Apparel Merchandising and Fashion Design Research Tools
Here are the top eight recommended article databases for apparel merchandising research. For further options, look at the Specialized Databases page. Articles may be published by scholarly journals, magazines, or newspapers. In addition to news and criticism, you can find trend reports and designer interviews in these databases.
- Art & Architecture Source
Art research database covering fine, decorative and commercial art, as well as areas of architecture and architectural design.
- Design and Applied Arts Index
International index to design and craft journals; contains references to 500+ journals published since 1973 and data on over 50,000 designers, craftspeople, studios, workshops, etc.
- Material Connexion
A unique and comprehensive resource comprised of more than 10,000 materials innovations across 7,000+ global manufacturers. Users can register for individual accounts with their IU email in order to save their work, and view detailed product information.
- WGSN Fashion
Online trend library for the apparel, style, design and retail industries. Includes a 12-year archive with 5 million images and 600,000 pages of information.
- Women's Wear Daily Archive
A comprehensive archive of Women’s Wear Daily, from the first issue in 1910 to material from within the last twelve months, reproduced in high-resolution images.
- WWD
Access to the most current year of the fashion industry trade journal.
IUB Affiliates: To register for access to the Digital Daily, visit https://go.iu.edu/3j15 and create a personal account using your @indiana.edu or @iu.edu email address. Once activated, you will receive an emailed link to the Digital Daily each day. You can also use the account to access the Digital Daily directly on the WWD website and access the WWD mobile app.
Here are the top eight recommended article databases for architecture and interior design research. For further options, look at the Specialized Databases page. Articles may be published by scholarly journals, magazines, or newspapers. In addition to news and criticism, you can find trend reports and designer interviews in these databases.
- Art & Architecture Source
Art research database covering fine, decorative and commercial art, as well as areas of architecture and architectural design.
- ARTbibliographies Modern
Specialist bibliography of modern and contemporary art from 1974 to the present.
- Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals
Published by the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at Columbia University, this database indexes journal articles on architecture and design, covering subjects such as the history and practice of architecture, landscape architecture, city planning, historic preservation, and interior design.
- Design and Applied Arts Index
International index to design and craft journals; contains references to 500+ journals published since 1973 and data on over 50,000 designers, craftspeople, studios, workshops, etc.
- Fairchild Books Interior Design Library
Access to e-books and dedicated supplementary resources focusing on interior design curriculum.
- International Bibliography of Art (IBA)
Scholarly literature for European art from late antiquity to the present, American art from the colonial era to the present, and global art since 1945.
Where to Search for Books
| Method | What's there | Why use it |
| IUCAT | Books, journals, maps, etc. already at IU (both physical copies and e-resources) | Covers most topics, materials often immediately available |
| Worldcat | Books, journals, maps, etc. that may or may not be at IU | Covers all topics, can find material regardless whether IU happens to own it |
| Interlibrary Loan | Use this service to order materials that are unavailable at IU (either because IU doesn't own it or it is checked out) | Use alongside Worldcat or when you don't find a book, journal, etc. in IUCAT |
| Google Books | Books and journals that Google has scanned from many Library collections. Many items are available only in preview or snippet view. | Ideal for journals and books in the public domain (usually published before 1923). Preview can help locate particularly useful sections. |
| Hathitrust | Scanned books and journals, often the same materials as Google Books | Navigation is often more cumbersome than Google Books, but locating specific journal issues is often easier |
What Expert Researchers Know
| Type of Book | How to Use These Books |
| Exhibition Catalogues |
These titles document museum and gallery shows; are often the best source for high-quality images; and usually include artist biographies, curatorial essays, artist interviews and/or writings, and career chronologies. Use the term "Exhibitions" as part of your keyword or subject search in IUCAT. To find contemporary artists featured in group exhibitions, search the Contemporary Artists Index, from the Cleveland Institute of Art. |
| Monographs | These are books by or about artists published independent of any exhibition. Usually, these are in-depth writings that analyze or provide context for an artist and his/her work. Look for words like "Criticism and Interpretation" in the subject heading of a book. Search in IUCAT using "criticism" or "analysis" as keywords. |
Scholarly journals, including those that publish peer-reviewed articles, are a major source of scholarly communication about art and art history.
Use the checkbox in these databases to limit your search results to only scholarly articles or peer-reviewed articles.
- Art & Architecture Source
Art research database covering fine, decorative and commercial art, as well as areas of architecture and architectural design.
- JSTOR
Provides searchable full-text of historical runs of important scholarly journals in the humanities, arts, sciences, ecology, and business.
- Design and Applied Arts Index
International index to design and craft journals; contains references to 500+ journals published since 1973 and data on over 50,000 designers, craftspeople, studios, workshops, etc.