Library Catalog (Ariadne)
College Archives
Services & Resources
Research Help
Research Guides
About the Library
Library Sitemap
Ask a Librarian
Renew Online Now!
Contact Us
...........................................
Information Services
Library Home



Kalamazoo College Upjohn Library

The Theatre of Communion
Theatre 260

Theatre Research Guide

How to Find:
Books | Book Chapters | Journal Articles | Theatre Reviews | Web Sites | Citing Sources

 

Need Help? Research Rescue is Here! Sign up for individual help!

 


Finding Books Using Catalogs to locate books:

    1.) Ariadne
    • Search by Keyword
    • Find and Use Subject Headings
    • Browse the shelves by Call Number
    3.) WestCat - Western Michigan's catalog
    4.) WorldCat and 5.) Interlibrary Loan
    • Search by Keyword
    • Find and Use Subject Headings
    • Order item through Interlibrary Loan

See also: Library of Congress Classification...

Useful sources in Reference:

  • The Crown guide to the world's great plays, from ancient Greece to modern times, Ref. PN 6112.5 .S45 1984.
  • The history of world theater, Ref. PN 2104 .B413 1991.
  • Dictionary of literary biography, Ref. PS 221 .D45.
  • Medieval English drama: an annotated bibliography of recent criticism, Ref. Z 2014.D7 B43 1990
  • Theatre: history, criticism, and reference, Ref. Z 5781 .C48
  • Early English drama, Everyman to 1580 : a reference guide, Ref. Z 2014.D7 W48 1986
  • Analytical sourcebook of concepts in dramatic theory, Ref. Z 5781 .B84
  • English tragedy, 1370-1600: fifty years of criticism, Ref. Z 2014.D7 C3
Circulating Collection
  • The Oxford illustrated history of theatre, PN 2111 .O84 1995
  • The theatre in history, PN 2037 .K38 1989
  • Theater and society in the classical world , PA 3024 .T47 1993

Note: Don't forget to use Print and Online Bibliographies

 


Finding Book Chapters, also called Book Articles:

To find chapters within books, do a keyword search on your topic, whether your topic is an idea, a period of history, or a person. A keyword search will search multiple fields of the record for a book, such as title, author, contents note, etc.

Example: nigerian drama

A keyword search on nigerian drama returns 1 record, for the following book:

The gong and the flute : African literary development and celebration / edited by Kalu Ogbaa, PL8010 .G66 1994

Nigerian drama doesnt appear in the title or in the subject headings, but it does appear in the following chapter title, which may be of interest:

"Nigerian drama and the theater of the absurd" by Chinyere Nwahunanya

In keyword search in Ariadne, you can also search for your topic specifically in the contents note field, where chapter titles are listed. To search the contents note field, your search would look like this:

Example: n:nigerian drama

You can also find book chapters in the MLA Bibliography and Essay and General Literature Index.
In the MLA, you can limit your search to book chapters by choosing "book chapter " in the Publication Type box.

MLA International Bibliography < about >
Produced by the Modern Language Association.
Critical works on literature and languages.
Covers publications from 1925 to the present.

In the Essay and General Literature Index, you can limit your search to book chapters by choosing "chapter" in the Document Type Phrase drop down box.

Essay and General Literature Index < about >
Cites essays contained in anthologies and collections published in the United States, Great Britain and Canada.
Coverage spans the humanities and social sciences, including literary works, art history, drama, and film.

Note: Don't forget to use Print and Online Bibliographies

 


 Finding Journal Articles

Off-Campus Access to Licensed Resources

Scholarly Journals and Popular Magazines/Newspapers

Scholarly Journals(Theatre Journal)
  • Authors are scholars or researchers in their fields.
  • Authors cite their sources in footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographies.
  • Individual issues have little or no advertising.
  • Articles must go through a peer-review process.
  • Articles usually report original scholarly research.
  • Most illustrations are charts, figures, or graphs.
  • Authors use the specialized language or jargon of the discipline.
Popular Magazines(Time, Atlantic Monthly)
  • Authors are free lance writers or magazine staff members.
  • Authors may mention sources, but rarely cite them in notes or bibliographies.
  • Individual issues contain many advertisements.
  • There is no peer review process. Articles are reviewed by editors or publishers.
  • Illustrations are numerous and colorful.
  • Articles are meant to inform and entertain an educated audience.
  • Language is written for the general adult audience (no specialized jargon).

Scholarly or Not?
Ulrich's Periodicals Directory Online < about >
Ulrich's Periodicals Directory (Ref. Desk Z6941 .U5)
Look for section called "Document Type"
Document Type MUST say "Academic/Scholarly Publication" to be considered scholarly!


Journal List

Useful journals:

  Ariadne holdings: Indexed By Full-Text Online - check for online holdings
  Theatre Journal
v. 31, 1979 - present

MLA, Humanities Abstracts

Full Text Access

  Theatre Survey
v. 12, 1971 - present

MLA, Humanities Abstracts

Full Text Access
  Theatre Research International
v. 1, 1975 - present

MLA, Humanities Abstracts

Full Text Access

  The Drama review (TDR)
v. 1, 1957 - present

MLA, Humanities Abstracts

Full Text Access

What Journals does the Library Own?

  • In paper - Check Ariadne - search on your discipline or subject area, and in Step 2, limit the location to "Periodicals"
  • Online - Check Online Journals at K - to find out what online journals the Library subscribes to

Is a particular journal covered in a specific Index?

Ulrich's Periodicals Directory Online < about >

Do you have access to a journal?  

    1.) Ariadne (print)
    • Title search on Title of the Journal to locate print journal
    2.) Online Journals at K
    • Title search on Title of the Journal to locate article in a Full Text Database

Journal Indexes

Advanced Search Help

MLA Bibliography < about >
The Modern Language Association International Bibliography indexes 4,000 English language and international periodicals, as well as books and book chapters.
It includes critical works on literature, language, linguistics, and folklore. There are no abstracts.
Coverage: 1925 - Present.

Some Theatre Journals indexed in the MLA Bibliography:
American Drama Studies in Modern Drama
Comparative Drama TDR: Drama Review
Drama and Theatre Text and Performance Quarterly
Drama Review Theater: TheoryTextPerformance
Drama Survey Theater
Drama and Theatre Theatre History Studies
JTD: Journal of Theatre and Drama Theatre Journal
Modern Drama Theatre Research International
Modern Dramatists Theatre Studies
Performing Arts Journal Theatre Survey
Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism Theatre Topics
Literature in Performance Theatre Annual

Arts & Humanities Citation Index < about >
(from Web of Knowledge)
Provides access to current and retrospective bibliographic information and cited references found in nearly 1,150 of the world's leading arts & humanities journals. Cited reference searching.
Coverage: 1993 - Present

Some Theatre Journals indexed in Arts and Humanities Citation Index:
Comparative Drama
Theatre Notebook
Modern Drama
Theater History Studies
PAJ - A Journal of Performance and Art
Theatre Journal
TDR -The Drama Review
Theatre Research International
Theater
Theatre Survey

Historical Abstracts
< about >
An index to the history of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding the United States and Canada, which are covered in America: History and Life).
Published since 1954. Over 2,000 journals are covered in the database.

Humanities Abstracts
< about >
Bibliographic index that covers English language periodicals in the humanities. Feature articles are indexed, as are interviews, obituaries, bibliographies, and reviews of plays, operas, ballets, dance, musicals, movies, television and radio. Offers detailed abstracts.
Coverage: Indexing - 1984 - present; Abstracting - 1994 - present.

Some Theatre Journals indexed in Humanities Abstracts:
American Theatre
Theatre History Studies
Performing Arts Journal
Theatre Journal
Comparative Drama
Theatre Notebook
Drama
Theatre Research International
Modern Drama
Theatre Survey
The Drama Review
 

Essay and General Literature Index
< about >
Cites essays contained in anthologies and collections published in the United States, Great Britain and Canada. Coverage spans the humanities and social sciences, including literary works, art history, drama, and film. Indexing: 1985 to present.

 

See the Theatre Research Guide: Using Indexes and Databases
to help select an Index.


Theatre Reviews

To find articles published before 1980, you may search the New York Times 1851- 3 yrs. ago
(ProQuest Historical Newspapers, contains full text online of New York Times articles from 1851- 3 yrs. ago)

New York Times 1851- 3 yrs. ago (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) < about >
Full Text of the New York Times from 1851- 3 yrs. ago; all articles in PDF format.

Another source you may use is the New York Times Index in *print*. You must know the year that the play was produced, and look in the index volume for that year. The Index is alphabetical by subject. Under T, look for Theater - Reviews. Then look for the title of your play in the Theater - Reviews section.

The New York Times Index [Print]
Reference storage, call number: AI21 .N48
Library has: 1851 - 1997

Once you have found the citation to your pre-1980 play review in the New York Times, you will need to find your review in the New York Times, either through the online New York Times 1851- 3 yrs. ago, or on microfilm.

The New York Times [Microform]
Reference, Microfilm area, first floor, AP2 .N4
Library has: 1851- 2004

The New York Times [newspaper in print]
Newspapers, second floor
Library has: last 30 days

New York Times Online < about >
Full text of all New York Times articles. 1995 - present.
You must be in Michigan to access this database. Updated daily

 


Full Text Databases

Please note that databases may provide different dates of coverage for each journal.

Online Journals at K

Project Muse < about >

Theatre journals in Project Muse:
  Comparative Drama
Theatre
 
PAJ - A Journal of Performance & Art
TDR (The Drama Review)
 
Theatre Journal
 

OmniFile < about >

Theatre Journals in OmniFile:
  Theatre History Studies TDR: The Drama Review
  Theatre Survey  

ProQuest Research Library < about >
You may search the entire database or select specific subject modules (examples include Arts, Women's Studies and Humanities).
You also may search peer-reviewed journals only.

Theatre journals in Proquest (go into Arts Module):
  American Theatre Theatre
  Comparative Drama Theatre Journal
  Drama Theatre Research International
  Modern Drama Theatre Survey

JSTOR < about > Title List.
Provides older issues of journals, up to the last 3 to 5 years.

Theatre journals in JSTOR:
  Drama Review: TDR Theatre Journal
  PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art  

Note: Don't forget to use Print and Online Bibliographies!


 Websites

To find Web sites, use search engines and web indexes. See Finding Web Sites and Web Indexes and Directories.
See also Finding Web Sites on Theatre.

WorldCat < about >
WorldCat contains bibliographic citations for high-quality Web sites on a variety of subjects. When you search WorldCat for Web sites, remember to check the box for "Internet Resources" in the section called "Limit type to". Sites are selected according to a collection development policy that emphasizes quality, authoritativeness, and durability.

See the Following Web Sites:

Use these points to evaluate the credibility of Websites:
1. Accuracy
How reliable is the information? Are there editors and fact checkers?
2. Authority
What are the author's qualifications? Is the publisher reputable?
3. Objectivity
Is the author trying to sway opinion? Is the information free from bias?
4. Currency
Is the publication date indicated? Is the source up to date?
5. Coverage
Does the site cover the topic comprehensively, or are there information gaps?
Sites that provide guidance on evaluating Websites:


Citing Your Sources

See: How to Cite Sources

See also Citing Sources for help in citing print and electronic resources in various bibliographic styles (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.)

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
7th ed., New York : Modern Language Association of America, 2009.
Reference, LB2369 .G53 2009.

ALWAYS check the style manual!! DO NOT rely on other guides!