Guides: HI 2921: Topics in Modern European History: Epidemics: Journal Articles

Peer Reviewed or Refeered

What are "peer-reviewed" journals?

A peer-reviewed journal is a respected publication. Before articles are published within these types of journals, they are sent by the editors of the journal to other scholars in the field ("peers"), often anonymously, to get feedback on the quality of the scholarship, review research methods, as well as relevance or importance to the field. The article may be accepted, often with revisions suggested, or rejected for publication. Many peer-reviewed journals have low acceptance rates.

Peer-reviewed articles are typically substantial in length (often 10 pages or more) and typically have many citations.

To find peer reviewed articles in WPI Library Search, enter your keywords and then choose the Peer-Reviewed Journals filter on the left.

Examples of Peer-Reviewed Journals for European History

Use BrowZine to find journals available at WPI. Browse by subject to find relevant journals.

Examples of Journals for Ancient History:

Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae
Acta Antiqua publishes original research papers, review articles and book reviews in the field of ancient studies. It covers the field of history, literature, philology and material culture of the Ancient East, the Classical Antiquity and, to a lesser part, of Byzantium and the Latin culture of Mediaeval, Renaissance and Early Modern Europe, as well as the ’Nachleben’ of Classical Antiquity.
Journal of Late Antiquity
Journal of Late Antiquity is the award-winning first international English-language journal dedicated to the study of Late Antiquity writ large. The Journal provides a venue for multi-disciplinary coverage of all the methodological, geographical, and chronological facets of Late Antiquity. All of Late Antiquity will be represented -- from the late and post-classical world up to the Carolingian period, and including the late Roman, western European, Byzantine, Sassanid, and Islamic worlds, ca. 250-800 CE.
More Journals on Ancient History

Examples of Journals for Medieval and Renaissance History:

Journal of Medieval History
The Journal of Medieval History publishes research articles, as well as historiographical essays, ‘state of research’ studies, editions of short texts and review articles on all aspects of historical enquiry between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance.
The geographical scope of the Journal is Europe, broadly defined, from Iberia to the Urals, and from the Mediterranean littoral to Scandinavia and the North Atlantic.
Speculum A Journal of Medieval Studies
Speculum, an English-language quarterly founded in 1926, was the first journal in North America devoted to the Middle Ages. It is open to contributions in all fields and methodologies studying the Middle Ages, a period that ranges from approximately 500 to 1500.
Renaissance Studies
Renaissance Studies is a multi-disciplinary journal which publishes articles and editions of documents on all aspects of Renaissance history and culture. The articles range over the history, art, architecture, religion, literature, and languages of Europe during the period.
More Journals on Medieval and Renaissance History

Examples of Journals on Modern and Contemporary European History:

Journal of Modern European History
Edited by historians from different countries, the Journal of Modern European History is a response to advancing internationalisation, which is taking place in thinking and writing about history as much as anywhere else, and sees itself as a forum for historians all over the world who share a common interest in the history of Europe.
Contemporary European History
Contemporary European History covers the history of Eastern and Western Europe, including the United Kingdom, from 1914 to the present.
More Journals on Modern History

Additional Journals for European History:

European History Quarterly
European History Quarterly (EHQ) is a quarterly peer reviewed journal which publishes articles by eminent historians on a range of subjects from the later Middle Ages to post-1945.
French Historical Studies
French Historical Studies publishes articles and commentaries on all periods of French history from the Middle Ages to the present.
German History
German History covers all periods of German history and all German-speaking areas. Issues contain refereed articles and book reviews on various aspects of the history of the German-speaking world, as well as discussion fora, reflections and review essays.
More journals on European History

Suggested Databases for History

Use these databases to find journal articles, books, and book chapters on history topics.

Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Historical abstracts of global history research journals, covering 1450 to the present.
Coverage: 1886-
Full Text: No
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
Oxford Academic | Journals This link opens in a new window
Search 500+ titles covering a variety of topic areas. Full text access to subscribed and open access titles only.
Coverage: 1996-
Full Text: Yes
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
Taylor & Francis Social Science and Humanities Library This link opens in a new window
Over 1100 titles, many published on behalf of prestigious societies, organizations and associations such as: Association of American Geographers, American Planning Association, British Educational Research Association, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Search and explore the millions of quality, peer-reviewed journal articles published under the Taylor & Francis, Routledge and Dove Medical Press imprints.
Coverage: 1997-Present
Full Text: Yes
Wiley Online Library This link opens in a new window
Search journals published by Wiley-Blackwell. WPI subscribes to many titles in various topic areas such as chemistry, medical & life sciences, materials science and engineering.
Coverage: 1996-
Full Text: Yes

To find more history databases and electronic resources, check out the History Databases.

Examples of Journal Articles

Confronting Pandemic in Late Antiquity: The Medical Response to the Justinianic Plague
Mulhall, John. “Confronting Pandemic in Late Antiquity: The Medical Response to the Justinianic Plague.” Journal of Late Antiquity 14, no. 2 (2021): 498–528. https://doi.org/10.1353/jla.2021.0022.
Indirect Evidence for the Social Impact of the Justinianic Pandemic: Episcopal Burial and Conciliar Legislation in Visigothic Hispania
Gruber, Henry. “Indirect Evidence for the Social Impact of the Justinianic Pandemic: Episcopal Burial and Conciliar Legislation in Visigothic Hispania.” Journal of Late Antiquity 11, no. 1 (2018): 193–215. https://doi.org/10.1353/jla.2018.0001.
Boccaccio and the Doctors: Medicine and Compassion in the Face of Plague
Wray, Shona Kelly. “Boccaccio and the Doctors: Medicine and Compassion in the Face of Plague.” Journal of Medieval History 30, no. 3 (September 2004): 301–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmedhist.2004.06.005.
The Mystery of Plague in Medieval Iceland
Callow, Chris, and Charles Evans. “The Mystery of Plague in Medieval Iceland.” Journal of Medieval History 42, no. 2 (March 14, 2016): 254–84. https://doi.org/10.1080/03044181.2016.1149503.
Florence on Foot: An Eye-Level Mapping of the Early Modern City in Time of Plague
Eckstein, Nicholas A. “Florence on Foot: An Eye-Level Mapping of the Early Modern City in Time of Plague.” Renaissance Studies 30, no. 2 (April 2016): 273–97. https://doi.org/10.1111/rest.12144.
Plague in the City: Identifying the Subject of Giovanni Di Paolo’s Vienna Miracle of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino
Marshall, Louise. “Plague in the City: Identifying the Subject of Giovanni Di Paolo’s Vienna Miracle of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino.” Renaissance Studies 27, no. 5 (November 2013): 654-680. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-4658.2012.00846.x.
Infectious Rats and Dangerous Cows: Transnational Perspectives on Animal Diseases in the First Half of the Twentieth Century
Knab, Cornelia. “Infectious Rats and Dangerous Cows: Transnational Perspectives on Animal Diseases in the First Half of the Twentieth Century.” Contemporary European History 20, no. 3 (August 2011): 281–306. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960777311000324.