The Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature includes around 700 entries, covering the time period roughly 500 to 1500 C.E. Entries include authors, works, genres, and other literary and historical terms that inform the literature of the period. The encyclopedia targets upper-level high-school students and lower-level undergraduates.

Alphabetical, cross-referenced entries are generally half a page to a page, and many are followed by bibliographies. Aids to access include a table of "Writers Covered, by Language of Composition" and an author time line. Each entry concludes with a bibliography, and a selected bibliography of more general reference works and primary and secondary sources rounds out the book.