LibGuides: HIS/WOS 329 (Kirschenbaum): Home

Assignment tips

Databases vs. Library Search tool

I don't recommend using the Library Search tool for the Mini Research Assignment. An important part of that assignment is to be able to identify and discuss the disciplinary perspective(s) of the article or chapter you are using. Starting with a disciplinary-specific database will make that easier. If you are interested in a discipline outside the ones listed, send me an email and I can suggest the best database.

Date range

While you can use older sources, the Mini Research Project encourages you to find an article/chapter from the last few years. Look at the left hand column of any of the databases below after your first search for an option to set that.
The two history databases also let you limit by the historical period covered in the article. You need to do this on the advanced search page (before you hit search). Scroll down to the very bottom of the page to find it.

Discipline

While the database can give you a clue to what disciplinary perspective an article will take, it isn't foolproof. Also look for the following.

Does the article provide author affiliation info (usually on the first page next to the authors name or at the bottom)? If so, does it say what department they belong to?
Sometimes (but not always) the author may indicate disciplinary perspective in the abstract or introduction.
If you still aren't certain, try looking up the author. I always like to find the official listing on their college/university website, if possible. At a minimum, you can usually find their departmental affiliation. There might also be a list of scholarly interests and/or links to their CV or webpage. Here is how I set up a google search, using Professor Kirschenbaum as my example:
- Lisa Kirschenbaum West Chester University site:.edu

Databases by discipline

History Databases

We have one focused on the US and one focused on world history. For WW I, you may need to search both.

America: History and Life with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Source of information focusing on the history and life of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present.
Historical Abstracts with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Articles on the history of the world from 1450 to the present. History of the United States and Canada are covered in America: History and Life

International Relations/Political Science/Peace and Conflict Studies

Political Science Complete This link opens in a new window
In addition to covering political science and international relations, many journals related to peace and conflict studies are indexed and have full text in this database.
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Abstracts and indexing of the international literature of political science and international relations, along with complementary fields, including international law and public administration/policy.

Women's and Gender Studies

Gender Studies Database This link opens in a new window
Covers the full spectrum of gender-engaged scholarship inside and outside academia from 1972 to present. Essential subjects covered include gender inequality, masculinity, post-feminism, gender identity and more.

Sociology

My past experiences indicates a fair number of sociology journals and scholars with interests that overlap with women's and gender studies. Several of the peace and conflict studies journals I checked also appeared in this database.

SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive and high quality sociology research database encompassing the broad spectrum of sociological study.

Database search tips (videos)

Using Limiters in Historical Abstracts and America: History and Life

Using the Advanced Search with Boolean Searching

Book chapters

A book chapter is another option for your Mini Research Project reading. You may run across some books or book chapters while searching in the databases listed above, but it may be faster to search the library catalog directly. The video below shows you how to do it.

Links that work

If you need to link to an article or book, never use the link from the browser window! Always look for a way to get a permalink/persistent URL.

Here is how to get one from one of the EBSCO databases above:

You can also get links to the start of a chapter in an ebook. In our two main interfaces, the links are at the top of the page. Make sure you are on the first page of the chapter when you request the link.

HIS/WOS 329 (Kirschenbaum)