jan05b.indd


standards and guidelines 

Research competency guidelines 
for literatures in English 
A draft 
by the ACRL Literatures in English Section Ad hoc Committee on Literary Research 
Competencies 

Purpose of the guidelines 
•  To aid students of literatures in English 

in the development of thorough and produc­
tive research skills; 

•  to encourage the development of a 
common language for librarians, faculty, and 
students involved with research related to 
literatures in English; 

•  to encourage librarian and faculty col­
laboration in the teaching of research meth­
ods to students of literatures in English; 

•  to aid librarians and faculty in the de­
velopment of research methods courses at 
the undergraduate and graduate levels. 

Because teaching methods, course con­
tent, and undergraduate requirements vary by 
institution, librarians and faculty may apply 
these guidelines in different ways to meet the 
needs of their students.1 

Outcomes for undergraduate English 
or American Literature majors 
I. Understand the structure of infor­
mation within the field of literary re­
search 

A. Differentiate between primary and sec­
ondary sources and use each appropriately. 

B. Understand that literary scholarship is 
produced and disseminated in a variety of 
formats, including monographs, journal ar­
ticles, conference proceedings, dissertations, 
reference sources, and Web sites. 

C. Learn the significant features (e.g., 
series title, volume number, imprint) of differ­
ent kinds of documents (e.g., journal articles, 

monographs, essays from edited collections) 
before beginning research or attempting to 
apply citation style formats. 

D. Differentiate between reviews of liter­
ary works and literary criticism. 

E. Understand the concept of peer re­
viewed sources of information. 

F. Understand that literary texts exist in a 
variety of editions, some of which are more 
authoritative or useful than others. 

G. Understand the process of literary pro­
duction, from authors’ manuscripts through 
publication, in a variety of printed editions 
and formats and including availability in 
bookstores, libraries, and on the Internet. 

II. Identify and use key literary research 
tools to locate relevant information 

A. Effectively use library catalogs to 
identify relevant holdings at local institu­
tions and use print and online catalogs and 
bibliographic tools to identify holdings at 
other libraries. 

B. Distinguish among the different types 
of reference works (e.g., bibliographies of 
bibliographies, annals, serial bibliographies, 
abstracts, literary dictionaries) and understand 
the kind of access to information offered by 
each. 

C. Identify, locate, evaluate, and use refer­
ence information about authors, critics, and 
theorists. 

D. Use subjective and objective sources, 
such as book reviews and citation indexes, 
to determine the relative importance of an 

C&RL News January 2005  44 



author and/or specifi c work. 
E. Use reference resources to provide back­

ground information and contextual information 
about social, intellectual, and literary culture. 

F. Understand the range of physical loca­
tions in one’s local library system and the lo­
cal retrieval and delivery services available. 

G. Understand the uses of consortia cata­
logs and services. 

III. Plan effective search strategies and 
modify search strategies as needed 

A. Use appropriate commands (such as 
Boolean operators) for database searches. 

B. Identify broader, narrower, and related 
terms or concepts when initial searches re­
trieve few or no results. 

C. Identify and use subject terms from the 
MLA International Bibliography and other 
specialized indexes and bibliographies. 

D. Identify and use Library of Congress 
subject headings for literature and authors. 

IV. Recognize and make appropriate 
use of library services in the research 
process: 

A. Identify and use librarians and refer­
ence services in the research process. 

B. Use interlibrary loan and document 
delivery to acquire materials not available at 
one’s own library. 

C. Use digital resource service centers to 
read and create literary and critical documents 
in a variety of digital forms. 

V. Understand that some information 
sources are more authoritative than oth­
ers and demonstrate critical thinking in 
the research process 

A. Learn the different types of Internet 

Development of the Guidelines 
“Research competency guidelines for literatures in English” were first developed for use 
within ACRL’s Literature in English Section (LES).Although based on the framework of the 
“Information literacy competency standards for higher education,” these guidelines address 
the need for a more specific and source­oriented approach within the discipline of English 
literatures, with a concrete list of research skills. 

The original list was compiled by Anne Jordan Baker (Elmhurst College).The draft guide­
lines were posted to the LES­L group for comments on December 10, 2001.A revision based 
on those comments was discussed at the 2002 ALA Midwinter Meeting.The guidelines were 
also published in “Biblio Notes,” the LES newsletter, and readers were encouraged to submit 
comments.A draft based on all information and comments to date was posted to the LES­L 
group for further review on April 12, 2002. 

A final draft was presented at the 2002 ALA Annual Conference and was approved by the 
Literatures in English Executive Committee. 

LES Ad hoc Committee on Literary Research Competencies 
Heather Martin, University of Alabama­Birmingham 
Austin Booth, University at Buffalo­SUNY 
Charlotte Droll,Wright State University 
Louise Greenfield, University of Arizona 
Anne Jordan Baker, Elmhurst College 
Jeanne Pavy, University of New Orleans 
Judy Reynolds, San Jose State University 

Comments on this proposed guideline should be sent to: Kathleen Kluegel, English Librar­
ian, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 1408 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801, 
E­mail: kkluegel@uiuc.edu 

A hearing on the guidelines will be held at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston, Saturday, 
January 15, from 2:00–3:00 p.m. 

January 2005  45 C&RL News 

mailto:kkluegel@uiuc.edu


resources (e.g., electronic discussion lists, 
Web sites) and how to evaluate them for 
relevancy and credibility. 

B. Differentiate between resources pro­
vided free on the Internet and other electronic 
resources. 

VI. Understand the technical and ethi­
cal issues involved in writing research 
essays 

A. Employ the MLA documentation style 
and document sources ethically. 

B. Understand the relationship between 
received knowledge and the production of 
new knowledge in the discipline of literary 
studies. 

C. Analyze and ethically incorpo­
rate the work of others to create new 
knowledge. 

VII. Locate information about the literary 
profession itself 

A. Access information about graduate 
programs; specialized programs in fi lm study, 
creative writing, and other related fi elds; and 
workshops and summer study opportunities. 

B. Access information about fi nancial as­
sistance and scholarships available for literary 
study and related fi elds. 

C. Access information on careers in liter­
ary studies. 

Note 
1. For guidelines on helping students de­

velop general research skills, librarians and 
faculty may refer to the “Information literacy 
competency standards for higher education” 
at www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/infor­
mationliteracycompetency.htm. 

C&RL News January 2005  46 

www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/infor