ENG215a Research Guide: Searching in the Databases

To search in Biography Reference Bank:

1. Enter author last name, first name in the search box
   • Example: chaucer, geoffrey
2. Select Subject from the drop-down menu
3. Then look for the option to limit your Source Types to either of the following, depending on what you need--just click on the check box (see image below):
   • Academic Journals (for scholarly articles) 
   • Biographies
4. Any full text link will give you the essay online; if not present, click on Find It via Full-Text Finder to see if you can find a copy elsewhere

To search in Literary Reference Center for biographical essays & scholarly articles on an author:

1. Enter author last name, first name in the search box
   • Example: marlowe, christopher
2. Click Search
3. On the Limit options, limit Source Type to one of the following, depending on what you need:
   • Literary Criticism (for scholarly articles in academic journals) 
   • Biographies

TIP: if you don't see Biographies or Literary Criticism, click on Show More to view

Use Literary Index in conjunction with the library's Reference Works:

1. Search for reference works online in Literary Index on your author or your work
2. Identify any of the reference works listed in your search results that the Library may have in its collection
3. Note the book titles, volume numbers, & page numbers 
4. Then go to the Library's Reference Collection and read or scan the pages of those works at the Library

To look for research articles (i.e., scholarly articles), look for an option in the database to limit to one of the following:

• Scholarly journals
• Peer-reviewed journals
• Academic journals.

You can search using your author's last name or the title of his/her work. 

Note: Some databases, like JSTOR, provide exclusively scholarly articles.