Oxford LibGuides: English Language and Literature: Bibliographic Databases

Introduction

Bibliographic databases offer focussed searching for content on a particular topic, allowing the discovery of relevant journal articles, conference proceedings, book chapters and more. They are very useful to consult when carrying out your own research because:

they provide powerful search functionality
have citation tools
have thesauri
their content is selected by experts in your subject

Bibliographic databases are helpful when you want to start exploring beyond your reading list or are researching a new topic.

On this page you will find recommended databases and guidance on how to search for and access databases.

Definitions

Terms you may encounter in your research

Database:
A collection of structured and organised data that is stored, searched and accessed electronically.

Bibliographic database:
A searchable platform that contains descriptive records of articles, books, conference proceedings, audio-visual material, maps, newspapers, and more.

Abstracting service:
Used to refer to a bibliographic database, the service provides abstracts of publications.

Indexing service:
Used to refer to a bibliographic database, the service provides descriptors to help organise and navigate publications.

Full-text:
This means you can read the item in full from beginning to end, not just the abstract or summary.

Databases

Oxford subscribes to lots of databases you can use for free. You will likely find you need to use several databases for a thorough search of your subject area. The tabs at the top of this section take you to important databases for English Language and Literature and a link to browse all databases in English Language and Literature.

You can also search for specific databases via SOLO. Note, some key texts may be available via a database but not individually listed on SOLO.

Help with databases

For those seeking advice on accessing databases, we recommend the following guides:

Online and Remote Access
Information on accessing Bodleian Libraries content remotely.
University of Oxford E-resources Blog
The e-resources team use this blog to help keep you informed of news and changes in the world of ejournals and databases.

Below are key bibliographic databases applicable to those studying English Language and Literature at Oxford.

Access

Depending on the database provider, you may need to use your Oxford Single Sign On to access materials.

Arts & Humanities Citation Index
Arts & Humanities Citation Index is a multidisciplinary index covering the journal literature of the arts and humanities. It fully covers 1,144 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals, and it indexes individually selected, relevant items from over 6,800 major journals.
Literature Online
Literature Online not only provides access to the full text of more than 350,000 British and American original works, it also provides access to articles from over 430 scholarly journals. Coverage is extended by the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (ABELL), one of the most important bibliographic sources for English studies.

Subject areas covered by ABELL include:
English language – including syntax, phonology, lexicology, semantics, stylistics and dialectology.
English literature – including poetry, prose, fiction, films, biography, travel writing, literary theory and studies of individual authors.
Bibliography – including manuscript studies, textual studies and the history of publishing.
Traditional culture of the English-speaking world including custom, belief, narrative, song, dance and material culture.
MLA International Bibliography
The MLA International Bibliography indexes articles from over 4,000 humanities journals from 1926 to the present. Its focus is modern languages and literature, including English. You can search for articles by author, subject or title, and complex combined keyword searches are also possible.

The MLA also provides links to the library catalogue and full text articles, where available.
Oxford Bibliographies
Oxford Bibliographies are comprehensive subject bibliographies, which provide an up-to-date overview of the most recent and authoritative scholarship. Oxford Bibliographies provides a seamless pathway to the most accurate and reliable resources. Every article in the database is an authoritative guide to the current scholarship, written and reviewed by academic experts, with original commentary and annotations.
The site includes bibliographies on authors and topics from American Literature, British & Irish Literature, Literary and Cultural Theory, Medieval Studies, Renaissance & Reformation, and Victorian Literature. You can browse by subject or search the site. Once in a bibliography on a topic or author, you can use the 'Find it at Oxford' button to search SOLO for the recommended item.

To browse a list of databases for English Language and Literature, follow the link below which takes you through to Databases A-Z.

English Language and Literature bibliographic databases

Recommend a database

If the Bodleian Libraries don't have a database you are looking for, you can make a recommendation by completing the form below (Oxford Single-Sign On required).

Recommend a purchase