LibGuides: Literature Studies: Home

Finding Books

The Literature section starts on the first floor around the #125 range. To find books in the BGSU library, use the catalogs and indexes below.

Summon
Summon is the BEST way to find all the eBooks available through the BGSU library.
BGSU Library Catalog
Find books and videos owned by the BGSU Libraries.
OhioLINK Catalog
Search for materials owned by dozens of academic (and some large public) libraries in Ohio. Request online; delivery to Jerome Main Circulation desk in 2-3 business days.

WorldCat (OCLC FirstSearch)
WorldCat contains catalog records, locations, and library borrowing information for books, journals, videos, sound recordings, archival materials and more owned by millions of libraries all over the world.
Freely Available Version
Mobile access (for freely available version)

Literature Databases

The core databases for general literary research are:

JSTOR
Over a thousand full-text scholarly journals and books covering all subjects in the humanities, sciences and social sciences. History, economics, art, literature, and mathematics are particularly strong. All journal titles are archived back to the first issue, many dating from the early 1800s. JSTOR now also hosts the complete ArtSTOR collection.
Literary Reference Center Plus (EBSCO)
Comprehensive, completely full-text literary reference database that provides a broad spectrum of reference information from antiquity to the present day. The LRC combines information from over 1,000 books and monographs, major literary encyclopedias and reference works, hundreds of literary journals, and unique sources not available anywhere else.
MLA International Bibliography
Indexes books and articles on modern languages, literature, literary theory, criticism, folklore, drama, and linguistics. Only scholarly content is included.

Peer Reviewed or Scholarly FAQ

What are scholarly or peer reviewed articles?

Professors often require students to find scholarly and peer reviewed articles. These items:

generally focus on scholarly research
are written by experts in the field or discipline
are critically reviewed by other experts before publication
contain cited references to the information sources used

How do I find scholarly or peer reviewed articles?

Many of the library's databases (e.g. Academic Search Complete, Business Search Complete, and PsycInfo) contain scholarly or peer reviewed material and allow you to limit your search to include only these articles in the results. Use the advanced search feature in a database to find the option to limit to this type of search.

Check the Ulrich's database to see if a journal is considered scholarly or is refereed (aka peer-reviewed).

In some disciplines, differences between scholarly and trade publications are not crystal clear. Your professor is the final arbiter of what is scholarly in a specific academic field of study.