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Beginning
a Basic Search in the MLA
Keyword
searching
The
Keyword index includes words from titles, subject headings, and notes.
Author names, publication years, and standard numbers are not included
in the Keyword index. Use the keyword index when you are unsure of
the correct title or subject terms. Searches in the MLA are not case-sensitive:
Cervantes and cervantes are treated the same.
The
initial screen that comes up in the MLA is the basic search screen,
with keyword as the default field to be searched. You can immediately
perform a keyword search simply by typing in terms in the Keyword
box and clicking on Search.
For
example, if you are searching for materials about folklore, simply
type folklore and click on the "Search" button (or enter).
The
Source index contains words in a journal or periodical title
or a magazine or newspaper name.
Author
searching
The
Author index includes writers of books, actors and directors of movies,
and even company names. The Author index includes surnames, given
names or initials, and sometimes year of author birth. An author
search in the MLA will find critical works by a particular scholar.
If you are interested in the author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra,
you should search for works about him using the keyword search: miguel
de cervantes(or just cervantes). To find works by Ellen Lokos, who
has written about Cervantes, type in ellen lokosin the Author
box. Then click on the "Search" button. The order of the first
and last names does not matter.
Title
searching
The
Title index contains words from the title and translated or variant
forms of titles. If you are researching a particular book, and wish
to see articles written about that book, a title search can be useful.
For example, type english patient in the Title box.
You will get articles written about Michael Ondaatje's "The English
Patient," where the words "english" and "patient" appear in the title
of the article. Be aware, though, that you will also get non-related
articles, such as one called "'Prized His Mouth Open': Mark Twain's
The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County: in English, Then in French,
Then Clawed Back into a Civilized Language Once More, by Patient,
Unremunerated Toil." You might also miss articles that discuss
"The English Patient," but don't mention it in the title of the article.
Year
The
Year index can be searched for an individual year or for ranges of
years. Note: This index can not be searched without at least one
other index.
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