English Language and Literature

Familiarize yourself with the main ideas, figures, dates, and related topics before narrowing down your topic

• Look for scholarly sources on the topic: Course reserves (including textbooks), required readings, Encyclopedias, Dictionaries and Handbooks are a great way to familiarize yourself with a topic
• Once you identify a topic and find some preliminary information, you need to locate more "peer-reviewed" or "scholarly" information from refereed journals (check your instructor's notes in your assignments)

Finding articles using databases 

• Search using key concepts and keywords in journal article databases like Library Search, Google Scholar and MLA International Bibliography databases
• Use the "Find Articles" tab of this guide to find journal articles on your topic

Read the sources located in the preliminary research to determine

• what research questions have been generated from the topic
• from what perspective you may approach this topic

Additional tips while using online academic source search engines

• Consult the Libraries' Search smarter, not harder tips, including on how to:
  • Use Boolean Operators AND, OR, NOT to combine search terms
  • Use quotation marks to search as a phrase, parenthesis to combine synonyms or related terms, and use limits for dates, gender, primary sources, etc.
• Contact your subject librarian for more help with starting your research and locating articles