ENGB05: Critical Writing about Literature

Most Useful Databases for ENGB05  *Search these databases to find articles for your assignment.

Please note - if you are accessing a database off-campus, you will be asked for your UTORid.  

You may need to find additional information about your theme or idea using general databases. Here are some examples:

Write an Effective Search Statement

Example search:  I want to research the author Amy Tan's portrayl of mother-daughter relationships amongst immigrant women

Three tips to write an effective search statement

1.  AND:  Write "AND" between different ideas to focus your search

              Example:  amy tan AND mother-daughter relationshiops

2.  OR:  Write "OR" between synoyms to expand your search

             Example:  immigrant OR refugee

3.  Truncation * (also called wildcard):  Use truncation * to expand your search

             Example:  immigra* will find immigrant or immigrants or immigration

Download Articles

Click GET IT! to download articles.  If you have any trouble retrieving articles, write down the citation and ask for assistance in the Library.

More tips for Searching Effectively

1.  The Literature Resource Centre has been very popular amongst ENGB05 students in the past.

2.  Try multiple databases.  No database has everything.

3.  Are you researching any Canadian authors?  (If you're not sure, google them to find out.)  If yes, try the Canadian Literary Centre.

4.  Check your spelling.  Databases won't work effectively if you've spelled any of your terms incorrectly.  Google your search terms if necessary to check spelling.

In order to find articles, use a subject-specific database. Databases are efficient because they let you search in numerous journals at the same time.

To navigate to Literature databases, go to the U of T Scarborough Library homepage, select Databases, then Databases by subject A-Z. For English Literature Courses, select "Literature" from the A-Z list to access the best literary databases that U of T subscribes to.

Use Boolean Operators to search the databases - see section on Finding Books. 

Are you researching a text written by a Canadian author?  (If you're not sure if you're author is Canadian, Google the author's name and find out.)  Try searching the "Canadian Literary Centre" as well as the databases recommended above.