Architecture Research: Getting Started: Articles

Finding Articles on Your Topic

Columbia University Libraries provide access to many online resources. As a way to get started with your research, a few interdisciplinary databases are highlighted below. These resources are subscription based, so they should be accessed through the links in this guide or through CLIO by searching for the name of the resource. For more resources, check out our more detailed architecture guides here, or this guide by Barnard Library here.

Database Search Tips

• Keep terms together by doing a phrase search using quotation marks, like "Gothic revival".
• Try a truncated search using asterisk. The asterisk allows you to search for any ending to a word. For example, histor* will find history, historian, historic, historical, historiography, etc.
• A wildcard search also uses an asterisk, but replaces just one letter in the middle of a word. For example, wom*n will find woman and women.
• Try using boolean operators (AND/OR/NOT) in your searches. OR is especially helpful for alternate search terms or multiple spellings, while NOT can eliminate unwanted or irrelevant results.
• Most databases have ways to filter your search results, often through a bar on the left hand side of the page. Use these facets to filter by date, subject, language, etc. You can also use sorting to put your results in a particular order--for example, most recent articles first.
• Most databases also have a help or search tips section.
• While some databases, like JSTOR, are entirely full text (meaning they provide the full article for immediate use), others offer a combination of full text and citations (brief information about the article). These citations can be searched in CLIO to find access via other databases or print journals. Most databases have an option to filter so that you can see only full text content.

ProQuest

This resource includes citations and full text articles in academic & professional disciplines. ProQuest includes journal articles, newspaper articles, and dissertations, among other formats. You can search multiple databases simultaneously or select individually (see below). Includes the Art, Design, & Architecture collection, as well as the Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals.

ProQuest includes many databases, and allows you to search across all databases or only those which you select. You can choose to filter before or after searching. To select databases or see which ones you're searching, click on Databases on the top of the page.

ProQuest contains the Art, Design & Architecture Collection and Avery Index. To search only these or any other database(s), use the check boxes to select before searching.

EBSCOhost

This resource provides access to various interdisciplinary databases. Like ProQuest, you can search multiple databases simultaneously or select individually. EBSCOhost includes Art & Architecture Source (among other relates databases) and the Avery Index.

To search only art-related databases, click Choose Databases above the search box on the EBSCOhost home page, as shown below.

Then choose the individual databases you want to search. Unlike ProQuest, which lists databases thematically, EBSCOhost lists databases alphabetically, so you will need to scan the list to find the relevant databases and select them individually as shown below.