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Animation: Academic Sources

A guide for Animation students. Includes finding, evaluating & referencing academic sources, films, images & where to find guides and tutorials for learning animation skills.

What are academic sources?

 

Academic sources include: 

  • Academic books - provides broad overviews of a topic
  • Journal articles - contain information about specific aspects within a topic area

Academic books & journal articles on animation include research about: 

  • animations & animated films, 
  • culture explorations,
  • animation techniques & tools

Databases

 

Academic databases are large collections of academic books, book chapters, journal articles and more.

Design & Art Databases

These databases are good for information on the design aspects of animation, and can also include information on technical animation elements.

Computer & Technical Databases

These databases can be good for finding information on the technical aspects of animation. 

Animation journals

 

Journals are published like magazines, with many volumes, and different issues within each volume. The Library subscribes to many animation journals. 

Search all journals via the Library Catalogue

Watch the video to learn how. 

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Tip:

Articles from Peer-reviewed journals are considered to be more reliable than non-peer-reviewed articles, because these articles have been double-checked by experts. 

Search individual journals

Searching individual journals is useful if you are interested in a very specific aspect of animation. 

Animation & film journals also have many images which you won't be able to find searching the library catalogue.

 

Suggested journals:

  • Animation Studies
  • Animation
  • Character design quarterly
  • Animation magazine
  • Draw!
  • Animation: an interdisciplinary journal
  • Animation: practice process and production
  • Computer graphics world
  • Computer arts
  • Post magazine
  • Film quarterly
  • Cinema technology