Librarian
Conducting Literature Research at UCLA
This research guide will point you toward online research resources and strategies available to you as scholars doing literary research at UCLA. You will also find help locating analog resources (e.g. print, microfilm, audiovisual) in our library catalogs.
Visit this guide regularly to check for upcoming library workshops and events, as well as newly acquired resources to help you in your research process.
If your area of research is comparative or focused on non-English literatures, consider also contacting the appropriate area studies guide or subject specialist.
Quick Links and Related Subject Guides
- UCLA Library Locations and HoursClick on a location for details, scroll down for lists of services and resources.
- Other Collections at UCLAThese are collections located within departments and research units outside of the official UCLA Library system.
- Off-Campus (VPN or Proxy Server) Access to Library eResourcesHow to access licensed online content from off-campus.
- UCLA Department of EnglishWebsite of the Department of English at UCLA.
- UCLA Department of Comparative LiteratureWebsite of the Department of Comparative Literature of UCLA.
Major Online Sources
These online sources are good places to start your literature-related research. For quick reference, hold your mouse over a link for a brief description of the resource.
For more suggested sources, go to the tabs at the top of the page.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new windowA multidisciplinary database that indexes over 10,000 publications, with the complete text of over 5,500 periodicals, including a mix of peer-reviewed journals, magazines, and newspapers.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Full text back issues of core scholarly journals, browsable and searchable across multiple disciplines. Coverage starts with first issue, with moving wall for most recent 3-5 years. UCLA has access to selected JSTOR e-books only. JSTOR also includes primary source collections, including images from Artstor.
- Gale Literature This link opens in a new window
Searches multiple literary sources, including: Dictionary of Literary Biography, Literature Criticism Online, Literature Resource Center, Scribner Writer Series, and Twayne's Authors Series. Scroll down to click on Gale's Literary Index, a master index to the major literature products published by Gale.
- Literature Online This link opens in a new windowAlso 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.
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowThe main database for literature scholarship. Indexes worldwide publications on topics including literature, language, linguistics and folklore from 1923 to the present.
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Full text of current issues (from about 1990) of scholarly journals published by university presses, chiefly in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Browsable by discipline and full-text searchable across all disciplines. UCLA has access to Muse e-books published from 2017-present, plus a selected number of other e-book titles.
Citation Style Guides — Print
For a general introduction to academic citation and intellectual property, see Citing Sources.
For more detail, consult the complete printed style manuals, available in many campus libraries:
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: The Official Guide to APA Style, 7th ed., 2020.ISBN: 9781433832154Click title above for details, call number, and library location(s)
In addition to providing guidance on grammar, the mechanics of writing, and APA style, this manual offers an authoritative reference and citation system. It also covers the treatment of numbers, statistical and mathematical data, tables, and figures.
A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 9th ed., 2018, by ISBN: 9780226494425Click title above for details, call number, and library location(s)
The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition. by ISBN: 0226817970Date: 2024Click title above for details, call number, and library location(s). Also available online.
MLA Handbook, 9th ed., 2021 by
Print book only at YRL and Powell Libraries, UCLA.
The ninth edition works as both a textbook and a reference guide. Focusing on source evaluation, it features a wealth of visual examples and updated advice on punctuation and grammar, footnotes and endnotes, annotated bibliographies, and paper formatting including: Expanded, in-depth guidance on creating works-cited-list entries using the MLA template of core elements that explains what each core element is, where to find it in various sources, and how to style it. A new, easy-to-follow explanation of in-text citations. A new chapter containing recommendations for using inclusive language. A new appendix with hundreds of sample works-cited-list entries by publication format, including books, databases, websites, YouTube videos, interviews, and more. Updated guidelines on avoiding plagiarism.
Call Number: REF LB 3259 M52 2021ISBN: 9781603293518
A Writer's Reference, 9th ed. 2017, by ISBN: 9781319057442Click title above for details, call number, and library location(s)
