Locating Journal Articles

Locating articles within the journal literature and collections can be challenging. A wide variety of indexing and abstracting resources in different formats can be used to locate articles in periodicals, collected works, and newspapers.

Electronic Resources | Print Resources

Electronic Resources

Electronic Resources are often easier to use, but may be limited in scope to more recent materials. For more historical materials you may need to consult print resources, especially retrospective indexes. Please note that these electronic resources are only accessible from within the Humanities & Social Sciences Library. You can find dedicated computers, displaying the Selected Electronic Resources screen, located in the Rose Main Reading Room, as well as in many of the divisions throughout the Library.

JSTOR
A searchable digital archive of major scholarly journals including many in social sciences, such as American Journal of Sociology and American Sociological Review. Available only within the library through the Selected Electronic Resources Menu, with no remote access.

Project Muse
Web publishing of major academic journals, including many titles in social sciences like Cultural Critique, Social Forces, and Social Text. Available only within the library through the Selected Electronic Resources Menu, with no remote access.

America: History and Life
Indexes and abstracts of scholarly literature on the history and culture of the United States and Canada. Includes books, reviews, dissertations, and articles. Also available in print.

Dissertation Abstracts
Indexing and abstracting of dissertations and theses, many with full text.

FRANCIS
Bibliographic database covering the social sciences and humanities.

Left Index
Indexes a wide range of politically left and radical periodicals, 1982 to present.

PAIS International
Contains references to more than 460,000 journal articles for 1972 to present—including international publications, books, government documents, statistical directories, gray literature, research reports, and more. Newspapers and newsletters are not indexed.

Periodicals Content Index
Indexes the tables of contents of thousands of journals in the social sciences, humanities, and arts.

Social Science Citation Index
Indexes citations from 1,400 international social sciences journals.

Social Sciences Index
Bibliographical database that indexes more than 500 social sciences journals, covering a wide range of interdisciplinary fields, 1983 to present; earlier years (1974-) in print.

Print Resources

Materials with call numbers beginning with *R are in the open reference shelves in the Rose Main Reading Room. All others must be requested in the Public Catalog Room, Room 315.

America: History and Life, (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC: Clio Press, 1954- ),
IAA+ 98-999. Indexes and abstracts of scholarly literature on the history and culture of the United States and Canada. Includes books, reviews, dissertations, and articles.

Left Index, (Santa Cruz, CA: Left Index, 1982-), JFK 95-79.

PAIS International, (New York: Public Affairs Information Service, 1972-), *R-*D 91-803 for last ten years, JFM 98-382 and JFM 98-383 for previous. Indexes a wide variety of materials, not just books and articles, relating to social and public policy issues from many countries.

Social Sciences Index, (New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1974-), *R-*D 75-1211. Indexes more than 500 periodicals in the social sciences.

Sociological Abstracts, (San Diego: Sociological Abstracts Inc., 1952-), *RS-SA 91-2187 from 1990 on; JFM 99-210 from 1952-1989. Indexes a wide variety of sociology materials, including over 2,500 journals, selected books, conference reports, case studies, and dissertations.

Wile, Annadel, N. C.R.I.S.: The Combined Retrospective Index Set to Journals in Sociology, 1895-1975, (Washington, DC: Carrollton Press, 1978), JLF 86-1798. Retrospective indexing of over 100 major sociology journals, providing subject and author access.