences! Be consistent.
MLA 7th Edition: Falk, Cynthia G. "'The Intolerable Ugliness Of New York': Architecture And Society In Edith Wharton's The Age Of Innocence." American Studies 42.2 (2001): 19-43. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.
MLA 8th Edition: Falk, Cynthia G. "'The Intolerable Ugliness Of New York': Architecture And Society In Edith Wharton's The Age Of Innocence." American Studies, vol. 42, no. 2, 2001, pp. 19-43. EBSCO, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40643250. Accessed 19 Jan. 2017.
MLA 9th Edition: Due for release April 2021. OWL Purdue and our collection should be updated by Fall 2021.
SEARCH our library catalog
Is a book scholarly? Look at the publisher, author, bibliography/references, writing style and examine the arguments presented. Who is the intended audience?
Books in Miller Library? Look at the call number. Most literary works are on the bottom floors (S1 & S2) of the Miller bookstacks.
Books at the Colby Storage Facility, Bates or Bowdoin? To order click
Enter your name and bar code number (omit beginning and ending letters) from your Student ID or Library Card.
Not finding what you want in CBBcat?
Look for the MaineCat icon in CBBcat results to expand your search across the state.
Not there either? Go to WorldCat and order through ILLiad, our interlibrary loan service.
Reference sources can provide definitions, terminology, facts, background information, context, biographies, interpretations, and bibliographies.