Scholarly sources are written by experts as a way to communicate their research findings and ideas to other scholars and researchers in the field. Typically published in books and journals, scholarly sources (also called academic, peer-reviewed, or refereed sources) contain new and original research, while also building on the research of others. These sources typically undergo a rigorous publication process that includes a peer-review system in which other content experts provide feedback on an article's content and methodology before the article is accepted for publication.
Using scholarly articles can help you:
Build context around your topic and find evidence to support your arguments or ideas
Interpret and analyze primary sources or historical events effectively
Understand the scholarly conversation that already exists on a topic
Identify other sources or authors that might be relevant to your research
Develop your skills at assessing research material in the field
It is important to recognize that there is a long history of systemic biases within the scholarly publishing process. Students and scholars should strive to bring diverse voices, viewpoints, and thought into their research, which may require looking beyond "traditional" academic resources – be creative! Less "traditional" source-types can work in conjunction with "traditional" academic literature to add a much deeper level of understanding for your topic and ideas. For suggestions on where to find diverse voices for your topic, reach out to your librarian.
For an example of the peer-review process, check out the Journal of American History (March 1997) – it includes Referees' Reports for Joel Williamson's article, "Wounds Not Scars: Lynching, the National Conscience, and the American Historian."
This important reference source focuses "on the lives and events which have shaped African American and African history and culture." In addition to including entries from African American National Biography and the Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895, the database contains over 2,500 images and more than 700 primary sources with commentaries written by experts in the field.
This database includes scholarly essays, current periodicals, historical news coverage, and more. With access to the The Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience, Index to Black Periodicals Full Text, and Black Literature Index this is a great database for Black studies research.
Researching a U.S.- or Canadian-based topic? Be sure to search in America: History and Life. This is an abstract database, so if you don't see the full-text for an article, click the red "FindText@UR" button to see if UR provides full-text access through another database (we often do!).
Historical Abstracts is a key database for non-U.S. and non-Canadian historical research. This is an abstract database, so if you don't see the full-text for an article, click the red "FindText@UR" button to see if UR provides full-text access through another database (we often do!).
This database from the Modern Languages Association (MLA) focuses on literature, language and linguistics, folklore, film, literary theory and criticism, dramatic arts, and more. If you don't see the full-text for an article, click the red "FindText@UR" button to see if UR provides full-text access through another database (we often do!).
JSTOR is a great starting place for most topics. Particularly strong in the humanities and social sciences, JSTOR provides access to a wide range of journals from history, area studies, anthropology, literature, film and media studies, and more. Watch this short tutorial for tips on getting the most out of your JSTOR search.
Video: Search Tips When Using JSTOR
This tutorial includes a series of three videos. While I recommend watching the full tutorial (total runtime: 5 minutes, 31 seconds), you can also select a specific segment from this list:
Setting your search options in JSTOR (runtime: 1 minute, 53 seconds)
Managing your results list in JSTOR (runtime: 2 minutes, 40 seconds)
Using JSTOR's topic terms (runtime: 58 seconds)
Subject areas include African-American studies, anthropology, Asian studies, business, ecology, economics, education, finance, history, literature, mathematics, philosophy, political science, population studies, sociology, statistics. The University of Rochester Libraries currently subscribes to the following multidisciplinary JSTOR Collections: Arts and Sciences I through XV. JSTOR also packages their content in disciplinary collections; however, the only ones of these that we have licensed are the Biological Sciences segment and the first of the Business collections. For alumni access, see also Alumni Library Gateway.
Project Muse is a great resource for finding articles on your topic. Like JSTOR, it provides access to scholarly journal articles from a range of humanities and social science disciplines.
This database is a great multidisciplinary database with full-text articles from humanities-based disciplines such as art, film, music, literature, and religion. It also includes research from history, which some consider a humanistic social science.
This database is a great multidisciplinary database with full-text articles from social science-based disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, economics, political science, and gender studies. It also includes research from history, which some consider a humanistic social science.
Abstracts included from 1994-current; full text for many articles from 1994-current.
This database includes access to both the Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI) (1975-present) and the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) (1900-present) an searches a total of 1.9 billion+ records. This is an abstract database, so if you don't see the full-text for an article, click the red "FindText@UR" button to see if UR provides full-text access through another database (we often do!).
Containing over one million citations from important humanities and social sciences journals published from 1907 to 1984, this database is a value tool for discovering scholarly content on your topic. This is an abstract database, so if you don't see the full-text for an article, click the red "FindText@UR" button to see if UR provides full-text access through another database (we often do!).
Journals indexed cover these disciplines: addiction studies, anthropology, archaeology, area studies, art, classical studies, communications, community health & medical care, corrections, criminal justice, criminology, dance, economics, environmental studies, ethics, family studies, film, folklore, gender studies, geography, gerontology, history, international relations, journalism, law, linguistics, literary & social criticism literature, minority studies, music, performing arts, philosophy, planning & public administration, policy sciences, political science, psychiatry, psychology, public welfare, religion and theology, social work, sociology, urban studies
African and African-American Studies Databases
