"One challenge is to carefully distinguish between your own ideas and that of others, as well as comparing the ideas of different authors. I do want you to draw your own opinions and develop your own ideas. However, remember that there are experts and you want to use their expertise to help you understand and analyze your topic. Be diligent about giving these authors credit! It in no way detracts from your own creativity! In fact, it shows the depth and quality of your research. Learn how to refer to, quote and cite sources correctly! It never fails to impress! " --From Dr. Kavky's assignment
Basic Requirements for the Research Project:
"Possible topics will include but not be limited to: artists, past or present, who focus on, or have been diagnosed with mental illness, the contemporary use of art therapy to diagnose or treat mental illness, contemporary representations of the “mad artist” in art, literature or film."
--From Dr. Kavky's assignment
Sources
Acceptable sources have a high level of credibility. Credibility can arise from subject expertise. Sources by authors who are experts in art, history, or psychology (and whose work is reviewed by experts) have credibility. In addition, sources by the authors themselves about their work are also highly credible--the artists are experts on their work.
Acceptable Sources
Sources by Scholars and Experts
Sources by the Artist
Unacceptable Sources
💥 Source Quiz
Are the following sources acceptable or unacceptable?
Search for the name of the artist along with a mental illness they dealt with:
"Edward Munch" AND depression
Power Tip: You can enclose the author's name in quotation marks to perform an exact phrase search.
What if this search strategy doesn't find enough good sources?
1. Try slightly different search words:
"Edward Munch" AND despair
2. Switch to another database. If JSTOR does not find enough, try Art Full Text instead.
3. Consider changing the topic slightly, maybe changing the artist or mental illness.
The CAT is the main search tool for finding books at all Penn State Libraries.
--If you are researching artists, you can type the name of the artist in quotation marks in the CAT (after you search, you can also use the filters on the right sidebar to select "Visual Arts").
"Andy Warhol"
--Look for books on movements or trends in contemporary art that may include a discussion of your artist. For example, if I can't find books solely on Andy Warhol, I could type in pop art and look through books on pop art for mentions of Andy Warhol.