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.

For a step-by-step explanation of how to get an article you've found in a database, see this guide.

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.