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THEA 240: Theatre History I: Home

This course guide is a collection of resources from the library and around the internet selected to help you with every component of your research paper. The sources and resources found in this guide have been evaluated by your librarian and are acceptable for you to use in your research and writing. 

Some library words to know

Article – These are the result of research conducted by professionals in a given field. They are edited by the authors’ peers and often take years to publish. Their language is formal and will contain words and terms typical to the field. 
Catalog – This is a type of database that allows users to search for materials that the library owns. At Stevenson we have two of these: one for the books in our stacks, and one for all of our digital materials. 
Course reserve/eReserve – These are materials (books, DVDs, etc.) set aside for a specific class or other use. Most often these are set up at the request of the class instructor. At Stevenson, these items live on a special shelf behind the circulation desk.  eReserves are accessed via the library's website or on Blackboard. 
Database – An online searchable collection of information. We purchase subscriptions to these so that you can find useful and interesting information. They contain different types of resources including: scholarly peer-reviewed articles, newspaper articles, trade publications, book reviews, magazine articles, dissertations/theses, digital images, and more. 
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) – A service whereby a patron of one library can borrow books, articles, or other library materials and/or receive photocopies or scans of documents that are owned by another library. 
OneSearch – allows you to search most of the library's resources in a single search. 
What are Academic Sources?
At the university, most of your research will require academic or scholarly sources. What do we mean when we say academic sources? 
Academic sources are written by scholars (faculty and researchers) for scholars (other faculty, researchers and students).  These sources typically present original research that answers a specific research question.  In addition, the language in these sources is usually highly technical and specific to a field of study.  Academic sources can be scholarly journal articles or scholarly books.
Whether a journal article or a book, academic sources share similar characteristics.
  1. They are written by researchers and professionals who are experts in their field.
  2. They are based on research. 
  3. Journal articles are often reviewed by the authors' peers (other experts in the field).
  4. It can take months or years from the time of the research to the time of publication.
  5. Language is formal and technical incorporating terminology commonly used in the field of study.
  6. The author's name and credentials will be present.
  7. References are included to indicate where the author obtained the information in the article or book.
Academic articles and scholarly eBooks can be accessed through the SU Library Databases.