Key databases for History research
Find scholarly journals and other periodicals in these databases. You can combine (cross-search) any of the EBSCO databases -- for example, America: History and Life together with Academic Search Complete/Premier. Use other subject databases that are a suitable match for your topic.
Historical Abstracts is the definitive index of literature covering world history (excluding the United States and Canada) from the 15th century to the present. This authoritative database provides indexing of more than 1,700 academic historical journals in over 40 languages back to 1955. History and social science researchers have used Historical Abstracts to discover significant and groundbreaking work for more than 50 years.
EBSCO also offers their own mobile app experience, click here to learn more.
Provides access to current and retrospective bibliographic information and cited references found in nearly 1,130 of the world's leading arts & humanities journals, plus individually selected, relevant items from approximately 7,000 of the world's leading science and social sciences journals.
The OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center (EJC) is a full text searchable database of electronic journal articles from more than 11,000 academic journals from top scholarly publishers, academic societies and university presses. The EJC covers a wide range of disciplines and contains just published scientific research as well as historical journal articles. New articles are added daily.
The collection is arranged in three series: 1741-1800, the period of transition from British colony to emerging nation; 1800-1850, pre-Civil War and the era of debate over slavery; and 1850-1900, Civil War and Reconstruction. Magazines of these periods cover the literature, science, religion, arts, and history of the time.
Complete this online form with your name, preferred phone number, and purpose (i.e. for a class, personal research) to request a book or article from another library.
This handout illustrates the fine points of searching in the EBSCO databases, including America: History & Life, Academic Search Complete, Historical Abstracts, and many others in the EBSCO suite.
NOTE: Watson librarians advise NOT checking the Full Text limiter in the EBSCO databases if you are working on a major research project. Often there is fulltext from another OhioLINK source that isn't picked up by the full text limit. Ask Us if you have questions about finding full text!
Here are more search tools for history research. Your topic will determine your database choices. If you aren't sure which are the best databases for your project, Ask Us!
This thoroughly revised five-volume reference work, available both in print and electronic editions, reflects thirty years of new data and scholarship. Topics ranging from migration and health to crime and the Confederate States of America are each placed in historical context by a recognized expert in the field. The fully searchable and downloadable electronic edition will permit users to graph individual tables and create customized tables and spreadsheets reflecting their own particular areas of interest.
HSUS Provides:
Over the last 80 years, ProQuest has built the world’s most comprehensive and renowned dissertations program. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (PQDT Global), continues to grow its repository of 5 million graduate works each year, thanks to the continued contribution from the world’s universities, creating an ever-growing resource of emerging research to fuel innovation and new insights.