Using Databases
If you know the discipline you want to search, a database devoted to that discipline is a powerful tool. You'll find ways of specifying your search terms that are just right (time period, music genre, article type, etc.), plus results you won't see anywhere else. These are our top picks, but Harvard licenses many hundreds of databases, so ask us for a personalized recommendation.
Key Performing Arts Databases
These databases are especially useful for research in music and performance:
- ProQuest - Entertainment Industry Magazine ArchiveFull text database for research in film, broadcasting, music, and theatre, from the era of vaudeville and silent movies to 2000.
Especially good for finding INDUSTRY TRADE PERIODICALS and FANZINES. - Performing Arts Periodicals DatabaseAn index of articles and reviews from over 300 performing arts journals (1864-present), covering theater, film, dance, opera, and stagecraft, with full text for over 100 journals. TIP: use browse lists to select specific names or productions.
- International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance with Full TextA bibliography of articles, books, chapters, and dissertation abstracts from over 120 countries on theater, dance, and the performing arts; some are available in full text. Covers 1929 to the present; more extensive coverage dates from 1980 to present.
- Music Periodicals DatabaseAn index of articles and reviews from over 400 scholarly and popular music periodicals (1874-present), plus full text for around 140 journals. Limit document type to "Research and Analysis" to retrieve only scholarly articles.
- RILM Abstracts of Music LiteratureAn international bibliography of music articles, collections, and books covering 10,000+ journals from the 1800s to the present. Especially good for finding BOOK CHAPTERS and CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS.
- Music Index OnlineAn index of over 800 music periodicals.The online version covers articles published from 1970-present; earlier volumes are available in print: Loeb Music Library | Harvard Depository | ML118.M84 (1949-present).
Especially good for finding REVIEWS and MAGAZINE ARTICLES.
Find Articles: More Tools
- Harvard Library: Journals SearchFind the full text of an article if you already have its title and/or a partial citation.