Getting Started
Keywords
Think about words that describe your topic
and the variations of that word as well
as performers and theatrical groups that are involved in
the theatrical genre you are studying. Boundaries
are not clear-cut between styles and some
artists cross genres, working not only in traditional
theatre, but experimental settings.
This can give you great angles for your
research, but can also make it hard to stay
focused on a small enough topic for a paper.
Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias are a good place to start
your research. They can help you identify
a topic for your paper, and often include
useful bibliographies.
The World Encyclopedia of
Contemporary Theatre
REFERENCE PN 1861 .W67
This is actually
one of the premier encyclopedic resources
on theatre. If you don't
look at anything else, look at this.
Cambridge
Guide to American Theatre
REFERENCE PN 2221 .C36 1996
The
Cambridge Guide to Theatre
REFERENCE PN2035 .C27 1995
Notable Women in the American Theatre: A
Biographical Dictionary
REFERENCE PN2285 .N65 1989
Theatrical
Directors: A Biographical Dictionary
REFERENCE PN2205 .T54 1994
Books
A research paper on theatre is not a review of a performance you attended or what you think about an
actor. You need to do research and find 5-10 books on your topic to write a decent paper. Depending on how much time you have, you have a couple of options for where you can search:
Books at Cal State San Marcos
Library Catalog
Search our local collection of about 250,000 books.
Other Options
Circuit (1-3 day delivery)
Search the collections of other San Diego area libraries -- about 3,000,000 books. Find and request books directly online; pick them up at our Library in 1-3 days.
WorldCat (5-10 day delivery)
Search the collections of libraries world-wide -- about 52,000,000 books. Find a book in this database, and fill-out an Interlibrary Loan delivery request. Book will be delivered to Library for pickup.
Useful Subject Terms (sample)
Journal
Articles Theatre journals include some of the latest research in the field as well as discussion of performances, styles and historical developments. They're a good source for finding very detailed information on your topic. It's best to start with a couple of books before diving into journals to get ideas on terms to use in your search. To find articles, you need to start with research databases. Each
will allow you to search hundreds or even thousands of
journals at once. The problem is, which databases to look in
first!
Some databases do not offer
full text of the articles. Use the
 button
to check our other resources for full text.
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Lexis Nexis has a specialized search for
Play Reviews |
Most Useful Project Muse
Full-text coverage for hundreds of scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and mathematics
Coverage: 1993→current JSTOR
Contains (EXCEPT for the latest five years) core scholarly journals in sociology, history, economics, political science, mathematics, African-American & Asian studies, literature, humanities, music, and biological, health & general sciences.
Coverage: 1838→2003 Academic Search Premier
This scholarly collection offers information in nearly every area of academic study including: computer sciences, engineering, physics, chemistry, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, ethnic studies, and many more.
Coverage: 1975→current ProQuest Direct
Search all of the business and newspaper databases on Proquest together.
Coverage: 1971→current
Also Useful Chicano Database
Abstracts for books, journal articles and other material about Mexican-Americans.
Coverage: 1900→current ClasePeriodica
Search 2,600 scholarly Latin American journals in the sciences and humanities.
Coverage: 1975→current Electronic Collections Online (ECO)
A broad database that includes brief abstracts of journals on a wide-range of topics. EBSCOHost provides a better place to start.
Coverage: 1995→current Factiva
Covers news and business information, including Dow Jones and Reuters newswires and The Wall Street Journal, plus more than 8,000 other sources providing current news.
Coverage: 1975→current Lexis Nexis Academic
Provides access to a wide range of news, business, legal, and reference information.
Coverage: 1975→current MAS Ultra - School Edition
Provides full-text for over 460 general interest and current events magazines.
Coverage: 1985→current RILM Music Abstracts
Abstracts from scholarly journals on international music and related disciplines.
Coverage: 1969→current Womens Studies International
Includes over 204,000 records drawn from a variety of essential women's studies databases.
Coverage: 1972→current
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