Explore the search tools below to find relevant journal articles on your dissertation topic.
As a first step, search Summon for relevant articles from e-resources subscribed to by the Library, which are available in full text.
Use some keywords about your topic - remember that Summon finds your keywords in the full text of the article, so you may get results where they don't appear in the article title. Check the abstract to judge the relevance of the found articles.
You can also use Summon to get articles you've found references elsewhere - just search the article title.
Bear in mind that searching Summon will only provide you with results taken from e-resources that the University subscribes to.
For a wider overview of articles and theses on your chosen dissertation topic you should also make use of these subject-specific bibliographic databases alongside Summon;
References to published materials in the arts and humanities including journal articles, letters, editorials and reviews.
This database is part of the Web of Science Core Collection. To search just this part select 'Arts & Humanities Citation Index' from the 'Editions' drop down list.
Introductions to major writers, artists, philosophers, topics and periods in the subject areas of literature, philosophy, classics, religion and cultural studies.
Historical summaries covering a range of topics primarily in the humanities.
Digital Theatre + provides access to a host of sources related to theatre productions, from acting and actor training to design and technical theatre. They have over 600 full length productions, over 800 video resources and 21,000 plus pages of written content, covering multiple forms of and genres of theatre.
Plays and supporting critical and contextual material relating to works from the classical era to the present day. The collection features the theatre lists of Methuen Drama, the Arden Shakespeare and Faber and Faber, as well as production photos from the Victoria and Albert Museum and The American Shakespeare Center. Also available are plays, screen plays and theatrebooks from Nick Hern Books; Playwrights Canada Press, a collection of plays by emerging and established Canadian playwrights; plays from the Oberon Books collection; Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama Videos covering key plays and acting techniques; and the National Theatre collection, containing 30 filmed performances from the venue.
This resource covers a wide range of literary topics including full-text access to books and poetry, literary criticism and author biographies.
Merged online catalogues of many major UK and Irish academic, National libraries and specialist libraries.
References to publications covering literature, language, linguistics and folklore worldwide.
Covering women’s writing in the British Isles from its beginnings to the present day, Orlando provides entries on authors' lives and writing careers, contextual material, timelines, sets of internal links, and bibliographies.
Searchable research guides across a variety of subject areas.
Oxford Handbooks Online is a collection of review essays covering key issues and exploring major debates across different subject areas.
Access to articles in over 500 journal titles in arts, humanities and social sciences.
A yearbook of Shakespeare studies and production providing full-text access to articles and features, images and production photographs from 1948 to the present. Each volume covers a selected theme, specific play or group of plays, as well as reviews of reviews of textual and critical studies, and the major British performances for the year.
Online access to articles published in the TLS from 1902 to 2019.
Essentially a vast Library catalogue. Gives references to books, theses, and other published materials in all subjects.
Contains facsimile images of literary manuscripts, including letters and diaries, drafts of poems, plays, novels, and other literary works in the Medieval and Renaissance periods.
This resource covers a wide range of literary topics including full-text access to books and poetry, literary criticism and author biographies.
Covering women’s writing in the British Isles from its beginnings to the present day, Orlando provides entries on authors' lives and writing careers, contextual material, timelines, sets of internal links, and bibliographies.
Biographies of the men and women who shaped all aspects of Britain's past, from the fourth century BC to the year 2000.
Contains facsimile images of literary manuscripts, including letters and diaries, drafts of poems, plays, novels, and other literary works in the Medieval and Renaissance periods.
Digital Theatre + provides access to a host of sources related to theatre productions, from acting and actor training to design and technical theatre. They have over 600 full length productions, over 800 video resources and 21,000 plus pages of written content, covering multiple forms of and genres of theatre.
Plays and supporting critical and contextual material relating to works from the classical era to the present day. The collection features the theatre lists of Methuen Drama, the Arden Shakespeare and Faber and Faber, as well as production photos from the Victoria and Albert Museum and The American Shakespeare Center. Also available are plays, screen plays and theatrebooks from Nick Hern Books; Playwrights Canada Press, a collection of plays by emerging and established Canadian playwrights; plays from the Oberon Books collection; Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama Videos covering key plays and acting techniques; and the National Theatre collection, containing 30 filmed performances from the venue.
Our Inter-Library Loans service can get articles, books and other publications not held at Reading from other libraries (usually from the British Library).
For more information see our webpages: