Historical Abstracts and America: History and Life
The two main article indexes for history are:
- Historical AbstractsJournal articles, book reviews, and dissertations on all aspects of world history, excluding North America, from 1450. Includes links to the full text of some articles. Complements America: History and Life. Indexes publications from 1954-present.
- America: History and LifeThe main article database for researching American history. Use to find journal articles, book reviews, and dissertations on all periods of North American history. Includes some links to full text. Complements Historical Abstracts. Indexes publications from 1964-present.
Other Article Indexes
- Academic Search UltimateA multi-disciplinary source for journal articles. One strategy: perform a broad keyword search, then use limiters such as "peer-reviewed" to focus in on more relevant results. Good for book reviews. Comparable to Google Scholar but with additional features.
- Alternative Press Index and Alternative Press Index ArchiveIdentifies articles from alternative newspapers, magazines and journals. Indexes publications from 1969-present. Alternative Press Index file actually only covers 1991-present. To add 1969-1990, you must click "Choose Databases" above search box, and select Alternative Press Index Archive as well.
- Education Full TextIdentifies articles from education-related periodicals. Full text goes back to 1996. Prior to that, the file comprises citations only. Indexes publications from 1983-present.
- Education Index RetrospectiveIdentifies articles in education-related periodicals and yearbooks. Indexes publications from 1929-1983.
- ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center)Identifies articles in education-related periodicals, as well as books, dissertations, reference sources, course plans, and other resources. Indexes publications from 1966-present.
- International Index to Black Periodicals (1900-present) and Marshall Index (1940-1946)Identifies articles on all aspects of Black studies, in journals from North America, Africa, and the Caribbean. Part of the Black Studies Center. Includes the Marshall Index, which covers 1940-1946. Indexes publications from 1902-present. In the current version of Black Studies Center, the International Index to Black periodicals and the Marshall Index have been combined into a single browsable file called "Black Literature Index," and are no longer separately searchable.
- International Political Science AbstractsSubscription canceled. Identifies articles from political science periodicals published around the world. Indexes publications from 1989-present. For retrospective coverage, 1951-1988, consult the print volumes.
- PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service) IndexIdentifies articles, books, websites, statistics, yearbooks, directories, conference proceedings, pamphlets, reports, government documents, and microfiches on political, social, public policy issues. Indexes publications from 1915-present.
- Periodicals Index OnlineIdentifies articles from over 5,500 humanites and social sciences periodicals. Searches are by title keyword only--no subject headings. Complements Periodicals Archive Online. Indexes publications from 1665-present.
- Readers' Guide RetrospectiveThe backfile for Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, one of the oldest and most common article indexes. Identifies articles from general interest periodicals, including popular magazines such as "Life", "Look", "Colliers", "Ladies’ Home Journal", "Catholic World", "Good Housekeeping", "Saturday Evening Post", and "Country Life". Emphasis on American periodicals. Indexes publications from 1890-1982.
- Women's Studies InternationalIdentifies articles from women's studies journals as well as books, reports, websites, and conference papers. Indexes publications from 1972-present.
- Worldwide Political Science AbstractsIdentifies articles from political science periodicals published around the world. Indexes publications from 1975-present.
Also of possible interest:
- ATLA Religion Database and Catholic Periodical and Literature IndexATLA Religion Database Identifies journal articles and books on all aspects of Religious Studies. Indexing for some journal titles extends back into the 19th century. Indexes publications from 1949-present. Catholic Periodical and Literature Index identifies journal articles, book chapters, church publications, papal documents, and electronic resources about the Roman Catholic Church and its history. Indexes publications from 1981-present. For retrospective coverage: Print edition extends coverage back to 1968, with Catholic Periodical Index covering 1930-1966.
- Film and Television Literature IndexIdentifies journal articles, book reviews, and articles from trade publications, with some coverage of books, book chapters, and reference works. Indexes publications from 1914-present.
- Performing Arts Periodicals DatabaseIdentifies articles in nearly all aspects of the performing arts, from scholarly studies to snapshots of popular culture. Formerly called: International Index to the Performing Arts. Indexes publications from 1998-present.
- Sociological Abstracts
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Identifies journal articles on all aspects of sociology, comparable in scope to SocINDEX, but includes more books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers. Indexes publications from 1952-present. - SPORTDiscusIdentifies articles, books, and dissertations in the fields of sport, fitness and related disciplines. Indexes publications 1800-present.
Find more research tools by specific subjects on the UIUC Library's Databases A-Z list.
Full Text Journal Collections
Below is a list of major, full-text periodical collections. Note that these sources are not comprehensive: many journals are available online, but not included in these collections, or are only available in print. If you can't find articles on your topic, try using America: History and Life --you'll be searching a much bigger "pool" of journal articles, and you can get to the full text using the "Discover full text" link.
- JSTORThe full text of over 2,800 scholarly journals, with coverage back to the first issue for each, in some cases as far back as the 17th century. Recent issues of most journals in this database are embargoed by journal publishers, so to be certain you are also identifying the most recent publications, use an article index like Historical Abstracts or America: History, and Life.
- Periodicals Archive Online
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1665-present. Over 700 European and American periodicals in the humanities and social sciences. - Project MUSEOver 600 scholarly journals, with emphasis on recent ten years of issues. Originally intended as a complement to JSTOR.
Other Full Text Periodical Collections
- African American Periodicals, 1825-1995About 170 periodicals published by, for, or about African Americans. Part of the Archive of Americana.
- Art and Architecture Archive
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1896-2015. Art and architecture periodicals, including trade and consumer magazines. - Chris Gonzalez GLBT Archive CollectionPeriodicals, ca. 1966-1990, from the Indianapolis LGBT community. Source institution: Indiana University Library.
- Church Missionary Society Periodicals26 periodicals published between 1804 and 2009 by Britain's Church Missionary Society, the Church Missionary Society Mid-Africa Ministry, and the South American Missionary Society. No subject index for individual articles.
- The Economist Historical Archive, 1843-2014Influential global news weekly, based in London. Part of Gale Primary Sources: Newspaper and Periodical Databases (formerly Gale NewsVault).
- Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive
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1880- . Major consumer and trade magazines, from their first issues through recent years. Includes: Variety; Picturegoer; Box Office; Back Stage; Stage; Billboard; Vox; Spin; Rolling Stone; Hollywood Reporter; and more. Emphasis is on Anglo-American publications. - Ethnic News Watch
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1959-present. Newspaper, magazine, and journal articles from ethnic, minority and native presses. - The Forbes Historical Archive, 1917-2000Influential business magazine for executives, managers, investors, and others engaged in business or commerce.
- Gender WatchNewspapers and periodicals with an emphasis on women and gender issues. Indexes publications from 1970-present.
- The Harper's Bazaar Historical Archive
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1867-present. Full color, searchable facsimiles of every issue. Supports browsing by product name. - The Nation Historical Archive1865-present. Facsimile edition of the influential, American liberal news weekly.
- The Punch Historical Archive, 1841-1992Famous, infamous, influential, and popular British humor magazine. Part of Gale Primary Sources: Newspaper and Periodical Databases (formerly Gale NewsVault).
- The Vogue Historical Archive
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1892-present. Full color, searchable facsimiles of every issue, with garment type, designer and brand name indexes. - Women's Magazine ArchiveExtensive runs of 18 major women's magazines, including Better Homes and Gardens (1886-2005); Cosmopolitan (1928-2005); Essence (1970-2005); Good Housekeeping (1885-2005); Ladies' Home Journal (1885-2005); Parents (1926-2005); Redbook (1903-2005); Seventeen (1944-2005); Town and Country (1846-2005); Woman's Day (1937-2005); Chatelaine (1928-2005); and WIN News (1975-2003). Coverage primarily twentieth century.
Alternative Press
For our extensive collection of alternative press periodicals on microfilm, see the section on Newspapers & Periodicals on Microfilm in the Newspapers section of this guide.
- Ethnic News Watch
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1959-present. Newspaper, magazine, and journal articles from ethnic, minority and native presses. - Independent Voices1951-2015. Over 1,000 alternative press newspapers and periodicals. Currently includes nine subcollections: African American; student protest; feminist; military; LGBTQ; Latino/Latina; literary; American Indian; and radical Right. Click here to view a complete title list for Independent Voices.