Research Guides: Dance Education: Finding Articles/Databases

Featured Database

A VERY important database! There are some full text links to this database so you will need to use the library's catalog, OCLC and google scholar to find some of these items.

An index of literature and research from 1926 to the present that informs teaching, learning, and future directions of research in the field of dance education. It contains extensive descriptions of 4,100+ literary works including theses, dissertations, journal articles, conference proceedings and other reports from over 200+ different publications and organizations and 147 university dance programs. In addition to providing basic citation information, the DELRdi provides detailed descriptive information on the methodology, techniques, and characteristics of the research documented in the index. The DELRdi is the culminating product of a four-year research project supported by the United States Department of Education (2001-2005).

Dance Education Literature and Research Descriptive Index This link opens in a new window
Provides comprehensive information on more than 3,300 documents (dissertations, theses, and journal articles) 1926 to the present. You may search the database by citation information (author, title, year, location, publication or university.

Key Journals

Dance research journal
Articles, book reviews, lists of books and journals received, and reports of scolarly conferences, archives, and other project interests for the dance professional. Theory and methods, evaluation in the different disciplines in dance research.
Journal of physical education, recreation & dance
The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (JOPERD), an official publication of the Society of Health and Physical Educators , is a peer-reviewed, four-color, professional journal. Continuously published since 1896, JOPERD serves as an authoritative, professional source for educators in physical education, sport, recreation, and dance in all settings. It provides the information needed to assist students and clients in learning motor skills, improving fitness, and pursuing physical activity and sport participation safely and appropriately. JOPERD features articles about teaching methods, curriculum, teacher preparation, professional issues, coaching, youth sports, fitness, recreation, and dance. Regular departments offer teaching tips, analysis of lawsuits, technology updates, and viewpoints about the professions.
Journal of dance education
Up-to-date information, serving as a resource you can use in daily practice. Covers the range of dance education in all settings.
Dance chronicle
Articles, reports, reviews and lists of books received on all aspects of dance and the related arts.
Dance research : the journal of the Society for Dance Research
Research in dance education
Ranging from the history of European theatrical dance to dance anthropology & renaissance spectacle.
Arts education policy review
Aimed at educators and deals with the role of the arts in education and curriculum development.

Popular Databases

EBSCO Discovery Service This link opens in a new window
This tool allows you to search for articles and ebooks without having to select specific databases or a subject area. This is a great way to get an overview of your topic, after which you can visit subject specific databases to get more targeted results, if necessary. This tool contains extensive full-text access to resources, including journal and newspaper articles, dissertations, conference proceedings, scores, sheet music, streaming audio and video recordings, art and photo images, and more.
Note: NYU Libraries is retiring EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) in June 2025. The Catalog Search replaces EDS as the tool for searching across multiple publishers’ databases and platforms. You can also use EBSCOhost to search across the full set of EBSCO-only databases.
Dance Education Literature and Research Descriptive Index This link opens in a new window
An index of literature and research from 1926 to the present that informs teaching, learning, and future directions of research in the field of dance education. It contains extensive descriptions of 4,100+ literary works including theses, dissertations, journal articles, conference proceedings and other reports from over 200+ different publications and organizations and 147 university dance programs. In addition to providing basic citation information, the DELRdi provides detailed descriptive information on the methodology, techniques, and characteristics of the research documented in the index.
Education Source with ERIC This link opens in a new window
Education Source with ERIC provides access to research on all levels of education from early childhood to adult education. The content includes peer reviewed journal articles, ebooks, book reviews, dissertations, conference papers and policy reports on all topics in the realm of education.
Performing Arts Periodicals Database This link opens in a new window
Performing Arts Periodicals Database provides indexing and abstracts for more than 210 international journals in the performing arts dating from 1864 to the near present.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR provides access to scholarly journals, primarily in the humanities and social sciences. In addition to journal articles, users can access book chapters, ebooks, and primary source documents.
ProQuest Central This link opens in a new window
ProQuest Central is a large, multidisciplinary database with over 11,000 titles, with over 8,000 titles in full-text. It serves as the central resource for researchers at all levels in all markets. Over 160 subjects areas are covered extensively in this product including business and economics, health and medical, news and world affairs, technology, social sciences and more.
International Bibliography of Theater & Dance with Full Text This link opens in a new window
The International Index to Performing Arts Indexes journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, and monographs in theatre and the performing arts and covers 1984 to present.
Project Muse This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text access to high quality humanities, arts, and social sciences journals from scholarly publishers.
Dissertations & Theses Global This link opens in a new window
Dissertations and Theses Global contains indexes, dissertations and some theses. Full-text is available for many dissertations and theses, including those from NYU.
ARTbibliographies Modern This link opens in a new window
ARTbibliographies Modern provides indexing to art, architecture and design journals, essays, books, exhibition catalogs and dissertations. Publications indexed date from approximately 1973 through the present, while the subject focus is late 19th-century to the present.
MLA International Bibliography (MLAIB) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
The MLA International Bibliography provides bibliographic records for books, book chapters, journal articles, and dissertations published in the fields of modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics. Full text is available for some articles. The MLAIB covers items published from around 1920 to the present.

Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a time-saving, scholarly search interface accessible from within the Google interface. With Google Scholar, you can access peer-reviewed journal articles, books and book sections. For literature searching, specialized databases have more functionality and access more comprehensive results, but Google Scholar is a good tool

Multidisciplinary Databases of Interest

Education Source with ERIC This link opens in a new window
Education Source with ERIC provides access to research on all levels of education from early childhood to adult education. The content includes peer reviewed journal articles, ebooks, book reviews, dissertations, conference papers and policy reports on all topics in the realm of education.

PsycNET (with PsycINFO)
To search only a specific database (e.g., PsycINFO) within the PsycNET interface, use the "Select Databases" features at the top of the PsycNET landing page and check (or uncheck) the database(s) that apply. To access PsycTHERAPY,

Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Business Source Complete is a full text database of articles from popular, scholarly, and trade publications. Subjects covered include management, economics, finance, accounting, international business. Dates of coverage: 1886 to present.
GenderWatch This link opens in a new window
GenderWatch indexes scholarly, radical, community, and independent publications from 1970 to present relevant to gender, women's, and LGBTQ studies. It provides information from both academic and grassroots perspectives on a wide range of gender-related topics, such as sexuality, family, religion, societal roles, race and ethnicity, feminism, masculinity, eating disorders, healthcare, and the workplace. Notable titles include Off Our Backs, Transgender Tapestry, Sister Namibia, and Out and About, among others.
America: History and Life with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Indexes literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present. The database indexes 1,700 journals and also includes citations and links to book and media reviews. Strong English-language journal coverage is balanced by an international perspective on topics and events, including abstracts in English of articles published in more than 40 languages. Publication dates of coverage: 1964 to present.
ARTbibliographies Modern This link opens in a new window
ARTbibliographies Modern provides indexing to art, architecture and design journals, essays, books, exhibition catalogs and dissertations. Publications indexed date from approximately 1973 through the present, while the subject focus is late 19th-century to the present.
Art and Architecture Source This link opens in a new window
Art & Architecture Source is an essential research database for peer-reviewed, full-text art and architecture journals with coverage dating back to 1914. Subjects include fine, decorative, and commercial art, as well as architecture, landscape, urban planning, and architectural design. With strong international coverage, including periodicals published in French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Dutch, it offers hundreds of full-text art journals, magazines, and books, plus detailed indexing and abstracts, and thousands of images. It also includes the contents of Art Index Retrospective (1929-1984), formerly called Art Source.
Arts and Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI) This link opens in a new window
This database indexes about 1,700 arts and humanities journals. Dates of coverage: 1975 to present.
Adjust settings to expand your searching to include the Social Sciences Citation Index, the Science Citation Index, the Book Citation Index, and others.

CPANDA, the Cultural Policy & the Arts National Data Archive
ICPSR to take over the content of CPANDA. Data has migrated to the National Archive of Data on Arts and Culture (NADAC). The CPANDA literature database will remain on this site for now.

Historical Abstracts with Full Text (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Covers the history of the world (excluding the United States and Canada) from 1450 to the present, including world history, military history, women's history, history of education, and more. Indexes more than 1,700 academic historical journals in over 40 languages. Publication dates of coverage: 1955 to present.

The National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence.

OmniFile Full Text Mega This link opens in a new window
OmniFile Full Text Mega is a Multi-disciplinary database providing the complete content - indexing, abstracts, and full text - from six collections: Education Full Text, General Science Full Text, Humanities Full Text, Readers' Guide Full Text, Social Sciences Full Text, and Wilson Business Full Text. Dates of coverage: 1982 to present.
Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Sociological Abstracts represents the core database for sociological scholarship, covering literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. It indexes scholarly journals, dissertations and theses, books, and conference papers and proceedings, and is international in scope.

International Journals and Topics

Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World' comprehensively covers all aspects of religiopolitics, and culture in Muslim societies throughout the world, as well as the Islamic state law, marriage, social and political movements, women, human rights, Islam in the West, and foreign relations.
Encyclopedia of women & Islamic cultures
Crosses history, geographic borders and disciplines to create a ground-breaking reference work reflecting the very latest research on gender studies and the Islamic world.

Index Islamicus This link opens in a new window
Index Islamicus is the main index in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. It indexes academic literature on Islam, the Middle East and the Muslim world. Records included in the index cover almost 100 years of publications on the world of Islam. Over 3,000 journals are monitored for inclusion in the database, together with conference proceedings, monographs, multi-authored works and book reviews. Journals and books are indexed down to the article and chapter level. Dates of coverage: 1906 to present.
Bibliography of Asian Studies This link opens in a new window
The online version of the Bibliography of Asian Studies (BAS) contains records on all subjects (especially in the humanities and the social sciences) pertaining to East, Southeast, and South Asia published worldwide and in Western languages.
Handbook of Latin American Studies (HLAS) online This link opens in a new window
A bibliography on Latin America consisting of works selected and annotated by scholars. Edited by the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress, the multidisciplinary Handbook alternates annually between the social sciences and the humanities. Each year, more than 130 academics from around the world choose over 5,000 works for inclusion in the Handbook.
American Bibliography of Slavic and East European Studies (ABSEES) This link opens in a new window
American Bibliography of Slavic and East European Studies (ABSEES) indexes journals, books, dissertations, online resources and selected government publications published in the U.S. and Canada. The bibliography covers East-Central Europe and the former Soviet Union.
Chicano Database This link opens in a new window
Chicano Database indexes monographs, journal articles, book chapters and other material related to the study of Mexican-American and Chicano history and culture; some materials also may be relevant for U.S. Latino studies more broadly. The database is produced by the Ethnic Studies Library at the University of California, Berkeley, with extensive coverage from the 1960s to the present and selective coverage to the early 20th century.
Russian Central Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Russian Central Newspapers contains the most important Russian newspapers currently being being published in Moscow. Searching can be done across newspapers.
Search in Cyrillic or in Library of Congress English transliteration.
Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO) This link opens in a new window
Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO) is a source for theory and research in international affairs. It includes scholarship, working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, proceedings from conferences, books, journals, case studies for teaching, and policy briefs.
Index to Jewish Periodicals (IJP) This link opens in a new window
The Index to Jewish Periodicals provides citations to English-language articles in more than 200 journals, magazines, and newsletters devoted to Jewish affairs. The publications are mainly from the U.S. and a good many are organizational and institutional newsletters. Dates of coverage: 1988 to present.
eHRAF World Cultures This link opens in a new window
eHRAF World Cultures is a cross-cultural database that contains information on all aspects of cultural and social life. The annually-growing eHRAF database is unique in that the information is organized into cultures and ethnic groups and the full-text sources are subject-indexed at the paragraph level.
JapanKnowledge (contains the Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan) This link opens in a new window
JapanKnowledge (ジャパンナレッジ) provides access to electronic versions of major dictionaries and encyclopedias - essential Japanese reference sources, as well as databases for some weekly journals and maps published in Japan. These include Nihon daihyakka zensho (日本大百科全書), Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan (講談社), Nihon kokugo daijiten (日本国語大辞典), Gendai yōgo no kiso chishiki (現代用語の基礎知識), and others. It contains full text of the journal, Ekonomisuto (Weekly Economist, 週刊エコノミスト), from 2015-present. It also contains the Tōyō bunko (東洋文庫). And, it contains the Dai Kanwa Jiten (大漢和辞典修訂第二版)