Hewes Library: English Language & Literature: Searching MLA Bibliography (database)

MLA: Modern Language Association Database

MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
The MLA International Bibliography indexes international scholarship in literary and linguistic criticism. The sources include scholarly journals and book chapters published in English, French, German, Spanish and more. Most sources are indexed from 1920s to the present. Some full-text is provided within the database. Use the "Find this item" button to locate materials outside the database.

Specifically, the MLA Bibliography helps you discover:

scholarly criticism in journal articles (citation only)
scholarly criticism in book chapters (citation only)
criticism in the areas of literary theory, literary criticism, folklore, linguistics, drama, rhetoric, and composition
criticism published from the 1920s to the present

Search Features

Basic search locates keywords in several fields of the database and can be very comprehensive, however, if the results are too overwhelming, consider an Advanced search

Advanced search allows focus on specific fields (like author of work, title of work) and can retrieve more relevant results.
- For example, if you are focusing on a specific literary work or author, use the Advanced Search to select Primary Subject Work or Primary Subject Author for more accurate results.
  - e.g. Primary Subject Work = "Midnight's Children"
  - e.g. Primary Subject Author = Rushdie

The MLA Thesaurus is an invaluable tool to discover words related to your topic. Find the Thesaurus link at the top of the search screen as pictured below. The video at right, "Keyword Search vs. Subject Search," will help in deciphering use of the Thesaurus and clarify the differences in these two types of searches.

Search Tips and Tutorials

Additional MLA Bibliography Help Videos
Browse additional support videos available on topics such as limiting by date, peer-review, and searching for subjects like composition, rhetoric and theater/film.