Guides: EN 1257: Introduction to African American Literature and Culture: Databases and Journals

Recommended Databases for Literature and History Research

To find scholarly journal articles about literature, try searching in these databases:

America: History & Life This link opens in a new window
America: History and Life is the definitive index of literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present. Indexes 1,700 journals from as far back as 1910.
Coverage: 1954-
Full Text: No
Titles Indexed
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Google search for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports on all topic areas. Use to find articles from academic publishers, professional societies, prepublication repositories and universities.
Coverage: Varies
Full Text: Yes
Humanities International Complete This link opens in a new window
Indexing and full text of hundreds of journals, books and other published sources from around the world on various humanities topics.
Coverage: 1920s-
Full Text: Yes
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Online archive of eBooks and complete backruns of scholarly journals in a variety of academic fields.
Coverage: 1800s-
Full Text: Yes
Titles Included | Search Tips
MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
Indexes books, essay collections and bibliographies on literature, languages, linguistics and folklore.
Coverage: 1926-
Full Text: No
Titles Included
Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Full text access to scholarly humanities, social sciences, and mathematics journals.
Coverage: Varies
Full Text: Yes
Titles Included

Only Finding a Citation? Get the Full Text

If you find an abstract for an article but no full text, look for the FullTextFinder () link to get options for obtaining the full text of the article.

If the WPI Library does not have access to an article or book chapter that you need for your research, request it from another library via Interlibrary Loan (ILL). ILL is a service that allows current WPI students, faculty, and staff to request items from other libraries free of charge.

Examples of Peer-Reviewed Journals for Literature

African American Review
African American Review is a scholarly aggregation of insightful essays on African American literature, theatre, film, the visual arts, and culture.
MELUS: Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States
MELUS is a prestigious and rigorous journal in the field of multi-ethnic literature of the United States. MELUS illuminates the national, international, and transnational contexts of US ethnic literature.
American Literary History
Covering the study of US literature from its origins through the present, American Literary History provides a forum for the various, often competing voices of contemporary literary inquiry.

You can find additional journals in Browzine.

Filter & Follow Up

Scan your search results: Look at the titles, abstracts, and subject headings/descriptors to find additional keywords to search for. Continue to refine your search terms as you find more sources.
Scrutinize article titles, number of pages, and journal title: Is the article relevant to your research topic? Is it substantial in length and analysis?
Peruse abstracts, introductions, and conclusions to get a sense of the article's argument before doing a more thorough reading.
Find a helpful article? Look at the bibliography to find addition sources.
Find an interesting author? Search for more articles by that author.