Research Guides: Documentary Research: Documentary Research: Books &amp; Articles

Books and Anthologies

Oxy OneSearch
Search Oxy's local catalog for all print and electronic books. Remember to try various search terms to access different resources within OneSearch: documentary, documentary ethics, documentary autobiography

Ebook Central
Another database to search for electronic books. Tip: use links below to locate a title and then cross-search in this database to access full-text.

Documentary Book List - Visible Evidence Conference
Visible Evidence is a professional organization of global documentary scholars with an annual conference. They maintain this list of new publications in documentary studies, which is a fantastic resource. Browse the list and then look up specific titles in Oxy OneSearch, where we likely have electronic access or can secure hard copies or digital chapters via interlibrary loan.
Visible Evidence Books (University of Minnesota Press)
This is a specific book series published by University of Minnesota Press containing a range of monographs and anthologies in documentary studies. Browse on the publisher's site and then look up specific titles in Oxy OneSearch, where we likely have hard copy or electronic access, or can secure hard copies or digital chapters via interlibrary loan.

Specific Titles

A Companion to Contemporary Documentary Film ed. Alexandra Juhasz and Alisa Lebow, Wiley-Blackwell Press, 2015
The Intellect Handbook of Documentary ed. Kate Nash and Deane Williams, Bristol Chicago Intellect, 2025
The Ethics of Documentary Film, ed. Agnieszka Piotrowska, Edinburgh University Press, 2025
Reclaiming Popular Documentary ed. Christie Milliken and Steve F. Anderson, Indiana University Press, 2021

Interlibrary Loan

Find something helpful but Oxy Library doesn't have it in the collection? You can request digital articles & book chapters, as well as entire physical books, using Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

Finding Scholarly Journals and Articles

Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text
Film & Television Literature Index is designed for use by film scholars, college students, and general viewers. Subject coverage includes film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews. NOTE: EBSCO prohibits the use of non-EBSCO AI tools with their content.

EBSCO's (2024) License Agreement states, "Licensee and Authorized Users may not use artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies with any of the content included in the Databases or Services for any purpose."

Studies in Documentary Film
Once you’ve found an article of interest, access the full-text article via Oxy’s Film & Television Literature Index (above).
World Records Journal
Critical e-journal put out by UnionDocs Center for Documentary Art.
Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media
peer-reviewed journal that has been in existence, first in print and now electronically, since 1974
MIT Open Documentary Lab: Research Library
MIT Open Documentary Lab: Lectures/Videos

Popular Press or Trade Magazines

Trade publications or popular press articles can be valuable in providing an industry studies perspective: interview responses from a maker, information on the cultural circulation of a particular work, or statistics or data about contemporary distribution markets. Such sources should not be conflated with academic critical sources.

Documentary Magazine