Research Strategies
- Use Background Information and Reference resource to find background information on your author and/or the author's work. Generally, these aren't cited in research papers. But these background/reference resources can lead you to references to scholarly articles and books.
- Find scholarly article using the Databases for Scholarly Articles. Many of these will give you the option to limit results to peer-reviewed sources.
- Find books using Libraries Search. Use the limits on the right to limit to "books" or if you just want eBooks "books" and "online". See Tips for Using Libraries Search and Catalog.
Background Information and Reference
IN ENGLISH:
- Dictionary of Literary Biography This link opens in a new windowProvides biographical and critical essays on the lives, works, and careers of the most influential German-speaking literary figures from all eras and genres. Search by full-text keyword, author, and topic.
- Encyclopedia of German Literature byCall Number: Quarto PT41 .E42x 2000ISBN: 1579581382Publication Date: 2000English-language encyclopedia of German literature.
- German History in Documents and Images/Deutsche Geschichte in Dokumenten und BildernPrimary source materials documenting Germany's political, social, and cultural history from 1500 to the present. It comprises original German texts with new English translations, and a wide range of visual imagery.
- German Literature: a Very Short Introduction byCall Number: eBookISBN: 9780199206599Publication Date: 2008Traces German literature from the late Middle Ages to the present, focusing especially on the last 250 years.
- Oxford Reference OnlineContains 100 language and subject dictionaries and other reference works, and searches across these resources. Limited to 5 simultaneous users.
IN GERMAN:
- Kritisches Lexikon zur deutschsprachigen Gegenwartsliteratur (KLG)Bio-bibliographical database of contemporary (post-1945) German-speaking authors.
- German History in Documents and Images/Deutsche Geschichte in Dokumenten und BildernPrimary source materials documenting Germany's political, social, and cultural history from 1500 to the present. It comprises original German texts with new English translations, and a wide range of visual imagery.
- LeMO (Deutsches Historisches Museum)Texts, videos, audio files covering various aspects of the history of Germany.
- Metzler Lexikon Autoren (EBOOK) byCall Number: eBookISBN: 3476023044Publication Date: 2010-09-17Rund 600 Autorinnen und Autoren im Porträt. Das Lexikon informiert über die wichtigsten deutschsprachigen Autorenpersönlichkeiten und ihre Werke vom Mittelalter bis in die unmittelbare Gegenwart.
- XlibrisGerman reference source that has articles on literary periods and authors of German literature.
- Wikipedia.deGerman-language version of Wikipedia which has more comprehensive coverage of German literature. Citing Wikipedia is generally not acceptable for research papers, however, it is a great starting point to get background information and can lead to scholarly sources. Also, see Academic Use of Wikipedia.
Useful Books on German Literature
- The Cambridge History of German Literature byCall Number: eBookISBN: 0521434173Publication Date: 1997Describes German literary history up to the unification of Germany in 1990. The book is designed for general readers as well as students and scholars: titles and quotations are translated, and there is an extensive bibliography. Also available in print
- Goethe: a Very Short Introduction byCall Number: eBookISBN: 9780199689255Publication Date: 2016-04-01Covers the life and work of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832): scientist, administrator, artist, art critic and supreme literary writer in a vast variety of genres. Looking at Goethe's poetry, novels and drama pieces, as well as his travel writing, autobiography, and essays on art and aesthetics, the author analyses some of the key themes in his works: love, nature, religion and tragedy.
- Kafka: a Very Short Introduction byCall Number: eBookISBN: 9780192804556Publication Date: 2005Discussing both Kafka's crisis-ridden life and the subtleties of his art, Ritchie Robertson provides an intriguing and accessible look at the life of this fascinating author. Using Metamorphosis as a recurring example, Robertson shows how Kafka's work explores such characteristically modern themes as the place of the body in culture, the power of institutions over people, and the possibility of religion after Nietzsche had proclaimed "the death of God."
Tips for Using Libraries Search and Catalog
Libraries Search will search many article databases, the UMN Library Catalog and other resources. But it doesn't search everything. You may want to search subject specific article databases to find more articles and for more search options.
To limit by language, format, or subject, use the limits on the right after performing a search in Libraries Search.
You don't need to include umlauts. "Heinrich Boll" will bring up "Heinrich Böll".
For general criticism on an author, search using the author's first and last name and the term "criticism" as a SUBJECT. For example: christa wolf criticism
For criticism on a particular work, search using the author's first and last name and workds from the original title as a SUBJECT. For example, to find books on Thomas Mann's Death in Venice, I would search thomas mann tod in venedig
Databases for Scholarly Articles
Click "view online," "PDF," or the button to connect to the full text if we have it. The will also indicate whether a print copy is held in the Libraries. If not available, request the item via Interlibrary Loan.
- Libraries SearchSearch the University of Minnesota Libraries to find books, scholarly journal articles, news, magazines, media, and other items in the University's collection. View this tutorial to learn how to go from a general idea to a very precise set of results of journal articles and scholarly materials.
- Academic Search PremierA great place to start your research on any topic, search multidisciplinary, scholarly research articles. This database provides access to scholarly and peer reviewed journals, popular magazines and other resources. View this tutorial to learn how to go from a general idea to a very precise set of results of journal articles and scholarly materials.
- Bibliographie der deutschen Sprach und LiteraturwissenschaftMajor bibliographical index covering all periods of German language and literature. Includes citations for journal articles, book chapters, and books. Commonly referred to as Eppelsheimer-Köttelwesch.
- MLA International BibliographyUse the MLA International Bibliography to find scholarly books and articles on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics. This index has been compiled by the Modern Language Association of America since 1926.
- Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA)Search journals in linguistics and language sciences from 1973 to the present including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics in journal articles, book reviews, books, book chapters, dissertations and working papers.
- Communication and Mass Media CompleteSearch for journal articles on topics such as communication, mass media, film, television, marketing, business communication, health communication, and more.
- All UMN databases by titleUse subject pull-down on right to limit to specific subjects.
Language Dictionaries & Reference
- LEO German-English/English-German DictionaryOnline bilingual dictionaries to and from German English, and other languages.
- Schaum's outlines : German grammar (2010)eBook overview of German grammar.
- Pocket Oxford German dictionary : German-English4th edition, 2009. German to English dictionary
- Pocket Oxford German dictionary : English German4th edition, 2009. English to German dictionary
- DudenCollection of DUDEN German-language dictionaries, including Wrterbuch der deutschen Sprache, Deutsches Universalwrterbuch, Die deutsche Rechtschreibung, and more.
Citing your sources (e.g. MLA, APA, etc.)
- Citation Managers (e.g. Zotero, EndNote Online, etc.)Citation managers are software packages used to create personalized databases of citation information and notes. They allow you to: import and organize citation information from article indexes and other sources; save links to pdfs and other documents; format citations for your papers and bibliographies using APA and many other styles; and include your own notes.
Many article databases (e.g. Academic Search Premier, Google Scholar) will create a citation for you. After you found the item, look for "cite" or "quotes." Here are examples:
In Google Scholar:
In Academic Search Premier:
- Chicago Manual of Style OnlineThis resource provides online access to the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style, which covers a variety of topics from manuscript preparation and publication to grammar, usage, and citation formating. The citation quick guide covers both the author-date and the notes and bibliography systems.
- Citation and research help (from Purdue OWL)Examples and instructions for how to cite many types of materials in MLA, APA, Chicago, and AMA styles.
Learn more about on annotated bibliographies
Annotated Bibliography from UW-Madison
An annotated bibliography is an organized list of sources, each of which is followed by a brief note or “annotation.”
- How to write an annotated bibliographyLearn more about annotated bibliographies.
- Writing Evaluative Annotated BibliographiesThis chapter includes useful questions to guide you in writing annotations for an annotated bibliography.