Visual and Performing Arts

This page will provide you with some tips and tricks to make your research a breeze! If you still can't find what you need, please don't hesitate to contact the library! You can find our contact information and more on the Get Help page.

To get you started, here are some general search strategies:

Keyword Strategies

Use these keywords in a general search in any one of our recommended databases or inside DragonQuest:

• Art Historical Criticism
• Aperture AND Photography
• Aspect Ratio AND Photography
• Depth of Field AND Photography
• Focal Length AND Photography
• ISO AND Photography
• “Long Exposure” AND Photography
• Composition AND “Art Criticism”
• Balance AND “Art Criticism”
• Daguerreotype
• War Photography
• War Photography AND “American Civil War”
• Photography AND Propaganda
• Use of Photography in Science
• Use of Photography in Anthropology
• Photography AND “Social Change”
• Avant-garde AND Photography
• Constructivism AND Photography
• Surrealism AND Photography
• “Cindy Sherman” AND Photography

Subject Strategies

Searching for results by subject heading, rather than by keywords, can help you focus your search in new directions. Consider these subject search options:

• Art Criticism
• 20th Century Photography
• Depth of Field (Photography)
• Focal Length
• Long-Exposure RGB Photography
• Composition (Art)
• Daguerreotype
• War Photography
• Photography History
• Photography of Art

The following image shows you how to change your search to a subject search by using the dropdown menu inside DragonQuest:

Research Starters

Need some extra guidance? Try a Research Starter:

• Photojournalism

• Rodney King Case

• Daguerreotype Photography

• Photography

• Visual Literacy

What is a Research Starter?

Research Starters are encyclopedia entries, so they are more of an "idea gathering" mechanism than a scholarly source to support your stance on an issue. They provide you with background information on a broad topic and highlight keywords you can use and/or links to source material to get you started on your research. 

Narrowing DragonQuest Search Results

If you'd like to know how to narrow down your DragonQuest list to only full text, peer reviewed, or specific types of resources, we recommend the following tutorial:

If you'd like additional guidance on using Academic Writer, we recommend the following tutorial: