EN 463: Senior Research Seminar

Finding Literary Criticism: Journal Articles

First things first: you're looking for literary criticism within journals, not book reviews. A work of literary criticism differs from a book review in that it is typically a more in-depth critique of a work, and it's most often intended for an academic audience.

To find literary criticism, search keywords like the title of the work (Anna Karenina), author's name (Tolstoy), and themes (religious crisis).

Database Basics

1. Search for your author.
2. Search for your author's work of interest.
3. Use the suggested subjects that the database recommends.
4. Choose source type Academic Journal.
5. Search MLA International Bibliography and Humanities International Complete at the same time with CHOOSE DATABASES above the search box on the results page
6. In Literary Reference Center Plus, limit to source type literary criticism.

Searching Tips and Tricks