Skip to Main Content

Literature Comprehensive: General Research Guide: Books with GIL-Find

This guide makes writing a literary research paper easier. It covers GALILEO, GIL, and other literary resources. This guide helps with assignments in Engl1102.

Literature Searching with GIL-Find

GIL-Find Literature Searching

GIL-FIND logo link GIL-Find is the library's catalog. For help using GIL-Find, please try Step by Step Literature Searching with GIL-Find.

GIL-Find loaded with a literature search

Note: most literary criticism books cover multiple works by a particular author, to find the work on which you are writing, consult each book's index and table of contents. For help finding information inside books, try using the table of contents in the front and the index in the back of most books.

Here's the index Table of contents


Field Searching Literature Topics in GIL-Find

To search for a specific work (especially a short story or play), a work by title or author, or very specific material about your author, library catalog's Advanced Search is the way to go.

To get started click on the small white Advanced Search link below the search box and select a title, author/creator or subject from a menu box on the left side. Type your subject in the righthand box. Then click the green, text, search link.

Field searching with GIL-Find

GIL-Find Field Searches at a Glance
Type of Search What It Finds What You Enter
Subject Search Secondary sources about your author and his/her works. Author's last name followed by his/her first name, for example, Irving, Washington for Washington Irving.
Author Search Primary sources or works by your author. Author's last name followed by his/her first name, for example, Irving, Washington for Washington Irving.
Title Search Specific novels or nonfiction books. The book's title without the first "the," "a,"" or "an."
Author Search
(Short Story)
A specific short story, short play, or poem. Author's last name followed by his/her first name, for exmaple, Irving Washington for Washington Irving. Then look for works with titles such as "collected stories," "selected poems," or "complete plays" etc... These works may include your poem, story, or play.