Library Guides: ENGL 238: Introduction to Fiction: Finding Articles

Literature Databases

MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
The MLA International Bibliography is a subject index for books, articles and websites published on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics. It is produced by the Modern Language Association (MLA), an organization dedicated to the study and teaching of language and literature.
The electronic version of the Bibliography dates back to 1925 and contains over 2 million citations from more than 4,400 periodicals (including peer-reviewed e-journals) and 1,000 book publishers. It is compiled by the staff of the MLA Department of Bibliographic Information Services with the cooperation of more than 100 contributing bibliographers in the United States and abroad. Such international coverage is represented by literature from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America, and while the majority of records are from English-language publications, at least sixty other languages are represented including French, Spanish, German, Russian, Portuguese, Norwegian, and Swedish.
Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Academic Search Complete is a scholarly, full-text database designed for academic institutions. The database includes full text for 1800 publications as well as images, for nearly every academic field of study.
Humanities Full Text This link opens in a new window
Humanities Full Text provides full text of the most important scholarly sources in the humanities. The database indexes, abstracts and delivers the full text of feature articles, interviews, obituaries, bibliographies, original works of fiction, drama, poetry and book reviews, as well as reviews of ballets, dance programs, motion pictures, musicals, operas, plays, radio and television programs, and more.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Full-text digital archive of over 700 scholarly journals, especially strong in Social Sciences, Humanities, Economics, and Mathematics.
Biography Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Online biographical reference database in the fields of literature, science, business, entertainment, politics, sports, history, current events and the arts.Biographical information on over one million people throughout history, around the world.

Access provided by INSPIRE - a service of the Indiana State Library.
MasterFILE Complete This link opens in a new window
Designed specifically for public libraries, this multidisciplinary database provides full text for more than 2,000 general reference publications with full text information dating as far back as 1922. Covering virtually every subject area of general interest, MasterFILE Premier also contains full text for more than 1,000 reference books and over 164,400 primary source documents, as well as an Image Collection of over 502,000 photos, maps & flags.
OmniFile Full Text Mega This link opens in a new window
OmniFile Full Text Mega is ideally suited to libraries that need to provide a wide range of research resources. It includes a wealth of essential material for learning, detailed research, or casual reading in a single, easily searched database, and makes the most of your existing periodical holdings.
Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
Traces the usage of words through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of international English language sources.

Different Journal Types

Popular Journal/ Magazine

Authors: Reporters, Magazine staff, or Freelance Writers
Audience: General Public
Purpose: Inform, entertain, and cover special interests
Content: Personalities, news, and general interest articles
Language: Non-technical
Articles: Brief, providing broad overviews
Review Process: No Formal peer review process, reviewed by editors on staff
Bibliography: Articles rarely include references

Professional/Trade

Authors: Practitioners, Educators, or Specialists within the profession or trade
Audience: Professional in the fields, researchers, and students
Purpose: Provide information and news to practitioners in a profession
Content: New trends, techniques, and organizational news
Language: Technical terminology of the profession
Articles: Length varies
Review Process: Includes some peer-review periodicals, most are reviewed by editors (often professionals in the field)
Bibliography: Occasionally cite sources

Scholarly Journal

Authors: Scholars, Researchers, or Experts in the Field
Audience: Researchers, Scholars, Students
Purpose: Inform, report and share original research and experimentation with the rest of the scholarly world
Content: Research results, methodology, and theory
Language: Terminology and language of the discipline, the reader is assumed to have a similar background
Articles: Lengthy, providing in-depth analysis
Review Process: Reviewed by a board of experts in the field or by the author’s peers (peer-reviewed)
Bibliography: References/ Bibliographies are always included. Bibliographies or endnotes are in a formal style.