How To Start Basic Research
From Lit Wiki
BASIC INFORMATION ON AUTHOR OR WORK
Need biographical information on an author, playwright, writer? LRC (Literature Resource Center) will give you biographical information from a variety of respected sources. This database is all full-text and also contains articles on the person or piece of work. NOTE: The articles are not necessarily scholarly, so use caution when picking a source - or talk to a librarian or your instructor if you are uncertain of the usability of the source for your topic.
Another valuable basic database is LRC (Literary Reference Center). This too contains all full text, along with some additional features for very basic research such as: Masterplots (plot summaries, synopses, overviews), book reviews, and a variety of other sources.
Once you have exhausted these, it will be time to move to more scholarly literature databases, such as MLA International Bibliography.
Find more databases for literature: ARTICLE DATABASES BY SUBJECT
BOOKS?
Looking for books? Go to ALICE and do a SUBJECT search on the author or work. Not all works will have their own subject category in ALICE, but the more important works will be represented.
For example: SUBJECT SEARCH: MOBY DICK