Anon. (1938a). "Van Vactor Wins $1,000 Music Prize; American Composer Receives Philharmonic Society Award for His Symphony in D". New York Times (September 13): 27.
Anon. (1938b). "Evanstonians". Time (September 26).
Bayne, Pauline Shaw (ed.) (1993). The David Van Vactor Collection: A Catalog. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville Libraries.
Bayne, Pauline (2001). "Van Vactor, David". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. New York: Grove's Dictionaries.
Downes, Olin (1939). "Van Vactor Work Has Its Premiere: Prize-Winning Symphony Is Played by Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall; Nathan Milstein Heard: The Violinist's Performance of Mendelssohn Concerto Wins Approval of Audience". New York Times (January 20).
Ramsey, Russell Giffin (1971). "David Van Vactor: Composer, Musician and Educator." M.S. thesis. Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee.
Van Vactor, David, and Katherine D. Moore (1960). Every Child May Hear. Knoxville, Tennessee: The University of Tennessee Press.