Where to Start?
When you're just starting research, look for basic information to build your core knowledge of the topic. While many of us like to skim a Wikipedia page for this purpose (yes, even librarians do it), you can get even more reliable information from an encyclopedia article. Try:
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
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Offers over 1,000 full-text reference books (encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, atlases, thesauri) that cover a broad scope of subject areas. Image types include charts, diagrams, graphs, illustrations, maps, photos. - Encyclopedia of Aesthetics (2 ed.) This link opens in a new window
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Featuring 815 articles by distinguished scholars from many fields and countries, the Encyclopedia of Aesthetics is a comprehensive survey of major concepts, thinkers, and debates about the meaning, uses, and value of all the arts—from painting and sculpture to literature, music, theater, dance, television, film, and popular culture. - Literary Reference Center This link opens in a new window
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Information on authors and their works across literary disciplines from antiquity to present, from books, reference works, and articles published 1912 to present. Can be searched together with MLA International Bibliography. - MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
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Articles covering literature, language and linguistics, folklore, literary theory and criticism, dramatic arts, as well as the historical aspects of printing and publishing.
Can be searched together with Literary Reference Center. - Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
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Defines and traces the usage of words through quotations from a wide range of international and English language sources.
To access these databases from off campus, follow these instructions.
Where next?
What kind of information do you need?
- Books --> works of literature, theory, broad overviews of a topic, deep analysis of an author or literary work
- Look in the Library Catalog for print books AND eBooks.
- Scholarly articles --> literary criticism, theory, academic themes, connecting the dots between different works
- Search the Literary Reference Center and MLA databases.
- Find even more material using Fleet Search, which queries a lot of databases at one (including JSTOR, Literary Reference Center, and much more). Check the box that says "Peer Reviewed" to limit your search to scholarly material.
- Popular sources --> Magazine articles, radio/podcasts, social media: interviews with authors, biographical information, current trends & context
- Use Fleet Search, and click "Magazines" in the left filter panel.
- Explore the broader internet, using your best judgement about what sources are trustworthy (don't forget the CRAAP test!). You can always ask your professor or a librarian!
- Newspapers --> current events, politics, historic context, book reviews, sometimes interviews
- Sign up for a free New York Times subscription with your RISD email. This includes their full, searchable archive.