Drama Guide Ask Us

When searching for journal articles, an indexing and abstracting database or print index is usually the best place to begin. Below are some recommended print indexes and databases for research in Drama. For other databases, check the Article Databases page of the library website.

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When researching a new topic it is often necessary to get an overview, explanations of unfamiliar terms, or brief factual information. The print and electronic resources listed below include selected reference materials (dictionaries, encyclopaedias, handbooks, guides, and standards) for the field of Drama. To find additional reference materials, check UNB WorldCat (the library catalogue) or our Encyclopedias, Etc database.

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To search for books at UNB Libraries, first use the library's online catalogue, UNB WorldCat. 

Bibliographies list publications that have been written about a particular subject, including books, journals, government publications, etc. Annotated bibliographies provide concise summaries of what has been published in a given area.

• English Theatrical Literature, 1559-1900: A Bibliography, incorporating Robert W. Lowe's 'A Bibliographical Account of English Theatrical Literature', published in 1888 by James Fullarton Arnott and John William Robinson
  HIL-REF PN2585 .A76 1970
• Drama by Women to 1900: A Bibliography of American and British Writers
  HIL-REF PS332 .D38
• Critical Analyses in English Renaissance Drama: A Bibliographic Guide
  HIL-REF PR651 .S35 1991
• British Theatre: A Bibliography, 1901 to 1985
  HIL-REF PN2581 .C38 1989
• Drama by Women to 1900: a Bibliography of American and British Writers
  HIL-REF PS332 .D38 1992
• A bibliography of English-language theatre and drama in Canada 1800-1914
  HWK-STACKS ZPS8163 .S4 
• Ten Modern Irish Playwrights: A Comprehensive Annotated Bibliography
  HIL-REF PR8789 .K55

Additional bibliographies can be found through the library catalogue.

Books and other materials not available at UNB may be available for loan from another institution through our document delivery service. To search for materials not held by UNB Libraries, try World Cat or select from our list of other library catalogues. See the document delivery page for electronic request forms and more details.

While there is a wealth of information freely available on the internet, not all sites are created equal. Careful evaluation is a critical part of doing research on the Internet. See the Using the Web module of UNB LILT (Library Information Literacy Tutorial) for more details. Below are some recommended sites:

• ACTS: Atlantic Canada Theatre Site
• A Brief Guide to Internet Resources in Theatre and Performance Studies
• The WWW Virtual Library: Theatre and Drama
• Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre

Accurate, properly formatted footnotes, reading lists, and bibliographies are hallmarks of good academic research. Through citing, you acknowledge the source of any ideas you mention in your writing, document your research, and provide the information your readers need to track down your sources.

Numerous citation styles exist, and each specifies what elements are required (title, author, journal name, etc.) and how the citation should be formatted. The standard citation style for English Literature is MLA, but your instructor may require or recommend that you use another. Consult your course syllabus or check with your instructor to be sure of using the correct citation style for your assignment.

Use these resources for guidance on proper citation:

• The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) guide to MLA 9th edition
• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers 8th edition
  HIL-REFDSK LB2369 .M52 2016    or    HWK-REF LB2369 .G52 2016
• I Wish I'd Said That: Plagiarism, Quoting, & Citing Sources

As of spring 2021, the MLA Handbook is in its 9th edition; however, there are only two differences between the 8th edition and 9th edition for citation:

1) in works cited entries for MLA 9th edition, you should write the DOI number for a journal article from a database as a web address, e.g. https://doi.org/10.1162/tneq_a_00903, and use a permalink only if no DOI is provided.         

2) the works cited entry for a film should begin with the title of the film, rather than the director's name. If you streamed the film, include just the name of the streaming service, not a URL. E.g. 

Black Panther. Directed by Ryan Coogler, Marvel Studios / Walt Disney Pictures, 2018. Netflix. 

Citing Indigenous Knowledges

Indigenous scholars have long pointed out the ways the rules of academic citation styles can be exclusionary. Following the existing rules, it can be difficult to grant Indigenous knowledges, particularly oral teachings, the respect they deserve. In 2021, Lorisia MacLeod of the James Smith Cree Nation published templates for citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers in various citation styles. MacLeod's complete article is available here. 

Here is her template for MLA format:

Last name, First name. Nation/Community. Treaty Territory if applicable. City/Community they live in if applicable. Topic/subject of communication if applicable. Date Month Year.

For example: 

Cardinal, Delores. Goodfish Lake Cree Nation. Treaty 6. Lives in Edmonton. Oral teaching. 4 April 2004.

You may require audiovisual recordings of theatrical productions, or you may be looking for film adaptations of theatrical works.  Below are some recommended resources for finding those formats.

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