Theatre 205: Finding Articles
About Indexes and Databases
To find scholarly articles on a topic, you will need to use a periodical index. Most of the Libraries' indexes are available as online databases, but in some cases you will need to consult a print index for older materials. Each periodical index focuses on a specific subject area or body of literature. Because most indexes are produced at a national level, they may include many magazines and journals not available at Williams. See below for more information about locating articles at Williams and borrowing from other libraries.
Multi-Disciplinary Databases
Expanded Academic Index
Multi-disciplinary index to scholarly academic and general interest periodicals.
Tips:
- Use the Subject Guide search to browse aspects of larger topics.
- To get scholarly articles only, choose limit the results to: peer-reviewed publications.
Google Scholar
Multi-disciplinary index to articles, theses, books, abstracts, and other scholarly literature. Includes the full-text of publications freely available on the web and citations for materials published by commercial publishers. Includes links to the library's electronic journal collections and FRANCIS.
Tips:
- If you get to a site that asks you to pay for the full text of the article, don't do it! See below for options for locating articles for free.
- Use Google Scholar to search JSTOR and Project MUSE with one search. For more search options, search each e-journal collection separately.
Web of Science
Multi-disciplinary index to academic and general interest journals. Includes Science Citation Index Expanded (1900-present), Social Sciences Citation Index (1956-present) and Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1975-present ).
Covers arts and humanities, not just science.
Tips:
- Use Quick search to search for a topic.
- Use Cited Reference search to trace scholarship forward and backward using a known article or book.
Subject-Specific Databases
In addition to the above multi-disciplinary databases, the library subscribes to many databases that focus on the scholarly literature of a particular subject or discipline. To find relevant databases, consult the list of Article Databases by Subject, and choose the discipline(s) that would study your topic.
Some hidden gems for research on carnival:
MLA International Bibliography
Covers folklore and dramatic arts.
Sociological Abstracts
Use it to look at the sociological aspects (e.g. behavior, identity, culture, etc.) of carnival.
Handbook of Latin American Studies
Good for carnival in Latin American countries.
Locating Articles
While searching articles databases, you will want to determine whether the Williams College Libraries own the journals containing the articles you wish to read.
Many databases have this 
icon. When you click on the icon in the database, it will attempt to find an electronic version of the text in our collection. If it doesn't find an electronic version, it will give you a screen with a link to FRANCIS and Williams ILL. The FRANCIS link sends a pre-formatted search into FRANCIS to find print or other electronic subscriptions in our collection. The Williams ILL link provides an automatically filled-in interlibrary loan request form to get a copy from another library.
If the database you are using does not have the Find Text icon, you can do a journal title search in FRANCIS or use Citation Linker.