The Library has lots of databases that will give you a wide variety of additional sources, beyond what you will find on LibrarySearch. Many databases focus on journal articles but others contain newspaper articles or audio-visual resources.
Some key databases for Drama are listed below. Further help on searching these resources, including video guides are available here:
Mainly full-text database covering performing arts including theatre, film, TV and computer games. Good for articles on plays in performance.
Collection of drama and theatre resources including essays, recordings of live performances and interviews with theatre practitioners.
02.11.22 - There are upcoming changes to Google Chrome that will require you to update your browser in order to continue watching content on Digital Theatre+. Please update by 6th December.
An archive of full-text articles from a range of academic journals with good coverage of literary journals. It also includes open access eBooks.
JSTOR research tools:
A large multidisciplinary database, containing lots of full text articles. Good coverage of English Studies journals.
Key database for in-depth research in literary studies. Coverage is international. Can help you find articles, books & book chapters.
A key source for the visual arts, other subjects covered include design, architecture, fashion, film and video. Full text coverage from 1997, indexing from 1984. Includes the Art Abstracts database.
OED online version of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Oxford Reference Online This is a collection of Oxford University Press reference books on a variety of subjects including Literature. Individual titles from the collection are also listed on LibrarySearch.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - an illustrated collection of essays providing the life stories of over 50,000 people who have shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond. Includes novelists, poets and playwrights.
The JSTOR Understanding series - this project currently gives free access to ALL Shakespeare plays and sonnets, plus other key works of British literature and the King James Bible.
Project Gutenberg is a good place to look for out-of-copyright literary works. All may be freely downloaded and read, and redistributed for non-commercial use.
Digital.Bodleian provides access to a wealth of digitized sources from the Bodleian Libraries' collection
If you want international news sources:
Factiva is an international news database. It covers national newspapers, local newspapers and web sources as well as a selection of magazines. It's a good place to find book and theatre reviews.
A guide to using Factiva to find newspaper articles (video)
If you want UK newspapers: you can use Factiva (above), or
Lexis+ is a law database which includes articles from UK national and regional news sources.
How to use Lexis+ - see the section 'How to search newspapers'
For more help with tracking down news sources and how to identify fake news, see our News sources webpage.
Check Referencing in MHRA for guidance on how to reference newspaper articles correctly.
Please get in touch if you have any queries about:
I'm currently hybrid working so will sometimes be on Headington campus and sometimes working from home. Please email jcooksey@brookes.ac.uk in the first instance. If you need a 1-to-1 appointment we can then arrange one either face-to-face or via Zoom or Google Meet. My usual working hours are 8.00 - 16.00, Monday - Friday.
Citing your sources (also called referencing) is an essential part of your academic work and is explained fully on our library referencing webpage.
If you are a student in Drama, Theatre and Acting or you're studying English Literature, you will need to use the MHRA referencing style in your assignments, projects and dissertation.
Check the guide Reference with MHRA which shows you how to create footnotes and bibliographies, and how to reference different types of sources.
Your module reading lists will tell you what sources you need to read before class and also provide further readings that may be helpful for assignments.
More about finding and understanding your Drama module reading lists (Google slides)
Going to university is a huge step but there is lots of support available. Here are links to support services and useful resources for self-care:
Searching for books
Use LibrarySearch to look for books and eBooks available in Brookes Library. Just type in the author, title or subject that you are interested in. Limit your search results to books.
Check the video guide (right) for tips on how LibrarySearch works.
Finding print books
Print books have a 'call number' which tells you where the book is shelved in the Library, for example:
This book The outstanding actor : seven keys to success by Ken Rea is shelved at 792.028 REA.
The main section for print books in drama and theatre is on Level 4 in Zone D of the Headington Library.
Use LibrarySearch to look for books and eBooks available in Brookes Library. Type in the author, title or subject that you are interested in. If you want to just see eBooks, you can limit your results by using the filters on the left.
Here is an example of a library eBook: The Cambridge introduction to theatre directing. Follow the 'View eBook' link to connect to it. Log in when prompted with your Brookes student number and password.
Our eBooks are on various web platforms, for example this one is on ProQuest Ebook Central. You'll see there are options to:
In order to download many of our eBooks - including ones on ProQuest - you need to have the Adobe Digital Editions programme or app on your computer/device. You can download this for free.
O'Reilly eBooks
O'Reilly is another eBook platform but it works differently to most other e-resources. If you need to access an O'Reilly eBook, check this quick guide to how to login; steps 4-6 show you what to do when you reach the O'Reilly site.
Find out more about accessing and downloading library eBooks
Academic journals are key sources for university studies.
This guide Anatomy of a Journal (PDF) from the Open University explains clearly what a journal is, and how they differ from books.
Peer reviewed journal articles
You will often be asked to consult peer reviewed articles for your research. These are high quality scholarly articles that have been checked by other experts in the field.
The peer review provides feedback so that researchers can revise and improve their papers before publication. It also acts as a quality check, ensuring that articles meet high standards expected in the discipline and required to maintain the reputation of the journal. Find out more about the purpose of peer review and how it works in this Explainer: what is peer review?
LibrarySearch is a good place to start looking for journal articles on a topic or literary work. Just type your keywords or a phrase in the search box. At the results screen, use the the filter options on the left to limit your search to peer-reviewed articles.
We recommend you also use databases, especially for more in-depth research because LibrarySearch doesn’t cover all of our e-resources and you may get better results on a more specialised database.
If you have the details of a specific article (for example from an author's bibliography) you may be able to find it through LibrarySearch by typing in some key words from the article title and an author. If the article doesn't come up, you'll need to look up the journal instead to see if we have it - see the section 'Look for a specific journal' below.
Looking for a specific journal
Looking for a specific article
You may want to do this if you're following up a reference found in a bibliography:
If we don't have the journal or issue you want, you can use the interlibrary loan service to request a free copy of the article.
It's a good idea to keep track of your sources as you find them, so that it's easier to reference them later.
For tips on good referencing practice, check:
Drama, Theatre and Acting students in their 2nd Year will be eligible to apply for a Bodleian card in Semester 2 if they're doing dissertation or equivalent research. More information will be shared here nearer the time.
Interlibrary loan service
You can use this free service to request a loan of a print book or to obtain a copy of a journal article that we don’t hold at Brookes. Find out more about the interlibrary loan service
More Books
Look out for the Library’s popular More Books scheme which allows you to to suggest books and eBooks you’d like the library to purchase (max. 5 books per student). When the scheme is running, full details will be available via the Library home page.
The Library has lots of databases that will give you a wide variety of additional sources, beyond what you will find on LibrarySearch. Many databases focus on journal articles but others contain newspaper articles or audio-visual resources.
In this section you'll find links to some key databases plus video guides.
Think about your keywords
If you're looking for resources on a topic, a text or an author, think about the keywords you could use on LibrarySearch and databases:
Performing Arts Periodicals Database is a key resource for finding articles on drama and theatre topics.
JSTOR is an archive of full-text articles from a range of academic journals with good coverage of literary journals. It also includes open access eBooks.
JSTOR research tools:
Highly recommended for anyone studying Shakespeare is JSTOR's Understanding Shakespeare tool that lets you look up quotations from a Shakespeare play and find JSTOR articles that reference them.
Try the Text Analyser tool (BETA) available on the database home page. You can upload an article and the tool will find similar content in the database.
Collection of drama & theatre resources including essays, recordings of live performances & interviews with theatre practitioners. A key resource for Drama students.
NB 02.11.22 - There are upcoming changes to Google Chrome that will require you to update your browser in order to continue watching content on Digital Theatre+. Please update by 6th December.
Create your own playlists or browse existing ones. Take a look at the links below for a selection of playlists created by your Librarian.
Studying Shakespeare's plays? Check the Explore Shakespeare section for more resources.
If you want to develop your study skills, check these lists of books, web resources and other support:
Subject specific:
Skills for assignments:
Digital skills:
Find out more from our Life and study balance page
