Research Assistance
Dictionaries
The UCLA Library has dictionaries of all kinds, ranging from the familiar look-up-a-word type like the Oxford English Dictionary or Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary to very specialized dictionaries for particular fields. You can find these dictionaries in UC Library Search. Here is a brief list of general dictionaries for literary research.
If there is a particular dictionary you would like me to add here, let me know.
- Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
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Includes the complete text of the Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. plus quarterly updates of new and revised entries. Trace the origin and history of words and their meanings in this etymological dictionary.
- Oxford Companion to English LiteratureOnline reference source, 7th edition
Encyclopedias
Listed below is a selection of the most recent encyclopedias included in the Research Library Reference Reading Room, along with some old standards. To find more sources in the same topic areas, open the catalog record by clicking on the link below. Then click on the Subject Heading(s) in the record.
Introductory Works
The Charles E. Young Research Library holds a large selection of print and electronic reference resources for literary research, including encyclopedias, historical and biographical dictionaries, bibliographies, online databases, and more.
- Gale E-Books (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) This link opens in a new window
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Online encyclopedias, dictionaries, and specialized reference sources, primarily in the social sciences and humanities.
- Gale Literature Criticism This link opens in a new window
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Searchable database that provides access to the literary criticism collections Classical and Medieval Literary Criticism (CMLC), Contemporary Literary Criticism (CLC), Drama Criticism (DC), Literature Criticism from 1400-1800 (LC), Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism (NCLC), Poetry Criticism (PC), Shakespeare Criticism (SC), Short Story Criticism (SSC), and Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism (TCLC). - Literature Online This link opens in a new window
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Also known as LION. An array of literary databases (including the full text of poems, plays, and fiction), reference works (including bibliographies, encyclopedias, etc.), and links to other Web resources for the study of literature. The complete text of journal articles is available on the database for all or some of the journals indexed. Fully searchable texts of over 250,000 works in English and American Literature. - Gale Literature Resource Center This link opens in a new window
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Biographies, bibliographies, and critical analysis of authors from every age and literary discipline. Covers more than 120,000 novelists, poets, essayists, journalists, and other writers. Combines the core Gale Group literary databases: Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism, and Dictionary of Literary Biography. Complements Literature Criticism Online. - Reference Universe This link opens in a new window
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A good place to start, but note that it is an index to over 15 million articles in 11,000 subject encyclopedias and handbooks, both print and online and does not provide full-text articles. Instead, it will connect you to our catalog so you know where to find the appropriate encyclopedia, dictionary or other reference work. You will be linked to UCLA's holdings for any entries you find.
- World Folklore and Folklife This link opens in a new window
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Thousands of classic folk tales, including the complete Hans Christian Andersen stories, Grimms' fairy tales, and folktales from around the world. Contextual material adds new depth to familiar stories.
Biographical Information
Literary scholars often need reference materials related to biographical information on authors and literary critics. You will find some of this information in the encyclopedias and dictionaries, and especially the introductory works. Don't forget to try newspapers that are contemporary to the individual in question. Also try searching in the Library Catalog for the term for categories of authors, e.g., Irish poets, twentieth-century American dramatists, South Asian writers in English.
Two key sources for literature-related biography include Contemporary Authors and the Dictionary of Literary Biography. Both of these resources are available online in Gale Literature Resource Center.
Here are some other places to check for individuals who were not primarily known as literary figures:
- American National Biography Online This link opens in a new window
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Biographies of more than 19,000 men and women who have influenced American history. - Biography Index Past and Present (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
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Index of biographical books and articles from 1946 to present.
- Dictionary of Irish BiographyOver 9,000 signed biographical articles which describe and assess the careers of subjects in all fields of endeavour, including politics, law, religion, literature, journalism, architecture, painting, music, the stage, science, medicine, engineering, entertainment and sport.
- Encyclopedia of World Biography, vol 1-23A searchable e-book.
- Oxford Dictionary of National BiographyBiographies of British individuals throughout history.
- World Biographical Information System Online (WBIS) This link opens in a new window
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Contains biographical profiles of people from all centuries as well as all countries and regions worldwide. Compiles biographical articles from printed reference works published from the 16th to the 20th century, and reproduces these original documents as facsimile images on the screen.
Style Manuals and Guides
- Bruin Success with Less StressEverything you need to know about citing sources and avoiding plagiarism in the course of your research.
