LibGuides: Art: Articles

Contents of this page

F inding Background Information | Finding Articles | Core Journals in Visual Arts

Finding Background Information

New to your topic? Don't know where to start?

A helpful first step is to get a broad overview of your topic by searching an encyclopedia.

Oxford Art Online is an online encyclopedia written by scholars in the field. It is a reliable place to get background information on the visual arts. It includes entries on artists, genres and subject terms.

Oxford Art Online This link opens in a new window Gateway to online art resources: Grove Art Online, comprising the full text of The Dictionary of Art; The Oxford Companion to Western Art; The Encyclopedia of Aesthetics; and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms. Access restricted to 1 user at a time.

Oxford Reference is a collection of over 200 cross-searchable language and subject reference works from Oxford Quick Reference and Oxford Reference Library, including titles in the Oxford Companions and Oxford Dictionaries series.

Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window Collection of over 200 cross-searchable language and subject reference works from Oxford Quick Reference and Oxford Reference Library, including titles in the Oxford Companions and Oxford Dictionaries series.

Wikipedia is another great place to start your research to get a broad over view of a topic, particularly contemporary art and artists. Be aware that since it can be edited by anyone, not just scholars, it may contain erroneous and biased information about a topic.

Pro tip: check out the external references and links at the bottom of Wikipedia articles. These often provide great leads and potential research sources you can cite.

Art databases

The following is a list of art-specific and interdisciplinary databases that may be helpful to your research.

Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
Full-text articles from more than 300 publications, and indexing and abstracts for over 600 publications and 13,000 art dissertations covering fine, decorative, and commercial art, as well as photography, folk art, film, and architecture. Also includes indexing of nearly 200,000 art reproductions and a database-specific thesaurus.
Art Index (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
Indexes over 600 journals, 13,000 dissertations, and almost 200,000 art reproductions covering fine, decorative, and commercial art, as well as photography, folk art, film, and architecture.
Art Index Retrospective (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
Indexes content from more than 55 years of art journalism from over 600 publications, including periodicals, yearbooks, and select museum bulletins.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Archive of back issues of core scholarly journals across a wide range of subjects, with an emphasis on arts, humanities, and social sciences. Also includes current content for select journals and a large collection of University Press books.
Humanities Full Text (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
Full text of articles from over 300 periodicals and high-quality indexing for almost 700 journals. Provides coverage of feature articles, interviews, bibliographies, obituaries, and original works of fiction, drama, poetry and book reviews, as well as reviews of ballets, dance programs, motion pictures, musicals, radio and television programs, plays, operas, and more.
Anthropology Plus This link opens in a new window
Indexes over 5,800 journals covering the fields of anthropology, archaeology, and related interdisciplinary research. Combines Anthropological Index and Anthropological Literature.
AnthroSource This link opens in a new window
Full-text digital, searchable database of American Anthropological Association (AAA) publications. Titles also available via Wiley Online Library.
Bloomsbury Fashion Central This link opens in a new window
Provides cross-searchable access to interdisciplinary and integrated text, image, and journal content on world dress and fashion. Includes the Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion, a specially-created taxonomy, an e-book collection, and an extensive color image bank as well as other resources. Access restricted to 3 users at a time.
Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Full text of over 300 peer-reviewed journals published by university presses and scholarly societies with emphasis on humanities and social sciences.

Core Journals in Visual Arts

Studies in Art Education
Leonardo
Art Education
International Journal of Art & Design Education
Design and Culture
Digital Creativity
The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism
The Senses and Society
Third Text
October
History of Photography
International Journal of Education Through Art
Artforum
Grey Room
The Art Bulletin
Visual Arts Research
Leonardo Electronic Almanac
Art History
Journal Of Design History
Photography and Culture

List generated by Google Scholar Metrics

Configure Google Scholar and Library Resources

Google Scholar offers the ability to link directly to University Library resources. With this feature, you can search Google Scholar to obtain the full text of articles and other electronic materials carried by the University Library. Once configured, Google Scholar will offer a link in the results list "Full Text at CSUN" for items that can be accessed through the CSUN Library. Off-campus access to these items is limited to current CSUN students, faculty, and staff. You only need to set up this configuration once for each computer you use.

To configure Google Scholar and Library resources, start at the Google Scholar homepage. Select the menu icon in the upper left, and Select "Settings."

On the settings page, Select "Library links" in the left menu. Next, enter CSUN in the search box and Select Search. Next, Select CSUN - CSU Northridge - Full Text at CSUN, and Save.

Finally, you can also carry out this same process to configure Google Scholar and "WorldCat." Select the "Open WorldCat - Library Search" box and Save. This will help you locate many items in the Library's collection.

Art