Find Articles
Scholarly articles, like books, are textual sources which help you interpret the scores and performances you are studying. They often contain the newest research and presume an expert knowledge which can demand that you consult and compare other perspectives to gain full context. Most articles initially appear within journals, but we tend to access them through online databases. On this page, learn how to find articles and evaluate their authority.
Searching Online Databases
University Libraries provides online access to more than 300 databases across numerous fields of study. Databases collect scholarly articles and information, and they can direct you to academic journals available from the Libraries. Searching a relevant database is often your best place to start for items not held in the physical collections. A complete list of databases can be found at the Libraries website. There are also databases specific to Fine and Performing Arts which can be selected through the subject filter.
Databases for Opera:
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Academic Search Complete Good database for most research topics and contains lots of full text, peer-reviewed articles. More than 18,000 of the journal titles indexed are peer-reviewed and almost all of the full text is. Provides searchable cited references for more than 1,000 journal titles so you can easily see what sources a given article cites.
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International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text The International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance contains full text for the top performing arts journals. The database covers dance and related topics such as film, drama, comedy, mimes, and puppetry.
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JSTOR JSTOR allows you to search across approximately 2,000 journal titles from more than 50 disciplines. It contains complete backfiles of scholarly journals starting with the first issues, many of which date back from the 1800s. Although the majority of titles do not have the most recent 3 to 5 years available in full text, there are some which have the current issues available.
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Music Index Music Index is a comprehensive guide to music periodicals and literature featuring digitized content from 1970 to present. This database contains cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts of articles about music, musicians, and the music industry for more than 475 periodicals, as well as book reviews, obituaries, news, and selective coverage for more than 230 periodicals. Music Index includes comprehensive coverage of the music field and every aspect of the classical and popular spheres. An older print edition spanning 1949 to 1995 is available as ML118 .M8.
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Play Index (H.W. Wilson) Play Index contains approximately 34,200 plays—published individually or in collections. Available content includes nearly 800 monologues from many distinguished playwrights, including Aeschylus, William Shakespeare, Moliere, Anton Checkhov, Tennessee Williams and many more.
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Project MUSE Project Muse is a full text database of journals in disciplines such as art, literature, history, political science, and economics. Some full text will come from JSTOR, in PDF format.
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RILM Abstracts of Music Literature Often the best place to start music research, RILM Abstracts of Music Literature is a key database in the field of music. This database covers a wide range of subjects areas, including but not limited to, Composition, Music Analysis, Musicology, Dramatic Arts, Dance Studies, Music Pedagogy, Music Therapy, Performance Practice, and Popular Music Studies. Approximately 50,000 new articles are added each year.
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Web of Science Despite its name, Web of Science is a multidisciplinary platform for education, humanities, music, philosophy, psychology, and, of course, the sciences. Search the Web of Science Core Collection which consists of six online indexing databases or one of their regional databases like the Korea Citation Index. Also find the Master Journal List, an invaluable tool to help you find the right journal for your needs across multiple indices hosted on the Web of Science platform. Coverage includes scholarly articles, books, abstracts, citations, and patents.
Many journals can be found in multiple online databases while others are in-print at Bracken Library. Click here to search for a specific journal title, including online and physical locations. Use the filters on the left and the search bar above to narrow your results. You can also download the browser extension LibKey Nomad to eliminate paywalls you might encounter, if you find an article on Google, Wikipedia, or a publisher's website.
Finding Scholarly Articles in OneSearch
OneSearch is Ball State University Libraries' integrated discovery tool for books, scores, articles, recordings, and other library materials. It also indexes selected online resources and incorporates subscription databases such as Academic Search Complete and JSTOR. Although not specific to music resources, it can also be a valuable tool for locating scholarly articles on a topic. Find OneSearch on its dedicated page or as a simple search box on the University Libraries main page. Follow these steps to find scholarly articles through OneSearch:
1. Enter keywords for your topic into the OneSearch field. Keywords should be as specific as possible without being too specific. Typically you should avoid something as broad as "music." If your first keyword does not succeed, try a synonym or related term. Include numbers such as Opus or BWV when applicable. Press the magnifying glass to run your search.
2. Refine your search by applying filters on the left side of the screen. Check "Scholarly & Peer-Reviewed" to eliminate non-scholarly articles. Adjust Publication Date and set the Language filter to further narrow results. Set the Discipline filter to "music" to eliminate non-music results.
3. Select an item to view access options online or to check physical holdings at Bracken Library. Under View Online, full text availability options will be shown through databases like Academic Search Complete or JSTOR. Locations shows physical holdings. Some articles can be found in-print in Bound Periodicals (2 West) or in Current Periodicals (1 East). These locations are outside of Education, Music and Media on the first and second levels of Bracken Library. Click the arrow to the right for more details.
Interlibrary Loan
Users are encouraged to search for items beyond University Libraries' catalog via RILM Abstracts of Music Literature and WorldCat. Materials not available in print or online may be requested through Interlibrary Loan. Please allow up to seven days for electronic delivery and up to fourteen days for delivery of physical items.