Science Fiction
Science fiction, English--History and criticism
For individual writers:
Wells, H. G. (Herbert George), 1866-1946
Bradbury, Ray, 1920---Criticism and interpretation
Dick, Philip K.--Criticism and interpretation
For individual writers:
Wells, H. G. (Herbert George), 1866-1946
Bradbury, Ray, 1920---Criticism and interpretation
Dick, Philip K.--Criticism and interpretation
Science fiction television programs--History and criticism
For individual films and television shows:
For individual films and television shows:
Literature Online (LION) with MLA ):
Lion combines access to the two largest indexes of language and literature resources: the Modern Language Association International Bibliography (MLAIB) and the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (ABELL). It also contains over 350,000 full text works of fiction, drama and poetry, as well as a library of online reference resources
Tips:
JSTOR :
You'll find a great deal of literary criticism and a fair amount of film and television criticism in this 100% full-text database of scholarly literature. JSTOR offers only Keyword search of its full text, so put full names and Keyword phrases in quotation marks. And be sure to check the "Article" limit below the search slots to weed out book reviews.
For music and video games you'll find very hit-or-miss results. For particular video games and music you will need to include not only the artist's name and/or the title of the work but also clarifying terms such as ("video game" or "computer game") or (record or recording or cd).
User Advisory: most JSTOR full text begins at least 2-3 years before the present--so don't look for articles on the "latest" book, movie, tv show, or video game. On the other hand, JSTOR's archives extend back into the 19th century, so you can find book and film criticism from the first half of the twentieth century.
Project Muse :
Although a smaller database, it complements JSTOR. LIke JSTOR it provides 100% full text of mostly scholarly journals, but its coverage is entirely current--mainly spanning the last 10-15 years. Muse uses a "black box" search approach--you enter your search terms in one slot with no designated field options--but in addition to slapping in keywords, you can use the same Library of Congress Subject Headings that work in the Library catalog (see above under "Subject Searches"). This broad approach to searching tends to generate large retrievals, so it's best to be as specific as possible, but for an overview you might begin with "Blues (Music)." And note--once you have a retrieval set, you can add more search terms by clicking "Modify Search" at the top.
ScienceDirect :
Because it’s a large database with a great deal of full text, the absence of Subject searching means that your Keyword searches will often retrieve large sets of articles, many of which mention but don’t discuss your search term(s). One way around this is to limit your initial search to the “Abstract Title Keyword” field. Once you have found an article that sounds on-target, click the “Related Articles” link beneath the citation. This will open a range of articles on the same topic.
Note: Because this is Keyword searching, you will sometimes need to use truncation. The truncation symbol here is the exclamation point: ! So, for example, "time travel!" will retrieve time travel, time traveling, and time travelers.
Also note: The default date range is 10 years, but you can choose any date range you wish.
Also also note: it's a good idea to uncheck the "All books" box below the search slots, if you are in fact looking for articles.
ProQuest :
For articles on a work of fiction, try a Keyword search on the title--in quotation marks--alone or in combination with the author's name. Criticism of particular movies and tv shows is best retrieved by entering the appropriate medium as a Subject search--“Motion pictures” or “Television programs”--and then adding the title of the film, program, or game in the “Citation and abstract” field (if the title is more than one word put it in quotation marks).
Even with the Subject "Television programs," the search on a single Keyword such as Lost or Fringe will be loose, and you'll have to sort the articles about the show from articles that simply use the word.
If you're not getting enough hits, try changing the search field of the title to “Document text.” In both cases, look at the articles in the “Scholarly Journals” tab for the most substantial criticism.
User Advisory: ProQuest is fussy about entering Subject searches in the designated slots. If your subject is a person, enter the name--last name first--in the Person slot; if a named group of any kind--the Catholic Church, Microsoft, the New York Mets, the Democratic Party, the Rolling Stones--enter it in Co/Org; if a place enter it in Location.
General OneFile :
The most user-friendly of our comprehensive databases, covering almost any topic from a wide range of disciplinary angles and offering lots of full text. Use the default Subject search to find the best subject heading for your topic (and when you find a good one be sure to look at the "Related Subjects" to see if there's something even better). Subject headings include Science Fiction, Science Fiction Movies, Science Fiction Television Programs, Extraterrestial life, and Human-Alien Encounters.
If there is a good subject heading for your topic here, open the "Subdivisions" link below it. Most General OneFile subject searches produce very large retrievals and the "subdivisions" help you narrow your search to a particular aspect: "Economic aspects," "Ethical aspects," "Forecasts and Trends," "History," "Media Coverage," "Political aspects," "Psychological aspects," "Social aspects," and "Statistics," to name only a few.
Criticism of particular movies and tv shows is best retrieved using the “Advanced Search” option. For movies and tv shows, enter the medium first as a Subject search in the first slot: “Movies,” “Television programs.” In the next slot enter the particular title—in quotation marks—as a Keyword search. After looking at these results go back and change the Keyword search to an “Entire Document” search. This will increase your retrieval set, although the new articles may not discuss the particular film, show, or game at length.
User Advisory: When first viewing your retrievals in General OneFile, note that you are seeing onlythe "Magazines" (popular articles) and must click on the tabs for "Academic Journals" (scholarly articles) or "News" (newspaper articles) to see those results
Academic Search Premier & Communication and Mass Media Complete (CMMC) , SocINDEX with Full Text :
For novels and short stories, enter a Keyword search on the title--in quotation marks.
For a film or tv program enter the title in the “Reviews & Products” field, followed by the appropriate medium designation: Blade Runner film, Battlestar Galactica tv program. BUT—if the title begins with “The” you must transpose it to the end: Matrix The film, Twilight Zone The tv program. To target the most scholarly articles, check the “Scholarly journals” box under “limit your results” on the right and click “Update results.”
If you wish more generally to search a writer or director, search them in the “People” field.
Twayne's Authors Series :
This database provides full-text online books on individual authors featuring criticism more sophisticated than Cliff Notes, but far less ambitious than most of the literary scholarship published in peer-reviewed journals. Good for a quick review of characters, plots, and the interpretively obvious. Among the authors covered here are Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and Kurt Vonnegut.
Lion combines access to the two largest indexes of language and literature resources: the Modern Language Association International Bibliography (MLAIB) and the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (ABELL). It also contains over 350,000 full text works of fiction, drama and poetry, as well as a library of online reference resources
Tips:
- The "Author" search from the home page will display the full range of available materials-- works by the author, reference resources about the author (including biographies, bibliographies, and Web sites), and literary criticism of the author's work. But don't use the "Criticism" link here--it retrieves EVERYTHING.
- For literary criticism use the "Criticism & Reference" search from the home page. This opens a very abbreviated search screen, so for better search options switch from the default "All" to just "Criticism."
- LION is one of the few databases where you can enter the title of any literary work--poem, short story, play, novel--as a Subject search--guaranteeing that the articles retrieved will provide sustained discussion. So don't settle for searching title or author in the Keyword slot. And note: Titles of Films and TV shows will sometimes also work here: for example, Blade Runner or Battlestar Galactica. And for articles on the genre, try Science Fiction as a Subject search.
- If you wish to add topical Keywords to a Subject search, first uncheck the box that says "include journal full text in keyword search." Searching for your Keywords in all available full text usually results in many retrievals that merely mention your terms in passing. Only check this box if you're not getting enough hits without it.
- For the most sophisticated search options, limit your search to the "MLAIB Search" and from there scroll down and choose the "Advanced search options."
JSTOR :
You'll find a great deal of literary criticism and a fair amount of film and television criticism in this 100% full-text database of scholarly literature. JSTOR offers only Keyword search of its full text, so put full names and Keyword phrases in quotation marks. And be sure to check the "Article" limit below the search slots to weed out book reviews.
For music and video games you'll find very hit-or-miss results. For particular video games and music you will need to include not only the artist's name and/or the title of the work but also clarifying terms such as ("video game" or "computer game") or (record or recording or cd).
User Advisory: most JSTOR full text begins at least 2-3 years before the present--so don't look for articles on the "latest" book, movie, tv show, or video game. On the other hand, JSTOR's archives extend back into the 19th century, so you can find book and film criticism from the first half of the twentieth century.
Project Muse :
Although a smaller database, it complements JSTOR. LIke JSTOR it provides 100% full text of mostly scholarly journals, but its coverage is entirely current--mainly spanning the last 10-15 years. Muse uses a "black box" search approach--you enter your search terms in one slot with no designated field options--but in addition to slapping in keywords, you can use the same Library of Congress Subject Headings that work in the Library catalog (see above under "Subject Searches"). This broad approach to searching tends to generate large retrievals, so it's best to be as specific as possible, but for an overview you might begin with "Blues (Music)." And note--once you have a retrieval set, you can add more search terms by clicking "Modify Search" at the top.
ScienceDirect :
Because it’s a large database with a great deal of full text, the absence of Subject searching means that your Keyword searches will often retrieve large sets of articles, many of which mention but don’t discuss your search term(s). One way around this is to limit your initial search to the “Abstract Title Keyword” field. Once you have found an article that sounds on-target, click the “Related Articles” link beneath the citation. This will open a range of articles on the same topic.
Note: Because this is Keyword searching, you will sometimes need to use truncation. The truncation symbol here is the exclamation point: ! So, for example, "time travel!" will retrieve time travel, time traveling, and time travelers.
Also note: The default date range is 10 years, but you can choose any date range you wish.
Also also note: it's a good idea to uncheck the "All books" box below the search slots, if you are in fact looking for articles.
ProQuest :
For articles on a work of fiction, try a Keyword search on the title--in quotation marks--alone or in combination with the author's name. Criticism of particular movies and tv shows is best retrieved by entering the appropriate medium as a Subject search--“Motion pictures” or “Television programs”--and then adding the title of the film, program, or game in the “Citation and abstract” field (if the title is more than one word put it in quotation marks).
Even with the Subject "Television programs," the search on a single Keyword such as Lost or Fringe will be loose, and you'll have to sort the articles about the show from articles that simply use the word.
If you're not getting enough hits, try changing the search field of the title to “Document text.” In both cases, look at the articles in the “Scholarly Journals” tab for the most substantial criticism.
User Advisory: ProQuest is fussy about entering Subject searches in the designated slots. If your subject is a person, enter the name--last name first--in the Person slot; if a named group of any kind--the Catholic Church, Microsoft, the New York Mets, the Democratic Party, the Rolling Stones--enter it in Co/Org; if a place enter it in Location.
General OneFile :
The most user-friendly of our comprehensive databases, covering almost any topic from a wide range of disciplinary angles and offering lots of full text. Use the default Subject search to find the best subject heading for your topic (and when you find a good one be sure to look at the "Related Subjects" to see if there's something even better). Subject headings include Science Fiction, Science Fiction Movies, Science Fiction Television Programs, Extraterrestial life, and Human-Alien Encounters.
If there is a good subject heading for your topic here, open the "Subdivisions" link below it. Most General OneFile subject searches produce very large retrievals and the "subdivisions" help you narrow your search to a particular aspect: "Economic aspects," "Ethical aspects," "Forecasts and Trends," "History," "Media Coverage," "Political aspects," "Psychological aspects," "Social aspects," and "Statistics," to name only a few.
Criticism of particular movies and tv shows is best retrieved using the “Advanced Search” option. For movies and tv shows, enter the medium first as a Subject search in the first slot: “Movies,” “Television programs.” In the next slot enter the particular title—in quotation marks—as a Keyword search. After looking at these results go back and change the Keyword search to an “Entire Document” search. This will increase your retrieval set, although the new articles may not discuss the particular film, show, or game at length.
User Advisory: When first viewing your retrievals in General OneFile, note that you are seeing onlythe "Magazines" (popular articles) and must click on the tabs for "Academic Journals" (scholarly articles) or "News" (newspaper articles) to see those results
Academic Search Premier & Communication and Mass Media Complete (CMMC) , SocINDEX with Full Text :
For novels and short stories, enter a Keyword search on the title--in quotation marks.
For a film or tv program enter the title in the “Reviews & Products” field, followed by the appropriate medium designation: Blade Runner film, Battlestar Galactica tv program. BUT—if the title begins with “The” you must transpose it to the end: Matrix The film, Twilight Zone The tv program. To target the most scholarly articles, check the “Scholarly journals” box under “limit your results” on the right and click “Update results.”
If you wish more generally to search a writer or director, search them in the “People” field.
Twayne's Authors Series :
This database provides full-text online books on individual authors featuring criticism more sophisticated than Cliff Notes, but far less ambitious than most of the literary scholarship published in peer-reviewed journals. Good for a quick review of characters, plots, and the interpretively obvious. Among the authors covered here are Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and Kurt Vonnegut.
Brian Saunders
Humanities Librarian
Tel: (607) 274-1198
Note: Log-in required.
- Science Fiction
- Science Fiction Film
- Star Wars on Trial : Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Debate the Most Popular Science Fiction Films of All Time
- Essential Science Fiction Television Reader
- American Science Fiction TV : Star Trek, Stargate and Beyond
- Alien Identities : Exploring Differences in Film and Fiction
- Technophobia! : Science Fiction Visions of Posthuman Technology
- Bodies of Tomorrow: Technology, Subjectivity, Science Fiction
- How to Live Forever : Science Fiction and Philosophy
- To Seek Out New Worlds : Exploring Links between Science Fiction and World Politics
- Alien Constructions : Science Fiction and Feminist Thought
- Black Space : Imagining Race in Science Fiction Film
- Lost in Space : Geographies of Science Fiction
- Cyberpunk
- Science of Dune : An Unauthorized Exploration into the Real Science Behind Frank Herbert's Fictional Universe
- Stanley Kubrick's 2001 : A Space Odyssey : New Essays
- From Alien to the Matrix : Reading Science Fiction Film
- Reading Stargate SG-1
- Investigating Firefly and Serenity : Science Fiction on the Frontier
Online (log-in required):
Print (Library main floor):
- Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction
- Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science: Science Fiction
- Science, Technology, and Society
- Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics
Print (Library main floor):
Web Directories differ from search engines like Google in that all the online resources have been selected and annotated by editors, thereby promising a much higher degree of quality control.
(Be aware that while the Yahoo Directory usefully categorizes Web sites, it isn't selective like the directories listed above it.)
(Be aware that while the Yahoo Directory usefully categorizes Web sites, it isn't selective like the directories listed above it.)
Google Advanced Search: When doing research on the Web, always use the Adanced Search version of Google. This not only provides more flexibility in entering search terms, but more importantly it allows you to target the Web domains that are likely to provide the most authoritative information.
Under "Need More Tools?" you will find the "Search within a site or domain" slot. You may enter only one domain at a time, but it's worth targeting each of the three domains likely to supply the best information: colleges and universities (enter the "edu" tag), nonprofit organizations (enter the "org" tag), and the United States government (enter the "gov" tag).
Under "Need More Tools?" you will find the "Search within a site or domain" slot. You may enter only one domain at a time, but it's worth targeting each of the three domains likely to supply the best information: colleges and universities (enter the "edu" tag), nonprofit organizations (enter the "org" tag), and the United States government (enter the "gov" tag).
- Center for the Study of Science Fiction: Based at the university of Kansas, this is an excellent gateway to Web resources. In particular, scroll down to "SF Teaching and Scholarly Resources."
- Science Fiction Studies: One of the premiere journals on Science Fiction, the site offers a wealth of full text resources. When exploring be sure not to overlook the Chronological Bibliography of Science Fiction History, Theory, and Criticism or the collection of links to other Web resources called Wormholes. (Note: The IC Library database JSTOR can access the full text of any articles published here from 1973 up to three years before the present.)
- SF Site: A great deal of content here, so explore. Be sure not to overlook the Link Sites or Topical lists sections.
- Voice of the Shuttle: Science, Technology, & Culture: Interesting gateway site. Use the table of contents at the upper right, where you'll find "Science Fiction" and "Cyberculture."
- Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database from Texas A&M and Internet Speculative Fiction Database are both excellent tools to identify articles on a Title, Author, or Topic. You can then check for full-text access from the IC Library's databases. ( The best approach for tracking down newspaper, magazine and journal articles: run a Journal Title search by clicking on "Journals" above the search slot on the Library home page. This will tell you if we have full text access to the journal, where, and for what dates).
- About SF: Check out the "Education Resources" section on the left, where you'll find some useful online courses about SF.
- Fantasy and Science Fiction Website: from the University of Michigan, see in particular the "Fantasy and Science Fiction Research Tools" links.
- Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror Literature and Media: from the Library at the Long Beach California State University, this is a sprawling gateway, but well worth a little patience in ferreting out interesting SF resources.
- SF Hub: From the University of Liverpool, the two best sets of resources here can be found under "SF Scholarship" and "SF Research Directory." Under Scholarship note especially "Themes & Subjects, A-Z."
- Science Fiction Research Guide: Selected Internet Sites: from the New York Public Library.
- Ultimate Science Fiction Web Guide: They claim 6,000 links--though some sections of this haven't been updated for 10 years. Use those small red boxes to navigate--and note in particular "Timeline."
Noodlebib guides you through the required data entry for citation in the MLA, APA, and Chicago/Turabian styles. It takes care of punctuation, alphabetization and formatting, producing a polished source list for import into Word.
Trouble getting started? Try my Noodlebib Users' Guide.
Trouble getting started? Try my Noodlebib Users' Guide.
- MLA citation for books: in print, from databases, on the Web
- MLA citation for articles: in print, from databases, on the Web.
- MLA citation for Web and Multimedia resources, including Web sites, movies, DVDs, CDs, and videos.
- MLA in-text (parenthetical) citation (far less satanic than the first three).
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