ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN RESEARCH METHODS

Reference Resources

Architectural research methods / Linda Groat. New York : J. Wiley, 2002
DAAP Reference NA2000 .G76 2002

Art information : research methods and resources / Lois Swan Jones. 3rd ed.
Dubuque, Iowa : Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co., c1990.
DAAP Reserves & Stacks  N85 .J64 1990

Communication research : strategies and sources / Rebecca B. Rubin, Alan M. Rubin, Linda J. Piele. 5th ed. Belmont, CA : Wadsworth Thomson Learning, 2005.
Langsam & RWC Stacks P91.3 .R83 2005

Sir Banister Fletcher's, A History of Architecture. Sir Banister Fletcher.
19th edition edited by John Musgrove. London: Butterworths, 1987.
DAAP Reference NA200.F63 1987
This is considered the standard reference work on architectural history. It is profusely illustrated with drawings, plans and photographs. Its very detailed index makes it a valuable reference for concise identification of architectural styles and characteristics.

Encyclopedia of Architecture: design , engineering and construction. Joseph A. Wilkes, editor. New York: Wiley, 1988. (5 volumes)
DAAP Reference NA31.E59 1988
This serves as a good starting point for architectural terms, styles and people. Especially useful are lengthy articles on building types covering their history and characteristics. A bibliography follow each article for further research.

Architecture and Building Online Reference Tools
"Architecture and Building is a guide to net sites on architecture, building and construction, design, housing, planning, preservation, facility management, energy and the environment, and landscape architecture, compiled by Jeanne Brown, University of Nevada Las Vegas Architecture Studies Library."

Identifying journal articles on a topic:

Note: To access indexes and databases from off-campus, first go to Off-Campus Access under QuickLinks and log in using your name and ID number.

Use the Indexes below to identify articles in journals in Architecture and Interior Design:

Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals.
The most comprehensive index to architecture maintained by the staff of the Avery Architectural Library at Columbia University. Late 1800's to the present.

Art Abstracts.
Covers architecture and the visual arts from 1929 to the present. Indexes 230 magazines.

Architectural Index.
Web: 1982 to the present. DAAP Reference Index Shelf Z5941.A7: 1951 to the present.
Indexes nineteen major American architectural magazines. Articles are listed under building types such as museums and residences, by geographic location (city and state), and architect or designer with more specific subheadings under each.

The Catalog of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Library provides  coverage of major foreign and technical architectural periodicals .  In addition the catalog provides access to books, archival materials, and other publications of the RIBA Library.
Z5941 .A73   DAAP Journals 

For design and behavior research:
PsycINFO
Sociological Abstracts
Social Sciences Citation Index

Resources in other subject areas :
Subject Resources Page

Book Reviews can be found by searching the above Indexes as well as Book Review Digest

Obtaining articles:

If the Index does not provide a link to the Library catalog or to the article online,
or if you have an article citation from another source:

To find an article full-text online, search by the name of the journal (not the title of the article) in the Full Text Journal Finder from the Article Resources page. This will identify a database which provides full text of that journal and the dates covered.

To find an article in a paper journal, search the Library Catalog by the name of the journal from the Article resources Page. The catalog will identify the volume numbers, dates and location of journals owned by UC Libraries.

How to Cite Sources in a Paper : Print and electronic guides containing helpful tips/examples for citing sources.

InterLibrary Loan Services

You may request books not available in OhioLINK and journal articles not available at UC through InterLibrary Loan Services.

Finding DAAP theses in the Library Catalog

To browse titles by degree major: 

M.S. in Architecture
Search by subject: theses m.s. architecture 

M. Arch
Search by subject:  theses master of architecture 

Theses Online
Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center (OhioLINK), begun in 2000, is a free online database of masters' theses and doctoral dissertations from graduate students in participating Ohio colleges and universities.

Senior Theses

**There is an index by building type to Architecture Senior Theses on the Reference shelf - call number C. U. 171.A7 **

Research Strategy

1. Define the research problem.

2. Create a list of terms that describe your topic. Continually update, refine, narrow

Example:   topic: sustainable architecture

other terms: green architecture, green design, architecture and energy conservation, architecture - environmental aspects

3. Keep track of sources: databases you've consulted, citations of books and articles

4. Locate resources from a variety of sources

library catalog
indexes and databases: online and print
bibliographies and footnotes in books and articles
identify researchers/experts in the topic area, search those authors' works
reference books
talk to your professors