LibGuides: English, Writing, Languages and Linguistics: Resources

Key Databases

Searching in databases is a great way to ensure you're getting the best possible search results. Try these databases to find resources that are most relevant to your discipline.

AustLit This link opens in a new window
Information on the publication of Australian literature and related critical texts. Authoritative biographical, bibliographic, critical and production information about Australian writers and writing.
Informit Literature and Culture Collection This link opens in a new window
Historical archive to Australia's best known literary magazines including: MIA, Island, Quadrant, Southerly and Meanjin
Literature Online (LION) This link opens in a new window
English and American poetry, drama and prose, articles, other criticism and reference resources. Some full-text.
4 user licence
MLA International Bibliography with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Indexes books and articles on modern languages, literature, folklore and linguistics. Content from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North and South America.
Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Full-text scholarly journals and books covering literature and criticism.
Cambridge Journals This link opens in a new window
Peer-reviewed academic journals covering subjects across the humanities, including English and literature.
Linguistics and language behavior abstracts (LLBA) This link opens in a new window
Abstracts and index to articles, book reviews, books, chapters, dissertations and working papers covering phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics.
ProQuest databases This link opens in a new window
Over 15 journal databases of abstracted and full-text articles including: ABI/INFORM, Academic Research Library, Nursing and Allied Health Source, Proquest Education Journals and Proquest Social Science Journals.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Archival access to scholarly journals published on language and literature.
Humanities Source Ultimate (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Covers literary, scholarly and creative thought. Incldes feature articles, interviews, obituaries, bibliographies, book reviews, original works of fiction, reviews of ballets, dance programs, motion pictures, musicals, operas and plays that illuminate human thinking, action and interaction. English-language and native-language full-text journals from Asia,Oceania, Europe and Latin America are included.
EBSCO Megafile Ultimate This link opens in a new window
Full-text journal databases and indexes covering social sciences, business, health, education, sciences and humanities
Web of science This link opens in a new window
Indexes high impact journals through ISI's citation indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded - 1956 to present; Social Sciences Citation Index - 1956 to present; Arts and Humanities Citation Index - 1975 to present.
Scopus This link opens in a new window
Abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed journals, books and conference proceedings in a wide range of disciplines. Includes author and affiliation searches, citation impact and analytical tools.
Scopus has a limit of 2,000 citation exports.

Other English, Writing, Languages and Linguistics Resources

ACLS Humanities E-Book This link opens in a new window
eBooks covering a variety of fields in Humanities, including Australasian, Oceanian, Canadian, Native Peoples, Women's Studies, Art History, Literature, Political Science and Religion.
Berghahn eBooks This link opens in a new window
Independent scholarly press publishing books for Social Sciences and Humanities. Access via IG Library
Cambridge Companions This link opens in a new window
Collections of specially commissioned essays introducing major writers, artists, philosophers, topics and periods. Covers Literature, the Classics, Philosophy, Music, Religion and Culture.

KnowledgeNotes Student Guides
Study guides for literary works providing: an overview, character summaries, plot, themes, motifs and highlights. Part of the LiteratureOnline database. 4 concurrent users
Early English Books Online - TCP
Text Creation Partnership creates standardized, accurate XML/SGML encoded electronic text editions of early print books.

ITER ebook collection essays and studies This link opens in a new window
Collections on Humanism, the Renaissance, and the Reformation.
Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
Collection of reference material including encyclopaedia, dictionaries and other reference books.

Bilingual Dictionaries
Bilingual dictionaries for: Latin, Irish, Welsh, Italian, French, Spanish...

British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
Over 100,000 pages of primary material in the form of diaries and letters of over 500 women, spanning more than 300 years. The collection includes biographies and an extensive annotated bibliography.
North American women's letters and diaries This link opens in a new window
Published and unpublished women's diaries and correspondence from Colonial times to 1950.
Women writers online This link opens in a new window
Full-text early women's writing in English, includes texts that convey women's contributions to religious and political debates, science, history, philosophy, and medicine.
Perdita Manuscripts: Women Writers, 1500-1700 (Adam Matthew Digital) This link opens in a new window
Facsimiles of early modern women's manuscripts from a wide range of public and private collections. Part of Adam Matthew Digital.
Adam Matthew Digital Collection This link opens in a new window
Adam Matthew Digital provides digital archival content for the social sciences and humanities. Access to several themed collections.

Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature
Over 8000 digitised children's books published in the US and UK from the mid-1700s.
Australian Stage Online
Australian drama news and reviews

Short story index This link opens in a new window
Abstracting and indexing service.
1 concurrent user
Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance This link opens in a new window
Medieval and Renaissance journal articles and books featuring the Iter Bibliography, Iter Italicum, and bibliographies of English women writers.

Australian Historic Newspapers (Trove)
Australian newspaper archives 1803 - 2007.

African American newspapers, 1827-1988 This link opens in a new window
Historical access to hundreds of U.S. newspapers chronicling the African American experience.

Elephind.com
Search across archival newspaper sites.
Historic American Newspapers (Library of Congress)
US newspapers 1836-1922 + directory.
British Newspaper Archive (British Library)
UK newspaper archives from 1710-1959.

Waterloo directory of English newspapers and periodicals 1800-1900 This link opens in a new window
UK newspaper and periodical index.

ClickView This link opens in a new window
Streaming video solution offering access to thousands of educational videos and resources covering a broad range of topics, as well as TV programs recorded in the last 14 days from free-to-air digital channels.
Kanopy Video Streaming This link opens in a new window
Streaming films, documentaries and training videos. New releases daily from producers including: Madman Entertainment, Roadshow Films, BBC, ABC, NFSA, Roland Collection, Psychotherapy.net and Symptom Media.

Aboriginal Languages of Australia - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages
Provides links to 370 resources for 128 indigenous Australian languages.
AUSTLANG - Australian Indigenous Languages Database
Information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages including: alternative/variant names and spellings, history of the number of speakers, distribution and documentation.
Ministry for Pacific Peoples
NZ Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs website supporting pacific language learning.

Linguistics

Phonetics and Phonology: An Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology
Macquarie University guide to phonetics and phonology including activities and audio files
World Atlas of Language Structures Online
Database of structural (phonological, grammatical, lexical) properties of languages
Speech Internet Dictionary
Definitions of technical terms and examples for phonetics, phonology, speech and hearing science and allied disciplines.

Languages

Ethnologue
Contains information on 7,102 known living languages.
Australian Voices
National initiative to collect Australian English accents from adults from various locations in all states and territories.

French

Play French
Interactive French grammar tutorials.
Bab.la Dictionary (English-French)
Online dictionary for 28 languages, includes links to quizzes, learning games and vocabulary lessons
The French Tutorial
Web-based step by step lessons covering: basics, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and everyday French.

Japanese

Digital Dialects - Japanese Language Learning Games
Learn Japanese using games, beginning with Rōmaji (Latin alphabet) and moving to Kanji.
Bab.la Dictionary (English-Japanese)
Online dictionary for 28 languages, includes links to quizzes, learning games and vocabulary lessons

German

Learn German Language
Free interactive German lessons, games and activities.
Bab.la Dictionary (English-German)
Online dictionary for 28 languages, includes links to quizzes, learning games and vocabulary lessons
German Language Tutorial
Learn German Online for Free: Phrases, Vocabulary, Grammar, Pronunciation, and Listening Resources

Chinese

BBC Languages - Chinese Games
Guides and games for Chinese tones, Characters and pinyin
Bab.la Dictionary (English-Chinese)
Online dictionary for 28 languages, includes links to quizzes, learning games and vocabulary lessons
Digital Dialects - Chinese Language Learning Games
Games for learning Chinese language using Chinese (simplified) and Pinyin (Roman Alphabet) scripts

Professional Associations

It can be valuable to build your career prospects and networks by connecting with professional associations. You might like to engage with these groups as a student, or even throughout your career.

Australian Society of Authors (ASA)
The ASA is the professional organisation, community and voice of Australia's writers and illustrators. They provide advocacy, support and advice.
Australian Writers' Guild (AWG)
The Australian Writers’ Guild is the professional association representing writers for stage, screen, radio and online and has protected and promoted their creative and professional interests for more than 50 years.
Writing NSW
Writing NSW is the state’s leading provider of services to writers, including courses, seminars and workshops, writing groups, festivals and events, grants and prizes, and information and advice.
The Applied Linguistics Association of Australia (ALAA)
The ALAA is the national professional organisation for applied linguistics in Australia.

Dictionaries & Encyclopaedias

Useful resources for understanding your topic and finding the right keywords to use in your searching.

The Oxford Companion to English Literature by Dinah Birch (Editor)
Publication Date: 2009
Historical Dictionary of Gothic Literature by William Hughes
Publication Date: 2012
Encyclopedia of Language and Education by Nancy H. Hornberger (Editor)
Publication Date: 2008

Other Library Collections

Use these links to access free resources from the NSW State Library and the Australia National Library.

State Library of NSW
Free registration for NSW residents. Provides access to Journal and Newspaper Databases.
National Library of Australia
Free registration for Australian residents. Provides access to Journals and Newspaper Databases.

Your Subject Librarians

This guide has been created by University of Newcastle Librarians who work with your schools to make sure you have access to the resources you need. The Librarians supporting english, writing, languages and linguistics are:

Teaching Liaison Librarian

Jessica Davis

Research Liaison Librarian

Currently recruiting, please see our Liaison Librarian page for alternative contacts.