General Encyclopedic Resources
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowProvides access to a collection of aggregated and integrated reference books from high-quality publishers.
- Gale Virtual Reference LibraryGale Virtual Reference Library is a database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. Select Literature from the Subject list to search and browse literature reference sources.
Google Scholar
This service is Google's method of searching the invisible web. To see the full text of many of these sources, you need to be "authenticated" as a legitimate UIUC user. Do so by searching for the source title on the A-Z list of electronic journals and newspapers. Also try the advanced search.
Creating Citations
Create citations in APA, MLA or Chicago Style using a step-by-step process.
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General Journal Databases
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowProvides page images of back issues of the core scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and basic sciences from the earliest issues to within a few years of current publication. Users may browse by journal title or discipline, or may search the full-text or citations/abstracts. New issues of existing titles and new titles are added approximately on a weekly basis. The University of Illinois has access to the following JSTOR collections: Arts & Sciences I-XV, 19th Century British Pamphlets, Business IV, Global Plants, Hebrew Journals, Ireland, Life Sciences Collection, Lives of Literature, Security Studies, Struggles for Freedom - South Africa, Sustainability, and World Heritage Sites - Africa.
- Academic Search UltimateScholarly periodical database offering access to full-text articles.
- Project MuseSearches full-text in over 150 journals supplied by 10 university presses. Click on the search button to start your search. Muse works well for more recent periodical issues, while JSTOR (see above) reproduces older volumes.
- Nonfiction Core Collection (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
Alternate version: Nonfiction Core Collection (H.W. Wilson) in the classic EBSCO user interface (best for exporting more than 50 results or combining saved searches). Developed by collection development specialists, Nonfiction Core Collection provides over 22,000 of the most highly-recommended reference and non-fiction books for adults. Content in this database is searchable by subject, Dewey Decimal Classification Range, title, author, recommendation level and more. Covering a wide range of topics, from health to personal finance, this collection can be used for collection development, readers' advisory and curriculum support. The database is made up of indexing, abstracts, and full text.
- Contemporary Literary Criticism This link opens in a new windowPart of Gale Literature Criticism Online. The databases covers authors who are currently active or who died after December 31, 1959. Profiles novelists, poets, playwrights and other creative and nonfiction writers by providing criticism taken from books, magazines, literary reviews, newspapers and scholarly journals
Narrowly focused databases
- History of Science, Technology & Medicine This link opens in a new window
Alternate version: History of Science, Technology & Medicine in the classic EBSCO user interface (best for exporting more than 50 results or combining saved searches). History of Science, Technology and Medicine reflects the influences these fields have had on society and culture throughout time, from prehistory to the present. Updated on a monthly basis, this essential database includes records of journal articles, conference proceedings, books, dissertations, serials, maps and other related materials.
- Web of Science (Core Collection) This link opens in a new windowWeb of Science indexes core journal articles, conference proceedings, data sets, and other resources in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
- PsycInfo This link opens in a new windowPsycInfo is an electronic bibliographic database providing abstracts and citations to the scholarly literature in the psychological, social, behavioral, and health sciences. The database includes material of relevance to psychologists and professionals in related fields such as psychiatry, management, business, education, social science, neuroscience, law, medicine, and social work. Updated weekly, PsycInfo {reg} provides access to journal articles, books, chapters, and dissertations.
Subject Guide
Books and Further Resources
UIUC Online Catalog - Searches all UIUC libraries.
You can use subject headings to refine your search. So if, for instance, you are looking for specific ethnic and racial history or statistics of the city of Chicago, you can use these headings:
Chicago (Ill.)—Ethnic relations
Chicago (Ill.)—Statistics
Just copy and paste one of the above headings into the search field, and select "Subject" as the category.
If a book is not available at UIUC . . .
- A-Z DatabasesCan't find what you're looking for in any of the databases that we've provided? Here is a list of all of the databases that the U of I has a subscription to (which entails a lot of databases). Harrison and Ms. Arnold are happy to help you navigate this one.
Other Related Library Guides
- Creative Writing GuideThis research guide provides information on library resources that may be helpful to an aspiring writer.
The guide includes lists of the literary magazines in the library holdings; useful titles for inspiration, publication and reference; and information on literary prizes and Web resources related to creative writing.