MLA International Bibliography
The definitive database for finding scholarly articles on Chinese literature and related topics is the Modern Language Association International Bibliography (MLAIB) online. It indexes over 66,000 books, articles, and websites annually. Topics include literary theory and criticism, dramatic arts (film, radio, television, theatre), folklore, and the history of printing and publishing. Book reviews are not included.
OU subscribes to the MLA International Bibliography through EBSCO, so the interface may look familiar to you. However, the database has certain unique features:
- You can search indexes such as genre, literary technique, literature topic, primary subject author, and primary subject work.
- You can build your search using the database's thesaurus. This will allow you to focus your search using MLA's descriptors (controlled vocabulary).
- It is generally better to do your searches in English, even if you want results in Chinese. For example, a search for Subject Chinese literature AND Keyword women produced 1,200 results, of which 231 were in Chinese.
- Create a free account with EBSCO to save your research into folders, remember your searches, and be notified when new articles matching your search terms are added.
The Modern Language Association has created several tutorial videos to help you to research efficiently and effectively.
Where is the Full Text?
For a step-by-step explanation of how to get an article you've found in a database, see this guide.
Journal Articles, etc.
Please note that the library does not own all the journals and other materials cited in these databases. Where full text is not linked to the citation, use the OU Link to check the catalog or request the material via interlibrary loan.
Click here to access a list of e-journals to which OU subscribes related to Chinese literature, history, politics, culture, etc.
- ABI/INFORM (Proquest One Business)Focus is on business and management topics, but includes many other subjects as well. References to or full text of journal, magazine, and newspaper articles, books, videos, company reports, and more.
- Academic Search CompleteMultidisciplinary database covering social sciences, humanities, education, physical and life sciences, and ethnic studies. Cross-searchable with other EBSCO Collection databases.
- China Academic JournalsProvides access to Chinese journals in the areas of economics, politics, law, education, social sciences, literature, history, and philosophy. Full text available.
- Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO)International politics and related fields, including security studies, global finance, diplomatic practice, humanitarian law, global governance, development studies, and environmental studies. Includes working papers, policy briefs, and current analysis and commentary, as well as scholarly journal articles, e-books, and videos. Economist Intelligence Unit supplies comprehensive country surveys, including in-depth political and economic data and detailed maps.
- Dissertation AbstractsIndexes doctoral dissertations from the US, Canada, UK, and Ireland. Some full text. NOTE: In recent years many dissertations have been placed in university repositories instead of in Dissertation Abstracts, so search individual institutions as well.
- EBSCO CollectionA collection of databases provided by EBSCO. Selected databases can be searched simultaneously.
- ERICAn online library of education research, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. Materials indexed include journal articles and research reports (ERIC Documents). Some full text available.
- EthnologueProvides information on thousands of living languages.
- Gale LiteratureCross-searchable electronic version of several Gale series, including the Dictionary of Literary Biography, Contemporary Literary Criticism, Drama Criticism, Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, Poetry Criticism, Short Story Criticism, Something About the Author, and Twentieth-Century Literature Criticism.
- Google ScholarA collection of scholarly articles that uses Google search technology. Use Google Scholar through the library's website to access our online content or reach the OU Link to Article tool.
- Historical Abstracts (Ebsco)World history (except the U.S. and Canada), 1450 to the present. References to or full text of journal articles, books, book reviews, dissertations, etc.
- JSTOR (incorporates ARTstor)Full text of many core journals in various disciplines. For some titles, the most recent issues will not be available full text until after an embargo period.
- Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts1973-present. Covers all aspects of the study of language including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics.Complete coverage is also given to various fields of linguistics including descriptive, historical, comparative, theoretical and geographical linguistics.
- Project MuseLargely full-text collection of articles from core journals. Generally limited to most recent 5-7 years.
- ProquestA collection of databases available from Proquest on various subjects, including business, economics, history, biology, newspapers, art, politics, philosophy, earth and atmospheric sciences, and psychology.
- SocINDEXIndexes literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Provides abstracts and citations to journal articles, books, and conference papers. Includes author profiles.
- Web of ScienceMultidisciplinary index covering topics in the sciences, social sciences and humanities.
- Worldwide Political Science AbstractsCovers international literature in political science and its complementary fields, including international relations, law, and public administration/policy.