When to use databases
Journal articles are housed inside journals, which in turn, are kept in online databases. Search (the Library Catalogue) links directly to all three, so you can use Search to directly search for articles. However, because we subscribe to hundreds of databases, not all journal articles are accessible through Search (the Library Catalogue), and sometimes we must go directly to the databases to access a bigger range of journal articles. This is why we recommend that you start by using Search, but as your search gets more sophisticated, you move across into specific databases, such as those listed in the tabs below.
Best for finding journal articles, author criticism, and literary theory.
JSTOR – Archive of scholarly journals, including key titles in literary criticism and theory.
Project MUSE – Full-text books and journals in literature, cultural studies, and the humanities.
MLA International Bibliography (EBSCOhost) – Definitive index of scholarly writing in language, literature, and linguistics.
Literature Resource Center – Author biographies, criticism, and full-text literary journals.
Gale Literary Sources – Cross-searchable access to Gale’s literary criticism databases.
Oxford Scholarship Online – Academic eBooks in literature and humanities disciplines.
Oxford Bibliographies: Victorian Literature – Curated bibliographies on key Victorian authors and topics.
Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals, 1824–1900 – Index to important 19th-century British literary periodicals.
Great for getting background on authors or accessing focused literary commentary.
Key for finding original texts, letters, manuscripts, and rare or historical works.
Ideal for exploring the cultural and performative dimensions of literature.