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MLA Bibliography Database: How to use it

The Modern Language Association (MLA) International Bibliography database is an index to journal articles, books, and more, published on languages, literatures, folklore, film, and linguistics.

Advanced Search Screen

Advanced Search 

You can choose to limit your search by language, date, publication type, and other ways by making your choice(s) on the lower portion of the Advanced Search screen.

See visual aids below. 

Using Links Within the Record

In an item in the Result List or in the record of an item (after you have clicked on a title in the Result List), you may also click on anything that is in blue to link to other materials by that author or from that source or with that subject heading.  Words or phrases in blue type are links. 

See visual aids below. 

Searching for Materials About a Literary Author

To search for materials about an author

Select the "subjects" tab from the top panel

In the search box, type in the author's name (first name first or last name first, it doesn't matter), and click on “Search.”

Check the box that matches your author. 

See visual aid below. 

 

 

Field Searches, Subjects, and Source Types

Field Searches --You may designate if you want to search anywhere in the record (Select a Field (optional)), only the title, only the author, only the subject, etc., by changing the default fields. 

If you want join two key words using the AND operatior, your results will be refined. 

You can also limit your results to academic journal articles. If books are preferred, uncheck "peer reviewed" and pull down the "all filters" drop down to select books. See visual aids below. 

Using Your Search History

You may combine previous searches by clicking on the “Recent Activity.” 

Check the searches you wish to combine and check the Boolean (logical) operator you wish to use to combine them (“and,” “or").  Click on “Add.”

Or type “s” (without the quotation marks) and the search number in the search box. 

You can use Boolean operators to combine previous searches or use previous searches with new terms.           

Examples:
  s17 and s14                            
  s32 and kubla khan

Searching for Research Materials by a Specific Author

To search for articles by an author (remember, this search will be for the author of an article or book, probably NOT the author you are researching), you can restrict your search to the author field by typing in the author’s name in the search box.

Change the field to “Author”

Click on “Search"

See visual aid below