Citation Assistance
As an English student, you will need to use MLA 8th Edition citation style in your assignments. You can find help with this by going to our MLA Citation guide. You can also find the MLA Handbook in the reference section on the first floor of the library.
Primary Sources and Archival Material on the Web
The following is a curated list of free sites that offer literary and other cultural texts, generally in the public domain.
- Project GutenbergFree public domain ebooks, digitized by volunteers. Find all out-of-copyright classics here, as well as a large, eclectic selection of lesser-known works.
- Bartleby: WritingAnother public domain collection, emphasizing classic works. Also provides resources on writing.
- Library of Congress CollectionsThemed collections of archival material on a broad range of subjects. Historic newspapers, maps, photographs, film, audio recordings, etc.
- Wright American Fiction Project, 1851-1875Full texts of fiction published 1851 to 1875, by American authors. Includes a great deal of little-known material.
- Library of Southern LiteratureLiterature of the American South before 1924.
- TEAMS Middle English TextsSite maintained by The Consortium for the Teaching of the Middle Ages to "make available to teachers and students texts which occupy an important place in the literary and cultural canon but which have not been readily available in student editions."
- Romantic Circles"A refereed scholarly Website devoted to the study of Romantic-period literature and culture." Includes primary texts, scholarly works, and teaching resources.
- Reading: Harvard Views of Readers, Readership, and Reading History"An online exploration of the intellectual, cultural, and political history of reading." Historical textbooks, commonplace books, etc.
SRU Digital Collections
- The Rocket (1934-Present)The Rocket is Slippery Rock University’s student newspaper, which began publishing in 1934 and continues to present day. The University Archives provides digital copies of the entire run of the paper.
- The Slippery Rocket (1918-1930)The Slippery Rocket preceded The Rocket as Slippery Rock’s campus newspaper. It was published jointly by students and faculty from 1918 to 1930.
- SaxigenaThe Saxigena was Slippery Rock’s yearbook from 1911-2005. This collection features selected digitized issues from 1958-1994 and one born digital issue from 2007.
- SRU PhotographsThe SRU Photographs Collection features images that span the history of the institution from State Normal School to the present day. Highlights include aerial views of campus from the 1940s to the 1990s, senior pictures of the classes of 1898 and 1902, Slippery Rock State Teachers College armed forces personnel, and the North Hall fire of 1937.
- SRU PostcardsThis collection features vintage postcards of the Slippery Rock campus, both hand-tinted and photographic. Included are South Hall, the Model School, a rare interior view of the Chapel, and early 20th century acrobatics on the campus lawn.
Welcome!
Welcome to the English research guide! This guide is meant for anyone taking an English course, whether you are an English major, fulfilling a writing requirement, or just taking a class for fun. If you cannot find what you are looking for in the guide, please contact the librarian for assistance.
Using the Guide
This Home page contains lists of resources where you can find citation help, choose a database for your research, or locate English-related primary source materials. To navigate the guide for more information, use the tabs at the top of the page. The Library Basics tab contains several pages with in-depth information on how to use library resources for your research. The remaining tabs provide resources tailored to specific classes or topics. If your class or topic is not listed and you would like to get personalized help, please contact the librarian.
Databases
These databases are recommended for English majors / masters and their coursework. For resources specific to your course, see the tabs at the top of the guide. If your course is not listed, use the resources on this page or contact a librarian for more a more tailored list.
- Academic OneFile This link opens in a new window
Provides a multidisciplinary coverage of scholarly information, including podcasts and transcripts from NPR and CNN, and videos from BBC Worldwide Learning.
- Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new windowProvides access to full-text scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, reports, and book reviews in virtually every discipline.
- African-American Poetry This link opens in a new windowA collection of African-American poetry from writers in the 18th and 19th centuries. This database provides a comprehensive survey of African-American poetry. Note: Access to this database will end on 5/31/2025.
- American Periodicals This link opens in a new windowContains digitized images from American magazines and journals between 1741 and 1940. Spanning nearly 200 years-from colonial times to the advent of American involvement in World War II.
- AVON (Academic Video Online) This link opens in a new windowIt provides streaming videos from a variety of content such as documentaries, films, demonstrations, from around the world and across all subject areas.
- Early English Books Online This link opens in a new windowIt contains every work printed in the English language from 1473-1700 such as Boyle and Bacon; music by Henry Purcell; prayer books, and other primary resources.
- Ebook Central This link opens in a new windowFull-text scholarly books covering all subjects. The whole book is readable online but only 15% can be printed or saved as PDF.
- Films on Demand This link opens in a new windowFilms on Demand provides high-quality video and multimedia for academic, vocational and life-skills content.
- Gale Literary Index This link opens in a new windowThe index includes the Contemporary Author Series and Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Features complete biographies on authors and criticism on their works.
- Gender Studies Database This link opens in a new windowGSD covers the full spectrum of gender-engaged scholarship inside and outside academia with coverage spanning from 1972 and earlier to the present.
- GenderWatch This link opens in a new windowFeatures unique and diverse publications that focus on how gender impacts a broad spectrum of subject areas. Coverage from 1970.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowFull-text scholarly articles and books in a wide range of subject areas, primarily social sciences and humanities. Also features an image search using materials derived from ARTstor.
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowA video streaming with more than 30,000 documentaries, movies, and educational videos from producers such as Criterion Collection, PBS, Great Courses, Kino Lorber and more.
- Literature Resource Center This link opens in a new windowIncludes biographies, bibliographies & critical analysis of authors from every age & literary discipline. Includes full text of journals on literature and literary criticism.
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowFocus on all forms of human communication. World coverage includes literature, folk literature, music, art, rituals, linguistics and language materials.
- Newspapers.com This link opens in a new windowOffers full page newspaper images with searchable full-text for millions of newspapers. The collection includes digital reproductions.
- Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new windowThe most authoritative & comprehensive English language dictionary Includes information on the social, cultural, and political influences that have shaped the language through time.
- Wiley Online Library This link opens in a new windowWiley Online Library includes more than 1,400 journals with coverage from 1997-present. Access is provided for all Wiley Online Library journals; e-book access is not included.
- Project Muse This link opens in a new windowAn interdisciplinary collection of high-quality, peer-reviewed journals, with an emphasis on the humanities and social sciences.
How to Use Specific Databases
Subject Guide
Research Help
Research Services - Spring 2025
Get live research assistance from a librarian via online chat or in-person (Ask at the library's 1st Floor Circulation Desk) during the following hours (All times EST).
| Monday - Thurs. | 10am - 4pm |
| Friday | 10am - 2pm |
Research assistance is also available via the Ask a Librarian e-mail form (you will receive a reply by the next business day).
You may also consider contacting your subject specialist librarian directly via the Ask Your Librarian page to ask a question directly or to schedule an appointment.
Service Directory
- Archives & Special Collections(724) 738-4295
- Circulation Desk(724) 738-2637
- Main Office(724) 738-2631
- Government Documents(724) 738-2665
- Instructional Materials Center(724) 738-2663
- Interlibrary Loan(724) 738-4457
- Information Desk(724) 738-2641
- Technology Learning Center(724) 738-2663
- Tutorial Center(724) 738-2845
- Writing Center(724) 738-2654