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Resources for Literary Analysis: Search Terms

Drop-in Workshop on how to find literary criticisms in books and academic journals. Learn how to use Gale Literary Sources (which includes Literature Resource Center), Poetry and Short Story Reference Center, JSTOR, EBSCO databases Infobase Academic eBoo

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Below are the official Library of Congress Subject Headings you may want to use. Library of Congress Subject Headings Books

 

Authors: Last Name, First Name and then select Subject NOT Author.

Example: Jackson, Shirley

The title of the work can also be a subject term (not title).

Example: "Sonny's Blues"

 

American Dream

Upward Mobility

Social Mobility

"Land of Opportunity"

Idealism--Americans

Economic Opportunity

Social Change

Equality

Opportunity

Social Aspects

Escape or Escapism

 

Social Advocacy

Civil Rights Movements

Protest Movements

Social Movements

Peace Movements

Hispanic Americans

Mexican Aemricans

Chinese Americans

Asian Americans

African Aemricans

Assimilation

Acculturation

 

 

Race Relations

Ethnic Relations

Cultural Relations

Racism

Prejudices

Racial minorities

Racial Awareness

 

Education AND

Higher

Primary

Secondary

Bilingual

 

Emigration and Immigration

Immigrants

Slavery

Forced Labor

 

Zoot Suit Riots, Los Angeles, Calif., 1943.

Chinatown (San Francisco, Calif.)

Philadelphia

Selling

 

 

Gays

Gay Rights

LGBT

AIDS (Disease)

AIDS Activists


Ninteen Thirties

Nineteen Sixties

Nineteen Eighties

1815-1861

1933-1945

1945-1970

1980-1993
 

 

Class Identity

Working Class

Middle Class

Cultural Identity

Social Classes

 
       

 

         
         

 

Keywords

While not official subject headings, these keywords can be very fruitful for your research. Try to also think of other terms such as these. Keyword searches look at all the information in the book or article record including title, author, abstract, table of contents, etc. It always helps to think of synonyms, as the way one person would describe something is not the same way another would.

1980s

 

 

What "Search Terms" to Use?

Using the correct words to search will help you find relevant information. Different authors and search tools use different words to describe the same concepts, so it is useful to have a list of similar and related terms in your arsenal when you set out to search for relevant information. The process of creating these alternative terms is called brainstorming terms or concept mapping.

EXAMPLE

Chinese Americans AND California

What "search terms" to use?

Using the correct words to search will help you find relevant information. Different authors and search tools use different words to describe the same concepts, so it is useful to have a list of similar and related terms in your arsenal when you set out to search for relevant information. The process of creating these alternative terms is called brainstorming terms or concept mapping.

EXAMPLE

Sex Differences AND Communication


If for some reason, you are getting results you do NOT want (say for example you want to find only articles on communication in opposite sex marriages) try a NOT search.  Librarians caution that NOT searches often also weed out articles that may have been relevant for you.  So only perform such searches if you have LOTS of results (say over ten that are in full text format):

EXAMPLE

Marriage NOT Same Sex