LibGuides: ART 240 (Global Encounters in Art) Course Guide: Find Articles

Search Tips

Remember that you will need to use keywords, not full sentences, when searching the databases
Start out simple. Search using one of the main concepts (keywords) you identified
Use quotation marks to search for an exact phrase, but do not put quotation marks around your entire search.

Example of a bad search using a full sentence and a good search, using keywords and short phrases

If you get too few results, use OR to broaden your search and to include related keywords. These could be broader, narrower, related terms or synonyms
If you still get too few results, try searching in a different database

Screenshot showing the use of OR to connect synonyms in a database search

If you get too many results, you will need to add in keywords representing your second concept using AND to narrow your search.

Screenshot showing a search using AND to narrow results

Academic Article Databases

Art & Architecture Source
The largest full-text art research database covering fine, decorative and commercial art, as well as architecture and architectural design. With strong international coverage, it offers hundreds of full-text art journals, magazines and books, plus detailed indexing and abstracts and thousands of images.
JSTOR
Provides access to scholarly journals across a wide range of subject areas.Use the advanced search to limit results to Art History and articles (this filters out book reviews).
Academic Search Complete
A multidisciplinary database that provides access to scholarly journals, full-text periodicals, reports, videos, and more. Limit to Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals to filter out news and other sources.
Critical Collective
"Critical Collective is an initiative by art curator and critic Gayatri Sinha. Critical Collective works towards building knowledge in the arts in India." -- Critical Collective website

Encyclopedia Articles (Background and Overview Information)

Oxford Art Online
Oxford Art Online is the access point for Grove Art Online, the Benezit Dictionary of Artists, and other Oxford art reference resources. It is the most comprehensive online reference resource for all aspects of the visual arts, and includes links to art images from private galleries and museums around the world, many of which are not readily available on public websites.

Video: Academic Search Complete

Watch the video below to learn how to search Academic Search Complete.

University of British Columbia. (2015, July 15). Academic Search Complete. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEdCwq9H0LM.