Performance
Whether you're a new student starting your first assignment, further on in your studies, or starting a research project, this page will help you find and use the best information for your subject. You will also find resources to help develop your academic, study and digital skills.
If you can’t find what you need here, please contact your Academic Support Team: library-SAM@salford.ac.uk
Key resources for performance students
Books & Journals
The first place you should look is your reading list – you will find a link to this in your Blackboard modules. It lists all the core texts for your subject as recommended by your lecturers. All our other books and journals can be found in Library Search.
Databases
Whilst Library Search is your starting point when researching a topic, sometimes it’s helpful to restrict your search to one of our specialist sources.
- Digital Theatre + - a great resource for video of theatre productions as well as interviews with performers, directors and others. Well worth exploring.
- Drama Online - scripts for some of the most studied modern and classic plays, plus over 60 books providing analysis and criticism of some of these plays, playwrights, and genres.
- Box of Broadcasts – a huge collection of TV and radio programmes broadcast in the UK. Worth exploring for drama and films. In addition, a number of programmes regularly discuss culture and the arts, so this can be an important source for reviews and critical opinion.
- Kanopy - another good source for Films, especially international cinema. Arts & Humanities Database - lots of articles on all kinds of cultural topics.
- Performing Arts Periodicals Database – journal articles on all aspects of performance, including dance, theatre and music.
- JSTOR - a great range of books and articles on all kind of topics including performance.
- Broadcast - key source for up-to-date news and other information about television drama and broadcasting industry more generally. The Library subscription allows all our staff and students access, however please put Salford’s Library Access on your browser before linking to Broadcast to ensure access is granted.
- Google Scholar – always worth checking for academic books and journals. To get the most from it, make sure you’ve added Library Access to your browser.
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning offers thousands of professionally produced online courses covering technical, creative and professional skills. it includes support for managing your time, improving personal effectiveness and using s office software, such as Microsoft 365.
Always use our institutional login to log in – you will need your University email address and password.
The first time you log in, you will be taken through a setup process to discover courses tailored to your interests.
Find out more in our video: Using LinkedIn Learning at Salford.
Newspapers
These are a great source for reviews and comment on film, television and theatre productions as well as interviews with directors and actors.
Sources to try include Gale OneFile News and Newsstream. Check our Newspapers web page to see which papers we have access to.
Useful Links
There is wealth of information on the internet, just remember to evaluate what you find carefully. These are just a couple of examples.
- BBC Writers Room Script Library - a wonderful resource for up-to-date TV scripts and there is lots of other useful scriptwriting guidance on the site as well.
- ScreenOnline (BFI) - information on British film and television drama.
Browse your Reading Lists
Your tutors select books, articles, videos and other resources for your reading lists and the Library buys them so you don't have to.
Find the lists for your modules in Blackboard, or in Library Search.
Referencing
APA 7th (Harvard) style is the main referencing style in use at the University. We've compiled an easy to follow list of guidebooks and examples to help you get to grips with complexities of referencing.
Newspapers
Newspapers are a valuable source of information. They provide insight into what interests and concerns people both now and in the past.
The Library provides some excellent newspaper sources that allow you to search simply and easily across many newspapers at once.
Dissertations and Theses
During the course of your studies, you may find that you need to search for dissertations or theses.
You can use Library Search to help you find them and there are a number of different ways to search, depending on what you want to find.
New Performance Students
Book a one to one
If you’ve tried our eLearning and classroom sessions and need more help, you can request a one to one appointment for information finding, academic and writing or digital skills. Select your chosen time slot and book on through Advantage.
Book on a workshop
We offer a wide range of face-to-face skills training. If you need to improve your IT skills, learn how to find information for your assignments or improve your study skills this is a great place to start.
All workshops are bookable through Advantage by clicking on the workshop title. Where a session has no remaining spaces you can add yourself to the waiting list.
A short introduction to critical and analytical skills [ONLINE]
Starts: 6 Jun 2022, 1:00 pmFinishes: 6 Jun 2022, 2:30 pmRemaining places: 28This session is aimed at undergraduate and master's level students who wish to improve their critical thinking, reading and writing skills. This workshop will be delivered online.Constructing an Argument
Starts: 7 Jun 2022, 12:00 pmFinishes: 7 Jun 2022, 1:00 pmVenue: Frederick Road Campus, Allerton, L219Remaining places: 29This session explores the elements that make up an academic argument, how to write your own and to challenge ones you disagree with. This is an on campus event.Constructing an Argument [Online]
Starts: 16 Jun 2022, 12:00 pmFinishes: 16 Jun 2022, 1:15 pmRemaining places: 33This session will explore the elements that make up an academic argument, how to write your own and to challenge ones you disagree with.
Word: Formatting your dissertation or thesis
Starts: 31 May 2022, 10:00 amFinishes: 31 May 2022, 1:00 pmVenue: Frederick Road Campus, Allerton, C811Remaining places: 7Ready to start writing up? Learn about heading styles & captions to create automatic Table of Contents, Table of Figures, etc. Apply different page number formats & change page orientation via Section breaks. This workshop requires a basic knowledge of Word. This workshop is on campus.Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Exam session [Online]
Starts: 16 Jun 2022, 4:00 pmFinishes: 16 Jun 2022, 5:00 pmVenue: MOS Exam - Certiport exam providerRemaining places: 7This is an online EXAM SESSION for Microsoft Office Specialist certification. When booking you MUST have registered on the MOS programme AND scored 70% plus in GMetrix's 'Testing' mode in your chosen application. Bookings not meeting this criteria will be cancelled. Bookings open 26 May.Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Exam session [Online]
Starts: 22 Jun 2022, 12:00 pmFinishes: 22 Jun 2022, 1:00 pmVenue: MOS Exam - Certiport exam providerRemaining places: 10This is an online EXAM SESSION for Microsoft Office Specialist certification. When booking you MUST have registered on the MOS programme AND scored 70% plus in GMetrix's 'Testing' mode in your chosen application. Bookings not meeting this criteria will be cancelled. Bookings open 1 June.
Making the most of eBooks [online]
Starts: 14 Jun 2022, 2:30 pmFinishes: 14 Jun 2022, 3:30 pmRemaining places: 40This workshop will show you how to find and use electronic books (eBooks) in Library Search. This workshop will showcase eBooks and what they can do, and will include tips on using built-in tools to help save you time and advice on targeting your reading. This workshop is online.Finding information using Library Search [online]
Starts: 21 Jun 2022, 5:00 pmFinishes: 21 Jun 2022, 6:00 pmRemaining places: 36This workshop is a live demo of how Library Search works and showcases what it can do to help you find information. This workshop will show you how to find and use Library Search, and will include tips on making the most of all of its features, saving you time! This workshop is online.Finding information using Library Search
Starts: 12 Jul 2022, 12:00 pmFinishes: 12 Jul 2022, 1:00 pmVenue: Peel Park Campus, Clifford Whitworth University Library, Clifford Whitworth Library, Learning Suite 1Remaining places: 18This workshop is a live demo of how Library Search works and showcases what it can do to help you find information. This workshop will show you how to find and use Library Search, and will include tips on making the most of all of its features, saving you time! This workshop is on campus.