Library Guides: Anthropology: Find Articles

About this Page

This page lists a few databases that may be useful as you look for scholarly articles. The sub-pages will perform more effective searches. Just mouse-over the "Find Articles" tab to see a link to the sub-page.

Reference Books

Reference books may be helpful when you need an overview of topic, but you should NOT cite these sources in your paper. These materials can help you gain a general understanding of an issue and provide citations to useful sources. Use these citations to access the original source. It is the original source that you should cite in your paper.

Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, The
is a leading sociological reference source featuring 1800+ entries written from an international perspective. The encyclopedia includes introductions to sociological theories and research, definitions, explanations of key concepts, and major topics covering both classical and contemporary developments in sociology.

The Encyclopedia of World Cultures by David Levinson (Editor); Timothy J. O'Leary (Editor)
Call Number: REF GN307 .E53 1991
ISBN: 0816118086
Publication Date: 1991-03-01

This is an excellent place to look for background information on cultural and ethnic groups. Includes a VERY USEFUL Ethnonym Index. The entries often include bibliographies.

The Ethnonym index helps you identify alternate names of ethnic groups. For example, when I looked up Ashante, I discovered that the Ashante are also referred to as the Akan, Asante, Akuapem, Akwamu, and Akyem.

Journal Databases

While these databases include some full-text articles, not all citations will include full-text. In these cases, use the Primo journal search . If you have trouble, don't hesitate to ask for help.

SocINDEX
SocIndex is a general social science database and includes journals covering Anthropology and Sociology. It is often a good database to begin research.
Anthropological Literature
Comprehensive international resource for the fields of anthropology, archaeology and related interdisciplinary research.
JSTOR
JSTOR is a full-text online collection of core scholarly journals.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar can be a helpful supplement to the library's suite of databases. In particular, Google Scholar is a nice tool for performing forward citation searches. When using Google Scholar be sure to evaluate your sources carefully. Use the library's catalog or Journal Locator to determine whether the library owns the item.
AnthroSource
The database includes full-text articles from 32 journals, including current issues of 15-peer-reviewd AAA journals. The content is great, but it isn't easy to search. Try this database if you have a specific topic, such as a specific ethnic group, that you're looking for.
Popline
provides "access to the world’s population, family planning and related public health literature to diverse clients in developing countries and in development-supportive agencies and organizations."
Women's Studies International
Women's Studies International is a useful database when researching gender related aspects of an issue. It may be useful when looking for articles on topics such as women's education in Iran, sex trafficking, male household authority, etc.
Communication Source
offers abstracts, indexing and full-text content from publications worldwide pertaining to communication, linguistics, rhetoric and discourse, speech-language pathology, media studies and related fields.
Historical Abstracts with Full Text
Historical Abstracts with Full Text covers the history of the world (excluding the United States and Canada) from 1450 to the present. This database provides access to the full text of selected journals and books as well as citations to books, dissertations, theses, and selected historical articles.