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English resources and support

Your Subject Librarian

Your Subject Librarian

Damien McManus

Other Arts and Social Sciences Library staff can answer your more general library queries.

Recommend other items

English language and literature resources are available in these branch libraries

The majority of the English Language and Literature collections can be found in the Arts and Social Sciences Library.

Information about opening hours, borrowing limits, fines at the ASSL.

Some books on cultural theory are located in the Geographical Services Library.

Information about other branches.

See our Library collections and eResources pages for details of our more general printed and online resources.

The University's Theatre Collection houses an extensive range of books and journals on the subject.

How to find books, journals, and more

Books

Search the library's online catalogue to find printed books and e-books. If you cannot find books published before 1978 on the online catalogue, please consult the Card Catalogue Online.

Journals

Search our eJournals catalogue for access to online journals provided by the library. Printed journals can be found by using the library's online catalogue.

DVDs and videos

These can be found on the second floor of the Arts and Social Sciences Library. A viewing room is available. Please enquire about bookings at the attendants' desk on the ground floor.

Databases

Essential for research, the library subscribes to a wide range of databases for English. Select the 'Subject resources' tab on these subject pages for more information.

Microforms

The Arts and Social Sciences Library holds microfiche and microfilm collections covering a range of subjects. These, and microform readers, are located on the first floor of the Arts and Social Sciences Library.

Special Collections

Rare and valuable library collections can be found in our Special Collections Department.

Other materials

The library has collections of past examination papers and theses.

Access to other libraries

Access to other academic libraries is often possible via the SCONUL Access scheme. The British Library may issue Reader Passes to researchers, subject to restrictions.

Note: some of the documents on this webpage are in PDF format. In order to view a PDF you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader Get Acrobat Reader

Inter-Library Loans and ILL vouchers

The Inter-Library Loans (ILL) service can be used to obtain Items not held in print in the University's branch libraries or available online. There is a charge for this service, though it may be possible to obtain an Inter-library loan voucher to pay for this.

  • Taught and research postgraduates should apply for ILL vouchers to Tora Manchester in the Graduate School of Arts and Humanities Office.
  • English final year undergraduate students may be entitled to ILL vouchers. They should contact the School of Humanities Office for advice.

Information for academic staff and researchers

  • Our Research support pages cover finding information, managing information, and exploiting your research, together with sources of further help and advice.
  • Each academic department in the university has its own library representative, whose duties are detailed in these guidelines. The Library Representative for the English Department is Dr Samantha Matthews.
  • Book purchase recommendations can be made direct to the Subject Librarian, or to the Library Representative.
  • Suggestions for new journals or databases can be made direct to Damien, though it is best to also discuss the matter with Dr Matthews.
  • Damien will be pleased to discuss your or your students' library training requirements.
  • New members of staff will be offered an introduction to the library.

Databases

MetaLib: your resource gateway provides access to a vast range of online resources, including databases, search engines, subject gateways, and selected Internet resources.

There are two main types of database. The first is the bibliographical database or index. This aims to compile a list of scholarship about a subject or group of subjects. Some bibliographical databases provide abstracts, or summaries, of the scholarship that they index. The second is the full text database. As its name suggests, this contains the full text of primary or secondary works.

Note: some of the documents on this webpage are in PDF format. In order to view a PDF you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader Get Acrobat Reader

Internet links

  • Voice of the Shuttle - hosted by the University of California's Santa Barbara campus, this is a vast internet gateway, and includes links to many sites concerned with English literature and literary theory
  • University of Bristol Department of English - home page with links to information about the Department of English, including useful information for current and prospective students, academic staff details and their research interests, departmental journals; conferences, courses, lectures and symposia, and centres of research

Quick reference tools

The following titles are all available in the Arts and Social Sciences Library.

A dictionary of critical theory (2010)
A glossary of literary terms, 10th ed. (2012)
Making sense of grammar (2004)
Oxford companion to English literature, 7th ed. (2009)
The Oxford encyclopedia of American literature [in 4 vols] (2004)
The Oxford English dictionary [in 20 vols] (1989; newer versions available online)

Reviews and bibliographies

Review journals can be a very good way of keeping abreast of current developments in your areas of interest. See, for example, the Review of English studies, Modern language review and The year's work in English studies. These titles are available via the library's online catalogue and eJournals catalogue. Other journals relating to specific periods and movements in literature have book reviews sections.

Research bibliography for English (PDF, 314 KB)

Note: some of the documents on this webpage are in PDF format. In order to view a PDF you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader Get Acrobat Reader

Information skills training for undergraduates

  • Library talks and lectures are organised in consultation with the Department of English; students will be notified when these have been arranged for them. Damien is always happy to see students individually to discuss any specific needs.
  • A number of general 'Self-learning resources' are available below, including video tutorials, downloadable library guides, and web resources.
  • Find out about referencing in your written work and EndNote referencing software in 'Referencing help'.

Information skills training for postgraduates

  • An introduction to library resources training session is organised with the the Department of English for new taught postgraduates early in the autumn term. A similar event is timetabled for research postgraduates.
  • Find out about referencing in your written work and EndNote referencing software in 'Referencing help'.

Self-learning resources

  • Video tutorials - topics include the Library Catalogue, understanding references on reading lists, using the MetaLib resource gateway, off-campus access to eResources, etc.
  • Finding and using information pages - covering key aspects of information skills, including researching a topic, effective use of Google, evaluating your search results, avoiding plagiarism, etc. Also includes a Jargon-buster page.
  • Library guides - downloadable guides to each branch library, our main search tools, special library services, etc.
  • External resources for developing your information skills - including online tutorials and downloadable guides.
  • Find out about referencing in your written work and EndNote referencing software in 'Referencing help'.

Referencing guidance

Referencing

  • There is no single way of writing references. Two well-known styles are the Harvard system and the Modern Humanities Research Association (MHRA) system. You will need to use the style specified by your department or by the body or journal to which you are submitting your work. The Arts Faculty has produced a useful guide to citing academic work. If there are no guidelines specified, you should make sure that you write your references in a consistent way.
  • General referencing guidance
    includes Why reference? What is included in a reference? Referencing styles, How to reference, Links to useful sites on referencing, and brief details of EndNote and EndNote Web referencing software (see the EndNote referencing software section below for more details).

Journal title abbreviations

Literature references are often written with abbreviated terms. Probably the most troublesome are abbreviated journal titles which can make finding a journal difficult.

To find journal title abbreviations you could try this publication:

If you are unable to find the abbreviation you are looking for, please ask a member of the Library staff for assistance. We also advise searching online resources providing lists of journal abbreviations.

Writing for the subject, and how to avoid plagiarism

EndNote referencing software

EndNote is the University of Bristol's recommended bibliographical management software, which can be used to collect, store, organise and manage references, and to output them as reference lists or bibliographies. A particularly useful function is 'Cite While You Write', enabling you to format Word documents, producing bibliographies and adding references within the text.