Research Support
Find research sources with a library search
This page offers ideas for how and where to search for research sources in the Milne Library. Scroll down to find databases full of articles and search tips that are tailored to your subject.
Need help with your research on a specific subject?
Contact the library's Reference Desk to help find a source, or set up a consultation with a Reference & Instruction Librarian for an hour-long research session. For more information, visit the Get Library Help page.
Library Search Tips
Search Tips for Databases
Databases are searchable online catalogs for research materials like scholarly journals and articles, books, primary source materials (such as letters, maps, datasets, or photographs), and video and audio materials. Milne Library's databases are all listed at A-Z Databases.
Use "advanced" search functions in databases
For best results, use Advanced Search options. Try combining a few keywords about the topic, such as the name of a region or country AND a language-related term to find scholarly articles.
Filter your search results
Look for "filter" options in your search results that let you choose a publication date range, for example. If you are looking for a certain kind of research material -- like a full-text article, a book, or an audio file -- you can often filter for type, too.
Foreign Language Databases
Milne library subscribes to a number of databases where you can search for articles. The full list of databases are available on the library website under the 'Databases' tab as well. Some best bet databases for languages are included here. Specialized subject databases sometimes contain articles not found in Search Everything or General Databases.
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Contemporary Authors This link opens in a new windowGuide to current writers in fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, drama, and other fields. Provides complete biographical and bibliographical references.
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Hispanic American Periodicals Index (HAPI Online) This link opens in a new windowContains about 300,000 journal article citations concerning Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Brazil, and Hispanics/Latinos in the United States.
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Humanities SourceIncludes both Humanities Full Text and Humanities International. Contains over 1400 full text journals with citations to over 3,500,000 articles.
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Literary Reference Center (EBSCO)Contains full text for more than 35,000 plot summaries, synopses and work overviews, nearly 100,000 articles/essays of literary criticisms, and about 250,000 author biographies. Covers about 460 literary journals. Also includes book reviews, poems, short stories, more than and more than 8,000 classic texts.
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Gale Literature This link opens in a new windowCross-platform search for literature resources, including coverage of authors, literary works and movements, book reviews, and more. Includes Gale Literature Resource Center, Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors, and Gale Literature: LitFinder.
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MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowContains over 2.3 million citations from more than 4,400 journals & series and 1,000 book publishers. Includes almost 60 titles from J-STOR's language and literature collection as well as links to full text. Coverage is from about 1920.
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Oxford English DictionaryA guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words past and present from across the English-speaking world.