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Old Arts Research Guides: Art Therapy: Research Process

All the old Arts Research Guides

Research Process

The research process is circular. You will return to some steps multiple times as you research, read, and gain more information.

visual layout of research process steps

  1. Project Assigned
  2. Pick topic, and test the topic. Is it too broad? Too narrow? Too new? Will this work?
  3. Find, read, & evaluate sources. Keep a research log.
  4. Keep repeating steps 2-3 as necessary. Your topic will evolve several times. Think critically about whether you need primary or secondary sources for different parts of your argument.
  5. Write and edit.
  6. Identify spaces in your argument that need more support, and repeat step 3 as necessary.
  7. Project due.

Resources mentioned in the Next-Level Research Workshop

Setting up Search Alerts

Today we will power up your research skills by keeping up-to-date on your research! One of the easiest ways is to create alerts in the databases or search engines that you use.

Let's get started!

This challenge is a twofer: first, we'll create a search alert in Google Scholar, and then we'll create a search alert in one of the library's databases (two very different approaches to staying apprised of information relevant to your discipline). Instructions for each are below.

Note: Setting up alerts in multiple places can be beneficial given that each database or search engine has access to unique content. If you plan to leave Syracuse University at some point in the future, Google Scholar alerts are free and accessible at any time and with any email address.


Search Alerts

Track new publications that are added to databases, based on your search terms.

Google Scholar! 

1. Run a search with your keywords.

2. In your results list, on the left side of the page, click on the "Create alert" button.

Note: The Google Scholar Alerts service searches for new material that has been added to the Google Scholar database, which is not always newly published material. 

Note: You can also follow authors who have Google Scholar profiles by: clicking on their names in your results list; clicking on Follow; and choosing which aspects of their published works you want to stay abreast of, including new articles by the author, new citations to the author, new articles related to the author's work.

​EBSCO Databases through Syracuse University Libraries (e.g., Film & Television, Music Index, RILM Abstracts, RIPM - Full Text, RIPM Preservation Series: European & North American Music Periodicals, LGBTQ+ Source, TEacher Reference Center, e-Book Academic Collection, etc )

1. Click on the EBSCOHost Database Collection link.

2. Click on "Sign in" at the top of the page and create a free EBSCO account (or sign into your account if you already have one).

3. Once you are signed into your account, select the database(s) you would like to include in your search alert. (Click the Choose Databases link near the top of the page.)

4. Run a search with your keywords.

5. In the results list, click on the Share dropdown menu and then click Email Alert or RSS feed.

6. Choose your settings and click "Save Alert."
 

ProQuest Databases through Syracuse University Libraries (e.g., Music Periodicals Database, Humanities Index, Research Library: The Arts, The Rolling Stone Archive and many others)

1. Run a search with your keywords. 

2. On the results page, beneath the search box select Save Search/Alert.

3. Select Create Alert.

4. Set your parameters.

Note: Create a free account in ProQuest to modify, delete, or view all of your alerts. 

Note: If you do not want your search alert to include all of ProQuest's databases (that is the default), click on the Databases link in the gray bar along the top of the page and select the database(s) relevant to your discipline.

 

Theses and Dissertations

Theses and dissertations represent the culmination of scholarly and creative work undertaken by many students at their college or university. They can serve multiple purposes:

  • as model approaches to layout, methodology, and theoretical underpinnings of an issue/topic/problem
  • as insights into recent scholarship that may not yet be published as books, book chapters, or journal articles (helping you stay apprised of trending or cutting edge research!)
  • as rich bibliographical sources to explore and/or mine, given their lengthy list of references

Did you know?
Just like the myriad streaming services you might use to watch your favorite shows, there's no one-stop shop for all theses and dissertations. There are many places you can search for this type of research, depending on what you're looking for. Let's explore some together!

Let's get started!

1. Go to ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

2. Search for dissertations and theses in your field or discipline, or in a field/discipline that interests you. Consider limiting your results to a timeframe of interest.

3. Look at the abstract of one of the items in your results list, to get a sense of the work.

Note: In addition to the abstract, most theses or dissertations published after 1997 will be available full text. 

4. Find and save the permanent link to a dissertation of relevance to your work.

Pro Tip: you can save a link to a thesis or dissertation, in order to return to them at a later time, by using the permanent link available on the Abstract/Details page. The permanent link is called "Document URL." Here's what it will look like:

Document URL

Here is an example of a permanent link to a dissertation in the ProQuest database: A content analysis of the use of music on "Barney & Friends": Implications for music education practice and research

Did you know?
Beyond ProQuest, there are many places to find dissertations and theses, including those that are freely accessible and do not require a subscription to access. Open access theses and dissertations may be of particular interest to those of you who leave the university setting at some point, and/or those of you who work with community partners who may not have access to the library's subscription resources. ​Several options are included in the lists below.

For example, there are Syracuse University theses and dissertations in:

  • SURFACE: SURFACE, the Syracuse University repository, has full text dissertations and theses from 2009 to the present.

  • Theses in Print or Microfilm When looking for a thesis in print or microfilm first try to locate it in the Catalog using an author or title search. A thesis at the Facility may be requested. The University stopped accepting print theses in 2011, so for theses completed from 2012 to the present, use the online resources above.
  • If a thesis is not in the Catalog: If a thesis is not in the Catalog you may contact the University Archives.  The University Archives has the copy of record of most dissertations and theses produced at Syracuse University. Paper copies of student works are housed off-campus, but can be transported to campus if Archives is given 48-hours' notice. They can be viewed in the Special Collections Research Center Reading Room (600 Bird Library).

And, theses and dissertations produced outside Syracuse University:

  • DART-Europe E-theses Portal: Access to over 700,000 European theses and dissertations.
  • Global ETD Search: Search approximately 6 million theses and dissertations via the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations database.
  • Open Access Theses and Dissertations: Resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions. OATD currently indexes over 5 million theses and dissertations.
  • EBSCO Open Dissertations: Created from a collaboration between EBSCO and BiblioLabs, Open Dissertations is a free electronic theses and dissertations database offering access to more than 800,000 ETDs. Includes electronic access to records of dissertations accepted by American universities from 1933-1955. There is no full text. For full text, you can place an Interlibrary Loan request.
  • PQDT Open: Full text of ProQuest's open access dissertations and theses, from 1951-present.
  • Theses Canada Portal: The collection contains both microfiche and electronic theses and dissertations that are for personal or academic research purposes, from participating Canadian universities.
  • WorldCat: This online catalog includes materials held by over 72,000 libraries worldwide, and includes citations to dissertations and theses primarily outside of Syracuse University (although Syracuse University theses are cataloged here, too). To find dissertations or theses, go to Advanced Search, enter relevant keywords in one field. In the format drop down menu select --Thesis, Dissertation. You can place an Interlibrary Loan request for a thesis or dissertation within your WorldCat results that Syracuse University Libraries does not own.
     

BONUS Challenge: Explore one of the databases in the "Did you know?" section above! Take a moment to explore one or more of the databases outside Syracuse University, particularly those that will provide international lenses on issues of interest to you. Consider what other scholars are studying, and how they're approaching their research, in ways that may inform your own scholarly practice.