Selecting the best or most appropriate finding aid for identifying sources depends almost entirely on the context of your research project. There is no single database or web search interface that will work for every research context; instead, you'll need to match your specific research needs to a variety of options. 

Use the resources on this page to locate two scholarly secondary sources for your essay:

• one article or book chapter about your primary text(s)
  • Based on your findings, how do other scholars frame your primary text(s)? What interpretive approaches and/or themes do they explore?
• one article or book chapter related to an interpretive approach or theme
  • What database did you search? What search terms did you use and which subject terms correspond to your topic? Write down subject terms that interest you so you can try different combinations!

Need help navigating the MLA International Bibliography? View the following tutorials for in-depth explanations of MLAIB's search functionality:

• Researching Literature in the MLA International Bibliography, Part I
• Researching Literature in the MLA International Bibliography, Part II: Advanced Searching Strategies for Literary Scholarship
• How to Find Literary Criticism That Uses a Particular Approach or Method in the MLA International Bibliography

Depending on your topic and your angle, you may wish to search additional subject databases. 

Gothic Studies is the official, refereed journal of the International Gothic Association and features content that considers the field of Gothic studies from the eighteenth century to the present day. The journal currently appears twice each year and publishes a mixture of general issues and guest-edited specials on a wide range of Gothic authors, periods and traditions.

These e-journal collections provide access to many journals in the humanities, but they are more limited in coverage compared to subject databases. In most cases, it's better to search subject databases to identify articles, and then search the journal title in Primo to link to the materials in these e-journal collections.

Google Scholar can help you find articles which have cited an article that you have found. Frequent citation is often (but not always!) a marker for a particularly influential scholarly work.

Step 1: When looking at search results, check for the 'Cited by X' link underneath each result. That will tell you how many subsequent articles (that Google Scholar is aware of) have cited this particular article or book.

Step 2: Click that link, and you will be taken to a new set of results, all of which have cited the original article, which will still be listed at the top of the page. 

If your article is not available at Collins Library, you've got another option for getting it. Use Tipasa, our interlibrary loan service.

Tipasa is linked to your library account so you'll need to log in to use it.

Once you are logged in, either go directly to Tipasa and manually enter the information, or, if you're using a database, look for a shortcut link to automatically fill out the form:

Allow at least a week for the article to come. If your article is delivered in electronic format, you'll receive an email with a link to follow as soon as it's arrived.