LibGuides: Literature: Articles

Discover@UMSL

The library's main search tool for books, articles, and more. This tool is an excellent place to begin your research because it searches across UMSL's materials AND multiple online databases at the same time.

Option 1: Keyword Search

Type in your search terms
Click "Search"
Under "Limit By Source Type" (on the left side of the screen), select Academic Journals.

Option 2: Title or Author Search

Type the title or author's name into the search bar
Select either "Title" or "Author" from the drop-down menu to the right of the search bar
Click "Search"
Under "Limit By Source Type" (on the left side of the screen), select Academic Journals.

Option 3: Advanced Search

Select the Advanced Search option (underneath the Search Bar)
Use the search bar(s) to type in your terms
In the Select a Field drop-down menus, select what type of search you would like to run.
- Useful options for article searches include Title, Author, Abstract, Subject Terms, or Journal Title
Adjust other limiters if needed
Click "Search"

Databases

You have access to scholarly research and other resources provided through online databases that UMSL subscribes to every year. These databases allow you to search resources in your subject area in a more advanced, targeted way.

We subscribe to multiple databases that offer resources related to language and literature, including literary criticism.

We've linked recommendations to get you started below, or you can visit our complete list of databases. Contact the library for assistance with accessing or navigating any of UMSL's databases!

MLA International Bibliography
Indexes critical materials on modern language, literature, linguistics, and folklore. Covers over 3,000 journals and series, books, working papers and proceedings, and bibliographies.

A related database is the MLA Directory of Periodicals which lists advertising, submission and contact information for over 3,700 journals (but does NOT index the contents of these journals).
Literature Criticism Online
Literary Criticism Online is an extensive compilation of scholarly and popular commentary drawn from an extensive collection of broadsheets, pamphlets, encyclopedias, books and periodicals. UMSL has access to the following sections: Contemporary Literary Criticism - [Volume 1 (1973) - present], Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism [Volume 1 (1981) - 259 (2012)] , and Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism - [Volume 1 (1978) - present].
Magill's Literary Annual
Each Literary Annual critically evaluates 200 major examples of serious fiction & nonfiction literature published during the previous calendar year (novels, biographies, histories, poetry, and books on current affairs).
To search all the Annuals at once, select "Magill's Literary Annuals" in the title list. Also see the MagillOnLiterature Plus database for additional resources.
MagillOnLiterature Plus
MagillOnLiterature Plus™, produced by Salem Press, combines all the quality content of both MagillOnLiterature and MagillOnAuthors in a fully integrated and enhanced single database. This database is composed of approximately 35,000 critical analyses of individual works of literature, more than 15,000 biographical records,more than 5,00 images and a glossary of 1,100 literary terms.
MagillOnLiterature Plus contains editorially reviewed critical essays, brief plot summaries, extended character profiles, and detailed setting discussions covering works by more than 8,500 long and short fiction writers, poets, dramatists, essayists, and philosophers. The biographical essays reflect extended coverage of the 2,500 most studied authors and include up-to-date lists of each author’s principal works and current secondary bibliographies. In addition, 378 comprehensive genre-driven overview essays provide details about important literary genres, time periods, and national literatures.
- 35,000 Critical Analyses
- More than 15,000 Biographical Records
- Masterplots (12 volumes)
- Masterplots II (58 volumes)
- Cyclopedia of World Authors (5 volumes)
- Cyclopedia of Literary Characters (5 volumes)
- Magill's Literary Annual 1977-2010 (34 volumes)
- Magill's Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature (4 volumes)
- Magill Book Reviews (8,100+)
- Critical Surveys (35 volumes)
MLA Directory of Periodicals
The MLA Directory of Periodicals, produced by the Modern Language Association of America, lists over 3,700 periodicals in the areas of literature, language, linguistics, and folklore that are covered regularly in the MLA International Bibliography. The directory provides addresses, advertising rates, and information about submissions for publication. Note: Use the MLA International Bibliography database to search for journal articles and book chapters in literature, language, linguistics, and folklore.

JSTOR
JSTOR contains articles and books, usually at least 3-5 years old, from scholarly sources. They also have some primary resource collections. For more recent material, use Discover@UMSL or other individual databases.

Journal Collections
Arts & Sciences I – XV
Life Sciences
Business IV
Hebrew Journals
Ireland
Public Health
Lives of Literature

Reports & Research
Security Studies
Sustainability

Primary Sources
19th Century British Pamphlets (Bristol Selected Pamphlets, Cowen Tracts, Earl Grey Pamphlets Collection, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Collection, Hume Tracts, Knowsley Pamphlet Collection, LSE Selected Pamphlets, Manchester Selected Pamphlets, Wilson Anti-Slavery Collection)
World Heritage Sites: Africa (Reference)
Struggle for Freedom: Southern Africa (Reference)
Global Plants (Reference)
Academic Search Complete
Academic Search Complete is a scholarly, multidisciplinary full-text database, with several thousand full-text periodicals, most of which are peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for many more journals, monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc.

The database features PDF content going back as far as 1887, with the majority of full-text titles in native (searchable) PDF format.

This resource is partially funded by MOREnet, the Missouri Research and Education Network.
Project MUSE
Project MUSE's Standard Collection provides full-text access to scholarly journal titles, primarily in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

You can look for material in two ways: "Search" to find a particular topic. By default only available content is shown. "Browse" to peruse all book and journal titles and tables of contents abstracted in MUSE. You can also uncheck the option "Only content I have full access to" when viewing your results to find abstracts of additional material.
If an item is not available through Project MUSE, it may be available in other UMSL collections or through Interlibrary Loan. Click the "Find Full-Text" link to check if the Libraries own a journal full text through another source (online or print). If the item is a book, check the UMSL Library Catalog under the book title or book author.

Google Scholar

Can I use Google Scholar for academic research?

The short answer is yes! You can use Google Scholar to conduct scholarly research. However, there are situations in which a library database will be more efficient and useful for your research.

How does Google Scholar compare to a library database?

May or may not provide you access to the full text. Look on the right side of the screen for an UMSL Libraries link or try the title in Discover@UMSL.
Does not search materials in a particular discipline.
No easy way to sort results.
Fewer options to narrow your search with limiters.
Misses out on print materials.

Google Scholar may still provide you with valuable results, but we recommend also utilizing the library's resources to complete your research.

Literature

Search Tips

Vocabulary

Too many results?

Too few results?

Discover@UMSL

Option 1: Keyword Search

Option 2: Title or Author Search

Option 3: Advanced Search

Databases

Databases

Google Scholar

Can I use Google Scholar for academic research?

How does Google Scholar compare to a library database?