Is It Scholarly?
Some of our databases allow you to limit your results to Scholarly or Peer-Reviewed (possibly Refereed) articles. In some cases, this isn’t so clear. You can either check with your professor or a librarian, or you can search for the journal name in Ulrichsweb.com (Ulrich's Periodicals Directory) (under Databases, on the Library site).
Once you’ve found the name of the journal you’re looking for, look for a small referee’s shirt icon (
), to the left of the title. This indicates that there is scholarly (peer-reviewed, refereed…) value to the articles in this title.
For more details on scholarly articles, visit the Getting Resources tab.
The following databases will be of use to all M.M. and Music M.B.A. students. A number provide general information about many topics, but have some focus in Music, Music Education or the Music Industry. Others cover only music and music-related topics.
Full-text is available in some of the following links, although others are considered 'indexes' and may provide only basic information on an article (title, author, publication, etc.). These can be great resources, as well, showing you articles and research that may not be available in full-text.
A full list of Library Databases can be found on the Library homepage.
Other library 'databases' include overview works (like online encyclopedias), catalogs and research tools are listed in the next section (below).
The following resources are overview sources, providing concise information on a variety of topics, but are not generally appropriate for scholarly research.
Many of our databases can be used to search for articles (although they may also contain other formats), the following are used to locate theses and dissertations:
There are also two databases of streaming audio recordings:
The following databases have a significant focus on jazz-related topics, and will therefore be great resources for research on Jazz Studies topics. Use these in combination with the more general and music-specific databases.
My article isn’t available in full-text!
Sometimes, when searching a database, you will only get a short summary of each article (the abstract); not the full-text.
Click the “Check Here For Full-Text” link on the page to find out whether one of our other databases has it, or if we have another format for this information (print, microfilm, microfiche, etc.).
In most cases, we can easily get a copy of the article... for free!
(see Getting Resources for more information)
Why not start with Google or Google Scholar? Well, as you may have learned in your library session, a systematic approach to research is often the most fruitful. Starting with authoritative databases can ensure that you find the best, most reliable sources first, to form the foundation of your research.
After that, you'll have a strong understanding of the research, terminology used, and a solid search strategy to take with you to Google Scholar!