Quick Links

Web Site Evaluation

Citation Styles & Formats

Find Journal Articles - Citations & Full-text

Search for your topic (by subject) in an index or full-text database:

Especially useful are:

• Gale Literature Resource Center - includes many full text articles and is a great place to start. Select the option "Literary Criticism, Articles and Work Overviews."

• EBSCOhost: Research Databases - search multiple databases at one time - any topic; includes business, education, health, etc. Many full-text articles. Select Academic Search Premier, Masterfile, MLA and other indexes as appropriate. New: Step by Step Instructions (PDF)

• MLA: The most comprehensive index for researching literary topics is the MLA (Modern Language Association International Bibliography). Note: Although MLA is a major database for literature research, we recommend that you start with the other sources first. MLA provides citations only. The Get It Button may not find all that we have access to. Check the Library Catalog: Periodical Search to determine if the library subscribes to the journal. We now have access to many electronic journals for literature as well as our print subscriptions. 

• Google Scholar - excellent source for articles and full-text documents. New: Google Scholar is linked to our library's holdings. For most articles you can click on the title of the article. If this doesn't get you to the full-text, click on Get It @ Atkins Library. Be sure to use quote marks around phrases.

Other Relevant Databases:

• Web of Science: Arts & Humanities Search (provides citations and abstracts)

Search for journals (by title) in this library

Use the Library Catalog: Journal Title Search to determine if we own the journal you need;

Search for the title of the journal (not the title of the article). This will give you information about both printed and electronic journals.

 Find Books & Other Library Resources

Find Books, DVDs & Videos - use the Library Catalog

Do a subject search to find books about an author or his or her works.

Find books in other libraries:

Local and Regional Library's and Library Catalogs

World Cat and WorldCat.org - searches multiple libraries. Arranges results by how near they are to UNC Charlotte (if you are logged in via the library home page).

Google Print - looks inside the full text of books. Links to library catalogs. This is an amazing resource. It links to the full text of millions of books.

Reference Works

Print Indexes

In literature and other humanities research, older material may be just as or even more valuable than the most recent. Therefore, printed sources can be just as useful as electronic. The library has a number of printed indexes to journal literature. These include:

Humanities Index
INDEX AI 3 R492 1974-
Cumulative index to English-language periodicals. Author and subject entries are in one alphabet. It includes language and literature subjects as well as other humanities areas. This index covers major authors and is very easy to use.  Earlier years of the index were called International Index (1900-1972) and Humanities & Social Sciences Index (1972-1980)

Essay and General Literature Index
INDEX AI 3 E752 1900-
This is an important bibliographical index to collections of essays in books. The emphasis is on the humanities and the social sciences.

» Use Library Catalog: Journal Search to determine if the library owns the periodical and to find call numbers - or link directly to the journal in electronic format.  

Reference Books

Gale Literary Criticism Series (about this series) (available as printed volumes in the 1st floor reference area) Same content as the electronic database - use that first. Literature Resource Center Select the option "Literary Criticism, Articles and Work Overviews."

The Gale group of reference works provides a comprehensive source for biographical and critical information on short story authors. Short Story Criticism ( Ref PN 3373 S56.) specifically covers short stories. Other volumes in the series will also be useful.

Another useful reference source:

Magill: Critical Survey of Short Fiction
Ref PN3321 C7
This is a very useful source for criticism of short fiction. Biographical and analytical bibliographies at the ends of articles. An author/title index is located in the back of volume 7. Volumes 1 and 2 contain essays on the history and craft of short fiction from various cultures and time periods.

These include:

• useful lists of citations to critical articles in journals or books.
• an easy way to locate criticism of a relatively well known piece of literature.
• selective. They may omit useful articles and may not be current.

The following bibliographies and checklists of references to short story criticism are available in the reference collection.

Magill's Bibliography of Literary Criticism
Ref Z6511 M25
This is an excellent source for criticism. Arranged by author with individual works arranged under author entries. Four volumes; title index in volume 4.

20th Century Short Story Explication: Interpretations, 1900-1966 of Short Fiction Since 1800, 2nd. ed.
Ref Z5917 S5 W33
This is a useful checklist of criticism on short stories; organized by author and story title. Includes major authors from America and England as well as several other non- English language countries (but not China or Taiwan). Author index.

Updated by:

20th Century Short Story Explication: Interpretations, 1900-1975, of Short Fiction Since 1800.
Ref Z5917 S5 W33 1977
Full citations of the books used are listed in the back of the book under the name of the critic. Index to authors.

Various supplements to these volumes are shelved with them.

American Short Fiction, Criticism and Scholarship, 1959-77: a Checklist
Ref Z1231 F4 W43
Treats more than 500 authors. Entries on individual works and general studies. A checklist of criticism and biographical information. Use for in-depth research.

Web Sites on literary topics
These are increasingly important for your research.

You can get started at:

» Websites for English Literature

There are dozens of links on this page to major research Web Sites on literary topics.

» Use Google (http://www.google.com)
Search by your author's name plus part of the title of a work. Use quotes around phrases.

Citation Style Guides - format for your papers.

• Citation and Style Guides - Includes APA, MLA, Turabian, and other style guide information.
• Customized MLA examples for UNC Charlotte

For Additional Assistance:

Come to the Reference Desk on the 1st floor of the Library. We'll be happy to help you find additional information. Or Ask Us Online.