LIT 165

Step 1:  Wikipedia

You won't cite Wikipedia in your paper, but it can still be very useful for getting your search for sources started.

1. Use it to identify what you want to explore in the body of your paper.  Wikipedia articles about literature are usually strong in discussing the context, themes, and arguments of particular authors and/or works.
2. Check out the footnotes and bibliography for potential sources.  Sometimes, even scholarly sources will be listed.

Step 2:  Literature Resource Center

This library database is a great place to find non-scholarly, but reliable resources.  Look especially for:

• Short author biographies (useful for your introduction)
• overview essays
• book reviews and author interviews (for more modern works and authors)

Also, everything you find in this database will be full text.

Step 3:  MLA International Bibliography

This is our main library database for literary analysis.  In it you will be able to find both scholarly journal articles and scholarly book chapters (plus even full scholarly books).