Research Guides: HIST 301: The Historian's Craft (Schechter, Fall 2023): Finding Articles (Secondary Sources)

Where to Start?

History Subject Databases

William & Mary has many database for secondary sources & peer reviewed articles.
I *Strongly* suggest sticking to Historical Abstracts & America: History and Life. Both index all the major (and many minor) History journals, and their search interface is designed specifically for historical research.

America: History & Life with Full Text This link opens in a new window
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Provides full text coverage of the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Includes nearly 200 journals and 100 books, selective indexing for over 1,700 journals, and abstracts in English of foreign language articles.
Historical Abstracts with Full Text This link opens in a new window
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Covers all aspects of world history (excluding the US and Canada) since 1450. Includes journal articles, books, reviews, conference proceedings, dissertations, etc. published after 1954. About 250 History journals in this database are not findable in EBSCO's Academic Search database, making this the go-to database for finding world history articles.

Other Subject Databases of Interest (Depending on your Topic)

Bibliography of British and Irish History (formerly Royal Historical Society Bibliography) This link opens in a new window
History of Britain, Ireland, and the British abroad from 55BC to the present. Citations to journal articles and books. Coverage: 1901-present.
Bibliography of Asian Studies This link opens in a new window
East, Southeast, and South Asia. Citations to Western-language journal articles, books, chapters in edited volumes, conference proceedings, anthologies, etc. Coverage: 1971-present.
Bibliography of Native North Americans This link opens in a new window
All aspects of native North American culture, history, and life. Includes native peoples of Alaska, Canada, the US, and Mexico north of the northern boundary of Mesoamerica. Citations to books, essays, journal articles, and government documents of the US and Canada. Coverage: 16th century-present.
International Medieval Bibliography This link opens in a new window
Interdisciplinary coverage of the Middle Ages (300-1500). Citations to journal articles and some books published in Europe, North America, Australasia, Brazil, Japan, and South Africa. Coverage: 1967-present.
LGBTQ+ Source This link opens in a new window
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues. Journal and magazine articles, books, news sources, and regional newspapers. Coverage: Varies by title.
L'Annee Philologique This link opens in a new window
Language, literature, history, and culture of ancient Greece and Rome. Citations to journal articles, books, and conferences. Coverage: 1924-present.

Some General Databases

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
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Multidisciplinary database of journal articles (including peer reviewed), books, book chapters, reports, conference proceedings, etc. Coverage: 1887-present.
Humanities International Complete This link opens in a new window
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Literature & the literary arts, philosophy, the arts, history, culture, and creative thought. Journal articles, books, and other sources from around the world. Coverage: Varies by title.
Project Muse This link opens in a new window
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Arts, humanities, and social sciences. Journal articles. Coverage: Varies by title. Access is available to 2007+ alumni; requires W&M userid and password.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary full-text journal articles from 1,500 major journals. Please note: In many cases, JSTOR does not include the most recent 3 to 5 years of these journals. Please use other databases to retrieve recent articles, especially for current events topics. Coverage: Varies by title. Access is available to 2007+ alumni; requires W&M userid and password.

And Of Course, The Full List of Subject Databases

Full Subject Database List
NOTE: Start with history databases first.
Historians approach topics using unique methodology and emphasis; a sociologist or lit scholar will study the same topic differently than a Historian, and their methods may not be compatible with your own.