SEARCH - ENC 1102 - Bielecki (Ybor City) - LibGuides at Hillsborough Community College

SEARCH: When you are ready to find peer-reviewed secondary (expert) sources

The resources on this page will lead you to peer-reviewed literary criticism and other secondary (expert) sources about works of literature across all genres — short stories, novels, plays, poems, and nonfiction — as well as information on authors and topics, full texts of many works, and more.

First, read the log-in instructions on the "Home" tab. Then read the search strategies below right and search the recommended literature databases linked at left or the entire HCC library holdings (including printed books) at right.

Search LITERATURE Databases for Online Resources

Ms. Bielecki's Step-by-Step Handout on Finding Trustworthy, Usable Sources for LITERARY Subjects (ENC 1102 classes)
Use this handout for step-by-step instructions on finding trustworthy expert sources for your academic essays on literature.

MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED LITERATURE RESOURCES:

Literature (Gale) Literary criticism, reviews, primary sources and literary works, and more. Funding source: Statewide allocation. Here is a tutorial.
Literary Reference Center Plus (EBSCO) A database of reference entries, journal articles, and other information on literary works and authors. Funding source: Statewide allocation. Here is a tutorial.
Gale Literature Criticism Provides full-text literature criticism from Drama, Short Story, Poetry, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century, and Contemporary Literary Criticism. Funding source: HCC perpetual license

ADDITIONAL GOOD OPTIONS FOR LITERATURE RESOURCES:

Bloom's Literature (Infobase Publishing) Examines great writers, important works, memorable characters, and influential movements and events in world literature. Funded by FLVC group license.

Literature (Salem Press) A literature subset of the Salem Online ebook platform

Salem Online (Salem Press) Online reference materials across a wide spectrum of subjects. Funding source: HCC Here is a tutorial.
Gale Ebooks Searchable database of more than 85 reference sources including encyclopedias, almanacs, series and - eBooks - in many subject areas, including literature, health, science, art, history, business, social science, and multicultural studies. Funding source: HCC and Statewide
JSTOR Back issues of core journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Funding source: Statewide allocation. Here is a tutorial.
Infobase eBooks (Infobase Publishing) Reference and nonfiction eBooks that cover a wide variety of core subject areas, such as history, science, literature, careers, geography, health, careers and more. Funding source: HCC. Here is a tutorial.
Academic Video Online (Alexander Street Press) Academic videos on wide range of subjects—sciences, arts and humanities, business, social sciences, and more. Funded by FLVC group license. Here is a tutorial.

Search OTHER SUBJECT Databases for Online Resources

Although the literature databases are recommended, other library databases may also provide valuable resources, especially if your analysis uses a psychological or historical approach. Follow the instructions in the PDF below. You will likely have greater success by searching for the topic or issue rather than the title and author.

Ms. Bielecki's Step-by-Step Handout on Finding Trustworthy, Usable Sources for ANY Subject (ENC 1101 classes)
Use this handout for step-by-step instructions on finding trustworthy expert sources for your academic essays in almost any course.

Search HCC Libraries for Print, DVD, and Online Resources

Short Intro to the New Library System
This short video by librarian Roxanna Palmer shows the essential steps to use HCC's new library catalog, Primo.

WARNING: "How to Avoid Problems with Citation Tools" Chapter 37.8 of Ms. Bielecki's online textbook explains which citation tools to use (the databases', not the library catalog's) and why you may want to avoid open-access sources.

Some Search Strategies

eBooks, articles, and other online content require a log-in - refer to the Home/HCC ID info tab.

"Search Terms" are keywords and phrases (not a whole sentence) that describe your topic. The examples below are of some different ways you can use search terms to find sources:

"war of the worlds" wells
- Title in "quotation marks" followed by author's last name.
  - Enclosing words that go together in quotation marks helps with phrase searching.
"war of the worlds" and wells and imperial*
- Title of the work plus author's last name and topic keyword
  - The keyword truncated by the asterisk* picks up all forms of the word (imperialist, imperialism).
"british imperialism"
- Topical keywords only.
- Picks up material about the topic in general, not necessarily connected with a particular author or literary work.
wells, h.g.
- Author's last name followed by a comma, and first name.
- Lastname, Firstname search picks up material about the author's life and works in general.

Research and Library Help

Getting Started with Research: Videos

Short Intro to the New Library System
This short video by librarian Roxanna Palmer shows the essential steps to use HCC's new library catalog, Primo.

WARNING: "How to Avoid Problems with Citation Tools"
Chapter 37.8 of Ms. Bielecki's online textbook explains which citation tools to use (the databases', not the library catalog's) and why you may want to avoid open-access sources.

Embedded media or a link not working? Please email the URLs of the item and this page to jbielecki@hccfl.edu.

"Evaluating Source Credibility" playlist from Turnitin
These seven videos (2-5 minutes each, totaling 20 minutes) give a good overview of why and how to make sure your sources are good.

Embedded media or a link not working? Please email the URLs of the item and this page to jbielecki@hccfl.edu.

Need More?

To search for resources, click the "SEARCH" tab above. For more information on ways to analyze literature, hover over the arrow of the "Genres" tab above and choose your work's genre from the drop-down list or click the "Critical Approaches" ("Crit Apprchs") and "(Literary) Periods" tabs above. Information on writing a literary analysis can be found by hovering over the "Writing" tab and choosing "Rhetorical Modes" from the drop-down list. For library assistance, tech support, and tutoring, click "Help!"

If you find a broken link, please email the URLs of the link and this page to jbielecki@hccfl.edu.

ENC 1102 - Bielecki (Ybor City): SEARCH