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Find information

Where to search

Knowing where to search is just as important as knowing how to search. The following video (2 min 14 sec) will help you to understand why and when to use different search tools.

Key points from the video
  • Different search tools cover different collections of resources
  • The Library Collection is a good place to search for scholarly material
  • The Library Collection provides free access to a variety of resources types across a range of subject areas
  • Databases help focus your search and have more advanced searching options
  • Google Scholar provides access to a wide range of resources, but not all of it is scholarly
  • Use the Google Scholar link from the Library website for best access to full-text references
  • Search multiple places to save time and find better results
  • All resources need to be evaluated before using them

The Library Collection

The Library Collection is a good place to start your search for scholarly content. You can use it to find eBooks, journal articles, reports, videos and more.

Using the "Refine my results" menu, you can refine your search to find exactly what you need.

How to start your search (opens in a new tab)

 

Want to know more?

  • Watch this short video (1 min 48 sec) about searching the Collection
  • Test your knowledge with the following interactive tutorial:

How to search the Library Collection

Advanced search tips

Use the advanced search to separate your concepts onto different rows.

A link to a Library collection advanced search (search filters: "visual perception" OR "visual fluency" OR vision AND environment OR "natural landscapes" OR nature).

 

Use Refine my results on the right hand side to narrow your results. The following are useful refinements to try:

  • Show Only > Full Text Online or Peer-reviewed Journals
  • Resource Type > Book chapters
  • Publication Date - limit to the last 10 years

Key databases

Databases are online collections of resources, including articles, papers, book chapters, reports, published and grey literature. Databases have advanced search options, helping to focus your search and find relevant and scholarly references quickly.

Databases can be discipline specific, such as medical, art, engineering or business databases, or multidisciplinary, covering all subject areas.

You can look through all the Creative databases available through the Library, or browse relevant sub-sections, including:

Art databases

For a complete list of art databases that the Library subscribes to, click on the databases tab located at the top of the Library Collection. 

Screenshot of Library website banner, highlighting the databases tab.

Want to know more?

Related subject guides

Searching Google Scholar

Google Scholar heading

Google Scholar searches academic and scholarly websites.

Searching Google Scholar via the Library website activates a "Full-text at UniSA" link - this gives you direct access to Library-subscribed content.

Screenshot of Library website, highlighting the Google Scholar tab above the search bar.

Want to know more?

Test your knowledge with the following interactive tutorial:

Google Scholar search tutorial

For advanced Google Scholar tips visit the Web searching page in the Library's Grey Literature and Other Sources guide.

Key journals

Journals are publications similar to magazines. They have issues which are published regularly (e.g., monthly, quarterly, annually) and which focus on a particular subject. BrowZine allows you to explore and browse a range of journals on broad topics, such as Arts and Humanities, or specific subject areas, such as Film and Media or Fine Arts. Access via Library homepage > Journals.

Contemporary art magazines

UniSA Library holds a comprehensive selection of Australian and international contemporary art magazines and journals. While these magazines are not necessarily peer-reviewed, they do provide current, topical information such as exhibition reviews, artist interviews and artist profiles. 

More contemporary art magazines

  • un Magazine

    An independent contemporary art magazine published bi-annually.

  • Eyeline

    Eyeline is a contemporary art magazine in Australia, with a unique content mix of exhibition and book reviews, artist interviews and monographs, specialist columns and researched articles.

  • Currents

    Currents is an interdisciplinary arts and practice-led research journal for early career researchers.

  • ArtForum International

    New York based magazine with a focus on gallery exhibition reviews and artist interviews.

  • Art in America

    Long-established illustrated monthly, including profiles of artists and genres, updates about art movements, and show reviews. A number of well-known artists have been commissioned to design special covers for the magazine. These include Edward Steichen, Alexander Calder, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein and Cindy Sherman.

  • Flash Art

    European-based contemporary art magazine.

  • Art Monthly

    Britain's longest-established contemporary art magazine.

  • Frieze

    A leading platform for modern and contemporary art, dedicated to artists, galleries, collectors and art lovers alike; UK and European focus.

  • E-flux

    e-flux journal commissions and publishes some of the most influential writings on art, film, history, technology, and politics in its monthly online publication and series of books, published together with Sternberg Press and the University of Minnesota Press.

  • Journal for Artistic Research (JAR)

    The Journal for Artistic Research (JAR) is an inter-national, online, Open Access and peer-reviewed journal for the identification, publication and dissemination of artistic research and its methodologies, from all arts disciplines.

Artefacts

To locate images specifically, try the following resources:

Galleries and museums

  • Galleries and museums offer a wide selection of artworks and artefacts in a range of mediums including - images, paintings, sculptures, film, fashion, and more. See the list of galleries and museums in the Find and attribute images for your work document (PDF, 238 KB).

  • Google Arts & Culture Project allows you to explore museums, galleries, exhibitions, artworks, and more online. You can search for a particular item, or browse by theme, artist, medium, or art movement.

Image databases

For a complete list of Art image databases that the Library subscribes to, see the Art images databases tab.

To locate film and videos, try the following resources:

You may be required to find artefacts you are interested in discussing in an assessment. Here are some suggested resources for you to explore.

UniSA Special Collections

The Library is responsible for several Special Collections, which provide a rich source of information on Australia's political, social, and public health history. The Special Collections include published and unpublished material in print, audiovisual, and digital formats, with a particular focus on South Australia and prominent South Australians. Some of the Collections are collected around a topic or theme, others have been collected by a person or organisation.

Access a Collection

Explore each collection through their individual guides or by search through the Special Collections catalogue.

While some material has been digitised and is available online, most material is in a physical form. To arrange an appointment to view the Collections, contact Ask the Library.

A few relevant collections are:

Trove

  • Trove (National Library of Australia)
    Search across the collections of Australian cultural institutions such as libraries, galleries, archives, and museums for a wide variety of material including books, theses, reports, images, maps, conference proceedings, archived websites, historical newspapers and more.

Read about the Trove Advanced search function or watch the webinar Introduction to Trove searching (23 min 31 sec), developed by the NAA (2022). 

Galleries and museums

Other cultural heritage institutions

Another great place to check out for advice in locating primary sources is the Archival Research Guide.

Specific artists

Finding information about artists is crucial in visual arts, for many reasons including inspiration, contextualisation of your work and understanding of art movements.

Possible sources for material on artists include:

Search tips

  • Is the person known under any other names? e.g. Brenda Croft, Brenda L Croft
  • Could a book on a particular group, theme, movement, or style contain a section on this artist?
  • Are there multiple people with the same name? You may find irrelevant references when searching search tools like the catalogue. If this happens, try combining the artists' name with other terms such as their medium, geographical location, exhibitions, works, awards etc.
  • The catalogue does not include all journal records. Try searching other visual arts databases such as ARTbibliographies Modern.

Looking for artists' books?

Artists' books are artworks that use the form or concept of a book, and are intended to be viewed as works of art.

The Library holds several hundred artists' books in the collection. Many are available on the main shelves, others have been placed in the Special Collection - usually because of the potential for damage or loss of parts.

To find artists' books and books about them:

  • Type "artists' books" into the Library Collection.
  • Refine by physical items, or by Campus – City West.

More about artists' books:

Find more information

Special Collections at UniSA

Many art books have been placed in the Special Collections rather than on the open shelves. They have been separated from the main collection for a variety of reasons. The books may be: rare, valuable, limited edition, fragile, or may be considered offensive.

These books are kept on Level 2 of the Jeffrey Smart Building. Items can be found in the Library Collection and identified by the prefix SP as part of the call number in the item record.

UniSA staff and students can access items in the collection by contacting Ask the Library.

Find exhibition catalogues

The Library holds thousands of exhibition catalogues in the collection. For less well known artists, these catalogues may be one of the few sources of information available about their work. These can include:​

  • Artists' statements
  • Images of the artists' work
  • Essays about the artists' work
  • Artists' biographies including exhibition and award history

To find exhibition catalogues, type exhibitions into the Library Collection and limit to 'Format: Books'.

You can combine the term with others, for example:

You can find exhibition catalogues in print on Level 3 of the Jeffrey Smart Building, City West campus.

Boxes of exhibition catalogues related to Australian art, on a shelf at Jeffrey Smart Building

Find images

Image databases

For a complete list of art image databases that the library subscribes to, see the Art databases tab.

Want to know more?

Find theses

Why look for existing theses?

  • Ensure that your topic has not been, or is not being, investigated by another researcher
  • Gain knowledge of other related research in your area of study
  • Discover the research that has preceded your topic
  • Explore methodologies and layouts used by other researchers in your field

Have a look at the Library's Theses Guide. This guide will help you to search databases to find theses and find exemplars.

SAGE Research Methods

Sage Research Methods is a comprehensive online collection of resources which you can access through the Library. You can explore methodological concepts to help you design your research project, understand a particular research method or identify a new method, and write up your research.