Databases
General/Interdisciplinary | Humanities perspective | Social sciences perspective
Gender perspective | Other Resources
Articles from journals the Penn State Libraries do not own can be obtained via ILLiad, the Libraries' Interlibrary Loan system.
General/Interdisciplinary
AfricaBib.org
AfricaBib is a combination of databases providing access to periodicals and other material on Africa. The two major databases include
- Bibliography of Africana Periodical Literature Database, a bibliography of over 36,000 citations from 300 periodicals covering the entire range of topics relating to Africa
- African Women's Bibliographic Database which, in addition to including citations pertaining to women in Africa, includes conference papers, as well as references to theses and dissertations
ASA (African Studies Abstracts) Online
Produced by the African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands, each quarterly issue contains about 450 abstracts of collective volumes, journal articles, and chapters from edited works, arranged geographically. Some 240 journals are regularly scanned. Almost half of these are published in Africa. Emphasis is on material in African studies (south of the Sahara) and third world development emphasizing social sciences and the humanities. About half of the entries are in English.
African journals online
This comprehensive database offers tables of contents and abstracts for 230 journals published in Africa in a variety of fields. Even though the Libraries only subscribe to a select number of these journals, this is a valuable resource that should not be overlooked.
JSTOR
This is an important source for the full text of back runs of (no current issues) 15 major journals in African Studies, including African Affairs and Journal of African History. In addition, JSTOR provides access to over 300 full-text journals in a wide variety of disciplines, including Anthropology, Economics, Feminist & Women's Studies, Geography, History, Language & Literature, Political Science, Population Studies, and Sociology.
Project MUSE
Provides access to scholarly journals published by major university presses, with access to the full text of 9 titles in African Studies, with additional coverage of journals in the humanities and social sciences.
ProQuest Research Library
Covers publications from academic journals and popular magazines in the humanities, social sciences, general sciences, and business. Contains many full-text articles.
Humanities perspective
Historical Abstracts
Covers the history of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding the United States and Canada, which are covered in America : History and Life). Historical Abstracts includes information on articles indexed since 1970, and on books and dissertations from 1979.
MLA International Bibliography
A worldwide index of references to journal articles, dissertations, books, and parts of books pertaining to modern literatures, folklore, film, drama, languages, and linguistics. It excludes book, drama, and film reviews. Includes indexing from 1963 to the present, and incorporates the MLA Directory of Periodicals.
Social Sciences perspective
AnthropologyPlus
The main research tool available for the fields of anthropology and archaeology. AnthropologyPlus combines Anthopological Literature from Harvard University and Anthropological Index from the Royal Anthropological Institute (United Kingdom) into a single database. Covers journal articles, reports, edited works, and obituaries in anthropology and related fields. Coverage goes from late 19th century to the present.
CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online)
An important site for theory and research in international affairs. CIAO publishes a wide range of scholarship from 1991 onward that includes working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from non-governmental organizations, foundation-funded research projects, proceedings from conferences, books, journals, and policy briefs.
Population index
Indexes books, journals, working papers, and other materials on population topics. It presents an annotated bibliography of recently published books, journal articles, working papers, and other materials on population topics. This website provides a searchable and browsable database containing over 45,000 abstracts of demographic literature published between 1986-2000.
SourceOECD
Full-text book and serial publications from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Includes Country Statistical Profiles and economic data.
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
Provides references and abstracts from public affairs magazines, major newspapers, professional journals, and books devoted to politics and political analysis.
Gender perspectives
Contemporary Women's Issues
Global information on women from journals, newsletters, research reports from non-profit groups, and publications of government and international agencies. Coverage is from 1992-present from approximately 150 sources.
Women's Studies International
Women's Studies International is one of the most comprehensive women's studies resources available. Citations and abstracts are drawn from a variety of essential women's studies databases which range in coverage from classic works & core studies to the latest scholarship in feminist research.
Other Resources
AfricaBib.org
"The site consists of two bibliographic databases covering Africana periodical literature (Bibliography of Africana Periodical Literature Database) and African Women's literature (African Women's Database). You will also find a comprehensive bibliography on women travelers and explorers to Africa (Women Travelers, Explorers and Missionaries to Africa: 1763-2004: A Comprehensive English Language Bibliography)."
African Journals Online (AJOL)
"AJOL is a database of journals published in Africa, covering the full range of academic disciplines. The objective of AJOL is to give greater visibility to the participating journals, and to the research they convey."
Aluka
"Aluka is an international, collaborative initiative building an online digital library of scholarly resources from and about Africa. Our name, ‘Aluka’, is derived from a Zulu word meaning ‘to weave’, reflecting Aluka’s mission to connect resources and scholars from around the world."
(e-reference)