Research Guides: American Studies & Ethnicity *: Databases & Journals

Start Here: Core Databases for American Studies

America: History & Life with Full Text This link opens in a new window
The definitive index to articles and other literature (books, dissertations, book reviews, etc.) covering the history and culture of the U.S. and Canada, from the 15th century to the present. Indexes nearly 1,800 journals from 1860s to present, including all key journals in the discipline, state and local history publications, and selected articles from scholarly journals in the social sciences and humanities.
Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new window
Ethnic NewsWatch now includes two collections: 1) Ethnic NewsWatch, a current collection (1990-present) of newspapers,magazines and journals from ethnic and minority presses.
The publications offer both national and regional coverage. 2) Ethnic NewsWatch: A History(1959-1989), which includes over 30 full-text newspapers, magazines and journals, focusing on African American, Hispanic American, and Native American presses from 1959-1989.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
A growing full text collection of core social science, humanities, and science journals and books.
Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Includes the core American Studies journal, American Quarterly.
As of January 2012, Project Muse has added thousands of University Press ebooks to its collection. However, USC DOES NOT have access to them. If you are interested in one of these titles, please search Homer or Quick Search to see if we have a copy.

Subject Specific Article Databases in Related Disciplines

This is just a selection of some of the interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary databases relevant to American Studies. For a comprehensive list of databases in the many fields that comprise American Studies and Ethnicity, please view our complete list of Databases by Subject.

Bibliography of Asian Studies (BAS) This link opens in a new window
The Bibliography of Asian Studies (BAS) contains over 737,175 records (as of July 9, 2009) on all subjects (especially in the humanities and the social sciences) pertaining to East, Southeast, and South Asia published worldwide from 1971 to the present.
Through the 1991 printed version, the BAS included citations to Western-language periodical articles, monographs, chapters in edited volumes, conference proceedings, anthologies, and Festschriften, etc. Monographs published since 1992 have not been added to the database, and users seeking such monographs are urged to consult other general resources and databases (RLIN, OCLC, etc.). The online BAS offers users various methods for seeking citations. A separate screen allows users to set their preferences for displaying and downloading data in different formats and character encodings. The BAS is updated regularly, with batch posting of thousands of new entries in each upload.
Bibliography of Native North Americans This link opens in a new window
From the Human Relations Area Files (HRAF), this is an electronic publication that contains the citations from the cumulative eight volumes of the Ethnographic Bibliography of North America as well as additional new citations.
The Bibliography of Native North Americans contains citations to literature about native peoples of North America published from the sixteenth century to the present. Native North Americans include Aleuts; Eskimos or Inuit of Greenland, northern Canada, Alaska, and eastern Siberia; and other native peoples (i.e. "Indians") of Alaska, Canada, the United States, and Mexico north of the northern boundary of Mesoamerica. All citations are to published materials: books, journal articles, essays, conference papers, and US and Canadian government documents.
Black Studies Center This link opens in a new window
The Black Studies Center provides access to several resources at once: Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience, International Index to Black Periodicals (IIBP), 10 historical African American newspapers, Black Literature Index and 100 oral history videos in History Makers.
Chicano Database This link opens in a new window
A major bibliographic database for topics in the humanities, social and behavioral sciences on Mexican-Americans and Chicano and Latino Studies.
Communication Source This link opens in a new window
Includes articles from peer-reviewed journals and trade magazines covering mass media, marketing, communications, and related topics.
Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text is the definitive online tool for film and television research.
It is a comprehensive bibliographic and full-text database covering the entire spectrum of television and film. Subject coverage includes film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews. The database provides cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts for 350 publications (and selected coverage of nearly 300), as well as full text for more than 100 journals and nearly 100 books
Hispanic-American Periodicals Index (HAPI) This link opens in a new window
Locate articles in the humanities and social sciences from and about Latin America and related to Chicano and Latino studies from the Hispanic American Periodicals Index. Some fulltext available.
Hispanic Life in America This link opens in a new window
The experience and impact of Hispanic Americans as recorded by the news media, 1704 to today.
Humanities Full Text (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
Humanities Full Text includes many of the most important academic journals in the humanities with the full text of articles from over 300 periodicals dating back to 1995, and high-quality indexing for almost 700 journals of which 470 are peer-reviewed dating as far back as 1984.
The database provides coverage of feature articles, interviews, bibliographies, obituaries, and original works of fiction, drama, poetry and book reviews, as well as reviews of ballets, dance programs, motion pictures, musicals, radio and television programs, plays, operas, and more.
Part of the OmniFile collection.
Humanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective: 1907-1984 (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
This resource offers a broad range of subject coverage in the humanities and social sciences with high-quality indexing of more than 1,300,000 articles in nearly 1,100 periodicals, dating as far back as 1907, as well as citations of over 240,000 book reviews.
The Latino American Experience The American Mosaic This link opens in a new window
Documents the rich heritage and current culture of Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Guatemalans, Cubans, Dominicans, Colombians, Ecuadorians, and other Hispanic groups in the United States. Their stories are detailed through a robust collection of primary and secondary sources, beginning with pre-16th century Mayan, Incan, and Aztec empires and continuing through to the present day, with treatment also given to cultural themes including coming-of-age rituals, music, literature, and cuisine.
Performing Arts Periodicals Database This link opens in a new window
Indexing, abstracts, and much full-text coverage for performing arts periodicals since 1864.
LGBTQ+ Source This link opens in a new window
LGBT Life is the premier resource to the world's literature regarding Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Transsexual issues.
Comprehensive coverage includes traditional academic, lifestyle, and regional publications, as well as non-periodical content such as non-fiction books, bibliographies and dissertations. Disciplines include athletics, health, law, sociology, family, religion, civil liberties, employment and entertainment.
MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
Index to scholarly publication in literature, languages, linguistics, and folklore from over 4000 journals and series published worldwide. Indexing only: no full text.
Proquest Prisma Database This link opens in a new window
This database is a comprehensive reference resource providing more than hundred full-text scholarly journals with articles in the social sciences and humanities for the interdisciplinary academic study of Hispanic and Latin America and the Caribbean Basin.
It offers key titles in English, Spanish and Portuguese indexed in the Hispanic American Periodicals Index (HAPI), a highly respected database produced by the Latin American Institute of the University of California, Los Angeles.
Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
Social Sciences Full Text provides access to a wide assortment of the most important English-language journals published in the social sciences.
This resource provides detailed indexing for over 625 periodicals dating back as far as 1983ânearly 400 of which are peer-reviewed.
Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Abstract database of sociology and social and behavioral sciences literature from 1952 to present. Includes journal articles, conference papers, books, and dissertations.
Urban Studies Abstracts This link opens in a new window
The database contains 40,000 records gathered from legislative groups, research institutions, public research agencies, universities, and scholars from around the world covering essential areas related to urban studies, including urban affairs, community development, urban history, and other areas of key relevance to the discipline. Coverage is from 1973 to the present.
Women's Studies International This link opens in a new window
This is an index to the core disciplines in women's studies and feminist research. Coverage includes more than 586,600 records and spans from 1972 to present. Over 2,000 periodical sources are represented.

Multidisciplinary Databases

Multidisciplinary databases are extremely useful for finding articles published in interdisciplinary journals or in journals outiside of the discipline of American history that may still be relevant to your research topic.

In addition to containing journal articles, many of these database also provide citations for (or full-text access to) books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference proceedings, which allows you to cast a wider net in your effort to find sources.

Large Multidisciplinary Databases:

Academic OneFile This link opens in a new window
Academic OneFile is the premier source for peer-reviewed, full-text articles from the world's leading journals and reference sources.
With extensive coverage of the physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, literature and other subjects, Academic OneFile is both authoritative and comprehensive. With millions of articles available in both PDF and HTML full-text with no restrictions, researchers are able to find accurate information quickly. Includes full-text coverage of the New York Times back to 1995. Updated daily.
ArticleFirst This link opens in a new window
Contains the table of contents pages and holdings information from more than 13,000 journals in science, technology, medicine, social science, business, the humanities, and popular culture. Although most of the journals are published in English, journals in other languages are also included. Updated daily.
Arts & Humanities Full Text This link opens in a new window
This database features hundreds of titles covering Art, Architecture, Design, History, Philosophy, Music, Literature, Theatre and Cultural Studies.
It is designed to complement the following indexes: ABM, Avery, BHA, BHI, DAAI, Index Islamicus, MLA, Philosopher's Index and RILM.
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Filtered Google Search finding scholarly journal articles, books, citations, and case law.
OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
OmniFile Full Text, Mega Edition contains a wealth of essential material for learning and detailed research in a single, easily-searched database.
With the full text of articles from over 2,500 publications, and indexing and abstracts from nearly 3,600 publications, this database provides invaluable support for research in all core undergraduate subjects and for cross-disciplinary work.
PIO - Periodicals Index Online This link opens in a new window
Periodicals Index Online is an electronic index to millions of articles published in over 5,500 periodicals in the humanities and social sciences.
Periodicals Index Online is unique in combining a broad subject base with deep chronological coverage going back over 300 years. It covers 37 key subject areas in the humanities and social sciences and offers vast variety within these subject areas. Periodicals Index Online currently indexes over 18 million articles going as far back as 1665 and every article in each journal is indexed, from volume 1 issue 1 to recent times. Cataloging in Periodicals Index Online is not limited by language or by date. Over three centuries of scholarly publication in 40 languages and dialects are indexed, including English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and other Western languages.
ProQuest This link opens in a new window
Databases of resources for arts, business, humanities, social sciences, science and newspaper resources.
Web of Science This link opens in a new window
Interdisciplinary collection of journal articles, conference proceedings, and books. Collection of seven online database: Conference Proceedings Citation Index, Science Citation Index, Social Sciences Citation Index, Arts & Humanities Citation Index, Index Chemicus, Current Chemical Reactions, and Book Citation Index. Coverage is 1900-present.

Other Multidisciplinary (Point of view) Databases:

Alternative Press Index This link opens in a new window
The API is a bibliographic database (with links to full-text) of more than 368,000 journal, newspaper, and magazine articles from over 300 international alternative, radical, and left periodicals.
Born of the New Left, it was launched in 1969 to provide access to the emerging theories and practices of radical social change. Coverage, beginning in 1991, is both international and interdisciplinary. The Alternative Press Archive covers 1969-1990.
GenderWatch This link opens in a new window
GenderWatch features publications that focus on the impact of gender across a broad spectrum of subject areas including media, health sciences, political science, and more.
Left Index This link opens in a new window
Focused on the political, social, economic and cultural issues of the Left, the Left Index has been under production since 1982 and contains nearly 60,000 records (many with abstracts since the year 2000).
The database indexes more than 150 journals focused on the political, social, economic and cultural issues of the Left. The journals are thoroughly reviewed for relevant scholarship and research. The Left Index has been under production since 1982 and contains nearly 60,000 records (many with abstracts since the year 2000). The database indexes more than 150 journals focused on the political, social, economic and cultural issues of the Left. The journals are thoroughly reviewed for relevant scholarship and research.

Selected American Studies Journals

American Quarterly -- the journal of the American Studies Association (ASA). It offers interdisciplinary perspectives on the study of American culture in research articles, book and exhibition reviews, and commentaries; also covers ASA's activities and conferences (Peer Reviewed)

Journal of American Studies -- The official journal of the British Association for American Studies; it publishes work by scholars of any nationality on American literature, history, and culture.

Critical Inquiry -- Features interdisciplinary criticism in the arts and humanities (Peer Reviewed)

American Indian Quarterly -- Interdisciplinary journal featuring articles and book reviews (Peer Reviewed)

American Literature: A Journal of Literary History, Criticism, and Bibliography -- Covers American authors from colonial times to the present and features articles and book reviews (Peer Reviewed)

Journal of American Ethnic History -- Addresses various aspects of American immigration and ethnic history (Peer Reviewed)

Journal of Asian American Studies -- Explores all aspects of the Asian American experience. (Peer Reviewed)

Journal of Material Culture -- Concerned with the relationship between artifacts and social relations irrespective of time and place and aims to systematically explore the linkage between the construction of social identities and the production and use of culture. (Peer Reviewed)

Journal of Popular Culture -- Contains articles on myriad topics from NCAA basketball to country music to popular TV shows to shopping mall social worlds (Peer Reviewed)

Journal of Visual Culture -- Aims to bring together work from a range of methodological positions on various historical moments and across diverse geographical locations in order to promote research, scholarship, and critical engagement with visual cultures (Peer Reviewed)

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Directory of American Studies Journals (from the American Studies Association)

Journals in Related Disciplines

Media Studies

Cinema Journal

Film Quarterly

Media History

History, Society, and Cultural Studies

International Journal of Cultural Studies

Studies in Popular Culture

Technology and Culture

Women's and Gender Studies

Feminist Studies

Genders

Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society

Miscellaneous American Studies

Japanese Journal of American Studies

Journal of American Culture

Journal of Social History

Music, Arts, and Literature

Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts

Journal of Popular Music Studies

Mosaic: A Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature

Find out if USC has a Specific Journal

If you are looking for a specific journal, select Journals on the Libraries homepage:

If you have the exact title of the journal, search for the title and on the Results page, select "Sort by: Title":

If we have online access to this publication you'll see one or more results, with the dates available and the name of the database or publisher linking you to the journal. If we have the journal in print or on microfilm you will see location information under the "Availability" section of the item record.