How to Begin Researching in English Literature

You can have a broad overview of your topic if you begin your research on general encyclopedias. As you move through your research, you can progress to more specific encyclopedias and other sources such as books, online articles and periodicals. Tips include looking for resources that has biographical information of the author, articles and journals with literary criticisms of their works.

For your first steps in researching, you can browse the general encyclopedias to gather various information on your topics.

You can search in the library catalog to get specific biographical information on the author.

If you want to look for literary criticisms regarding your topic, you can check the periodicals. One good suggestion is the MLA International Bibliography which contains references to dissertations, journals and chapters in books.

You can also browse the book shelves of the library and go straight to the English literature section.

You can also use the internet and read literature online. You can find various websites that offer a rich selection of English literature topics.