Research Guides: English Research Guide: Getting Started

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Oxford English Dictionary Online This link opens in a new window
Widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language.
Oxford Reference Online: Premium Collection This link opens in a new window
Dependable, reputable reference works for quick fact-checking and deeper research.

Literature Topics and Research

What kinds of topics are good ones?
Check out the subject-specific writing tools from Purdue OWL!

Digitized Reference Books

Need to find some background information? These reference sources are available online to students, faculty and staff of TAMUCC.

The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English
Substantially enlarged and updated, this new edition of The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English confirms its status as the most authoritative survey of its subject now available in a single volume. Its coverage of novelists, poets, playwrights, and their works embraces both the established classics of English literature and a wealth of contemporary figures from all over the English-speaking world.
The Chronology of American Literature
At once an authoritative reference and an ideal browser's guide, this book outlines the indispensable information in America's rich literary past - from major publications to lesser-known gems - while also identifying larger trends along the literary timeline. Who wrote the first published book in America? When did Edgar Allan Poe achieve notoriety as a mystery writer? What was Hemingway's breakout title? The Chronology makes it easy to find answers to these questions and more.
Encyclopedia of Latin American and Caribbean Literature, 1900-2003
The Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Latin American and Caribbean Literature, 1900-2003 draws together entries on all aspects of literature including authors, critics, major works, magazines, genres, schools and movements in these regions from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day.
Encyclopedia of Post Colonial Literatures in English
This Encyclopedia documents the history and development of this body of work from A (Gemino Henson Abad) to Z (Fay Zwicky) and includes original research relating to the literatures of some 50 countries and territories. It explores the effect of the colonial and post-colonial experience on literatures in English worldwide.
Holocaust Literature: An Encyclopedia of Writers and Their Work
Featuring alphabetically organized bio-critical essays on writers of memoirs, novels, poetry, short stories, and drama, ranging in length from 1,500 to 7,000 words, this comprehensive scholarly work presents a broad spectrum of voices remembering, interpreting, and reinterpreting one of the twentieth century's most politically and emotionally charged events.

How to use Wikipedia

From Wikipedia's article, "Researching with Wikipedia":

Wikipedia can be a great tool for learning and researching information. However, as with all reference works, not everything in Wikipedia is accurate, comprehensive, or unbiased. Many of the general rules of thumb for conducting research apply to Wikipedia, including:

Always be wary of any one single source (in any medium — web, print, television or radio), or of multiple works that derive from a single source.
Where articles have references to external sources (whether online or not) read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says.
In most academic institutions, major references to Wikipedia, along with most encyclopedias, are unacceptable for a research paper. Other encyclopedias, such as Encyclopædia Britannica, have notable authors working for them and may be cited as a secondary source in most cases. For example, Cornell University has a guide on how to cite encyclopedias.

English Research Guide:Getting Started

New in the Library

Literature Topics and Research

Digitized Reference Books

How to use Wikipedia