ENG 592 Graduate Proseminar II

At the thesis and dissertation stage/level of research, you will be using multiple sources, many more than are required by the typical undergraduate essay or paper. 

It is helpful to ask yourself some questions to help you define the parameters of your bibliography, parameters such as timeframe, primary sources, criticism. 

• What are the canonical texts/primary sources of my study? E.g., If you are researching Wilkie Collins as a detective novelist, you would select some (or all) of his detective novels, and exclude short works and plays.
• What is the major criticism about the sources I've selected? E.g., Are there texts that lay solid groundwork for studying the detective novel: its history, the major themes, the major authors, the major geographical loci?
• Which theoretical/critical lens am I using? Therefore, a narrower search would focus on criticism related to your study using this lens. E.g, Search for monographs and articles that interrogate the detective novel using postcolonial theory.
• Or, you can select a lens and apply it to your study. What are the most foundational, important post-colonial texts, for example, and how can you apply them to your research? 
• Who has done similar research? How am I adding to the scholarly conversation?
• Biographical information.
• Historical context/setting.

So, where can you find these sources?

Use the catalog to search for scholarly monographs (current and historical), bibliographies, dissertations, and reference material.

For example: For a longview back in time, you can consult Bibliographies and Guides, such as Wilkie Collins : an annotated bibliography, 1889-1976.

For more recent scholarship, adjust the date range in the Filters column. 

How to search for titles like the above in the Catalog:

"wilkie collins" AND (bibliography OR guide or studies)

Shakespeare AND hamlet AND bibliography

Shakespeare AND “critical reader”

You will most likely need to expand your search beyond what we have at BUL, so you can switch your search from "Our Catalog" to "Everything." And, make sure to become best friends with Interlibrary Loan (ILL), to be able to request materials (for free) from other libraries.

For more recent scholarship, including bibliographies, use these databases to find current/updated electronic sources.

Gale Literature: Select "Bibliograph" under Content Type, then search. 

ABELL (Annual Bibliography of Language & Literature): ABELL can be searched by keyword, title keyword, subject, author or reviewer, publication details, journal and publication year, or any combination of these terms. The search tools enable the user to construct detailed specialist bibliographies and to assess, in seconds, the number and variety of sources available.

Oxford Bibliographies (NYPL): A collection of research guides for a wide variety of subjects, including annotated bibliographies. Click Browse by Subject, then your specific subject area. (Get an NYPL library card)

Become familiar with WorldCat: A resource for locating unique, trustworthy materials that you often can’t find anywhere except in a library. By connecting thousands of libraries’ collections in one place, WorldCat.org makes it easy for you to browse the world’s libraries from one search box.

Finally, the English Research Guide is a curated collection of the best subject-specific databases to use to search for articles and other scholarly material. Included are: MLAIB, LION, Literature Criticism Online, Caribbean Literature, Latino Literature, and more!

Year's Work in English Studies: “The” qualitative narrative bibliographical review of scholarly work on English language and literatures written in English. It is the largest and most comprehensive work of its kind and the oldest evaluative work of literary criticism. YWES does not merely offer annotated or enumerated bibliography entries, but provides expert, critical commentary supplied for every book covered. Each volume includes a detailed overview from Old English to contemporary critical works for a given year, and contains critical notices for some 1100 books; extensive coverage of English Language, American Literature, New Literatures in English and English Literature; coverage of specialist periodicals; comprehensive indexing by critic, author, and subject; plus bibliographical endnotes for each chapter. 

Year's Work in Critical & Cultural Theory: Year’s Work in Critical and Cultural Theory is a companion volume to Year’s Work in English Studies. It provides a narrative bibliography of published work, recording significant debates and issues of interest across a broad range of research in the humanities and social sciences. As the fields of critical and cultural studies shift, so the range and scope of the journal alters, and current volumes include chapters on Disability Studies, Digital Humanities, and Animal Studies. YWCCT functions as a bibliographical tool of practical use to scholars and students alike, as well as a lively collaboration with contemporary debates.

Searching for individual journals: On the homepage, select the Journals box to change to search to a journal search, then enter the journal's title. 

Setting up alerts for your journals: Once you've found a journal in a journal search, click on the link to access the journal electronically, then look for the Alert feature.