Secondary Sources
Periodical indexes for general historical secondary sources are listed in Library Research Guide for History.
Bibliographies of Secondary Books and Articles
Look for specialized subject bibliographies in HOLLIS or WorldCat: Search <"science and society" [Keyword search] and bibliography [Subject Keyword search]> on Expanded Search screen in HOLLIS Classic or the Advanced search screen in HOLLIS or WorldCat. Examples of secondary source bibliographies.
Periodical Indexes
History of Science, Technology and Medicine [HSTM], 1975- .
Includes books, book chapters, and journal articles. Includes medicine and social science as well as science and technology. Electronic equivalent of four printed indexes:
Since HSTM is an amalgamation of four separate indexes with four different subject term systems, study the results of keyword searches to be sure that you know the proper subject terms for your topic in each of the, possibly four, relevant component databases. For example, the Wellcome Bibliography uses "Contraception" but the Isis Current Bibliography uses "Birth control".
Limiting by Time Period
Note the different terms used by these three indexes:
Isis Current Bibliography of the History of Science and its Cultural Influences: Pre-history, Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance (15th and 16th), 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century
Current Bibliography in the History of Technology: Prehistory, Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance, 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century
Wellcome Bibliography of the History of Medicine: Ancient, Greek and Roman, Medieval, 13th century , 14th century , 15th century , 16th century, 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century
Searching for literature published before 1975 (pre-HSTM)
ISISCB Bibliographic Resources in the History of Science, Technology and Medicine indexes the Isis Current Bibliography. Search results extend back to 1970. It also offers a browse of the Isis Cumulative Bibliographies (1913-1975). Search ISISCB Explore
Isis (1913-1996), together with the Critical Bibliography, is available in JSTOR. You can search just the Critical Bibliography:
- Choose <Search JSTOR>
- Choose <Advanced Search>
- In one search field enter your search terms, leaving the menu at <full-text>
- In another search field enter <’Critical Bibliography’>, adjusting the menu to <item title>
- Enter Isis at <Enter Title>
Note that a single Critical Bibliography is searched as a unit. Thus, the search <Darwin and finches> will return all Critical Bibliographies containing these two words, but not necessarily within the same citation. To find book reviews, enter the book title as a phrase.
Title changed from Critical Bibliography to Current Bibliography in 1989 (v. 80).
Earlier material may also be found in the printed versions
Isis Current Bibliography of the History of Science and its Cultural Influences, 1913- (Formerly the Isis Critical Bibliography) offers annual sparsely annotated bibliographies of current works which accompany each volume of Isis. Book reviews are listed at the end of each issue.
HOLLIS Record
Cumulated in the ISIS cumulative bibliography; a bibliography of the history of science formed from ISIS critical bibliographies, 1913-95. 14 v. In the 1913-1965 series, citations for books include reviews; in later series, books reviews are at the back of the last volume.
LOCATION: History of Science:
LOCATION: Widener: RR 5002.36
LOCATION: Wolbach Obs (HCO): Ref Biblio. Cat. Q125.Z99 I87 (Incomplete)
Current Bibliography in the History of Technology, 1964- (Annual in the journal Technology and culture, after 1990 published separately)
Technology and culture, 1964-89
LOCATION: History of Science: PerT 40
LOCATION: Widener: Sci 120.159Bibliography continued by:
Current Bibliography in the History of Technology, 1990- .
LOCATION: History of Science
LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC T15.Z99 T43xBook reviews are noted in the record for the book reviewed both in print and HSTM.For earlier literature see: Eugene S. Ferguson's Bibliography of the history of technology. 1968.
LOCATION: Baker Business: Z7914.H5 F4 1968
LOCATION: Widener: RR5003.40
Wellcome Bibliography of the History of Medicine (formerly Current Work in the History of Medicine). London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1954-2004. Section on biographies (including obituaries), no. 150 (Ap/June, 1991)- . Obituaries were separated from Biographies and given their own heading "Recent Obituaries" in no. 158 (Ap/June, 1993). Includes obituaries of physicians from the Times. Some material continues to be added to the Wellcome Library catalogue. Some issues still available online (2000-2004).
LOCATION: Countway Medicine: Abst & Ind ZWZ 40 C8
LOCATION: Countway Medicine: Rare Books Serial
LOCATION: History of Science: Per C 60
Cumulated in: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine and Related Sciences. 1979-80. Subject Catalogue of the History of Medicine. 18 v. [5 biographical v., 4 topographical v., 9 subject v.]
LOCATION: Countway Medicine: Rare Books f Z6207.M4 W45
Bibliografia italiana di storia della scienza, 1982- .
LOCATION: History of Science
LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC Q125.Z99 B53x
--Bucciantini, M., F. Guidi & A. Lenzi. 1995. The database of the Italian Bibliography of the History of Science. Nuncius, v. 10, pp. 331-343.
PubMed (1947- ) is the National Library of Medicine's index to biomedical journal articles.
- To limit to historical sources, attach the phrase (in"") "historical article" to your search. Example: "Psychology, clinical" and "historical article".
- Be sure to look for MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) on pertinent records by scrolling down past the abstracts. (Not all records in PubMed have MeSH terms.) Subject headings can help you get to more relevant records and/or can be helpful keyword suggestions.
- Very recent articles may not as yet received their MeSH terms. So look at older records to find the MeSH terms, and use a variety of keywords as well as MeSH terms to find the new records.
The MeSH terms are the same as the Medical Subject terms found in HOLLIS.
Books, book chapters, and dissertations formerly searched in HISTLINE are now in the National Library of Medicine (NLM) online catalog. To limit to historical sources: Under Publication Types, scroll to More Publication Types, and choose Historical Articles. This retrieves books and other material as well as articles.
For earlier literature see:
Bibliography of the history of medicine of the United States and Canada, 1939-1960, by Genevieve Miller, which cumulates the serial bibliography published in the Bulletin of the history of medicine, which carried on through the commencement of the Bibliography of the history of medicine in 1965.
LOCATION: Countway Medicine: ZWZ 70 M5b 1964
LOCATION: Countway Medicine: Rare Books Z6661.U6 M14 1964
LOCATION: History of Science:
LOCATION: Widener: Med 100.116A bibliography of articles on the history of American medicine compiled from "Writings on American history" 1902-1937, by Judson B. Gilbert.
LOCATION: Countway Medicine: Rare Books Z6661.U6 G3
Book Reviews
Coverage of book reviews in HSTM begins (in a small way) in 2000 and becomes substantial in 2002. Enter the phrase "book review" in the title field along with the title of the book: "Sun Kings" and "book review".
General sources include: Academic Search Premier, the Web of Science and Periodicals Index Online (for pre-1995 books). Additional general sources for book reviews. Some of the specialized indexes and bibliographies listed in this guide carry book reviews.
The best specialized source is:
ISIS cumulative bibliography; a bibliography of the history of science formed from ISIS critical bibliographies, 1913-95. 14 v.
LOCATION: History of Science:
LOCATION: Widener: RR 5002.36
LOCATION: Wolbach Obs (HCO): Ref Biblio. Cat. Q125.Z99 I87 (Incomplete)
In the 1913-1965 series, citations for books include reviews; in later series books reviews are at the back of the last volume.
For post-1995 reviews check the individual issues of the Current Bibliography, shelved with Isis. Book reviews are listed at the end of each issue.
LOCATION: Countway Medicine: Serial, 1913- .
LOCATION: History of Science: Per I 50, 1913-
LOCATION: Lamont: Periodicals, 1913-2001
LOCATION: Widener: Sci 65.55
Citations for book reviews can often be found in the JSTOR version
-
- Choose <Search JSTOR>
- Choose <Advanced Search>
- Enter book title in quotes, leaving menu at full text. Reviews of books lacking distinctive titles may be difficult to separate from other occurrences of the search phrase. If the author name is more distinctive than the title, search the author name using the inverted first initial only, e.g., "Righini G."
- In another search field enter <’Critical Bibliography’>, adjusting the menu to <item title>
- Scrolling down, enter Isis at <Publication Title>
Numerous historical articles are published in science rather than history of science journals. Many of these do not appear in history of science indexes. To find these, search the scientific indexes listed in the Periodicals/Article section of this guide.
Bibliography (1998- ) published in Public understanding of science lists books, articles, and Internet resources on science, health and technology in public attitudes, educational institutions (especially museums, zoos, etc.), and mass and interactive media. Print version:
LOCATION: McKay Applied Sci: Journal (1999- )
LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC Q225.P8
Bibliography of the history of Australian science, 1981- . In: Historical Records of Australian Science.
LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC Q93.A879x
Bibliography: Relations of Literature and Science (1880-2001) was published in Configurations (1993-1999) with citations arranged under broad subjects, with author and topic index. Topic index includes period/century access. Print version:
LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC PN55.C66x
For the Configurationsbibliographies online:
- for 1989-1990 in vol. 1, issue 2 (Spring 1993)
- for 1991-1992 in vol. 2, issue 2 (Spring 1994)
- for 1993 in vol. 3, issue 2 (Spring 1995)
- for 1994 in vol. 4, issue 2 (Spring 1996)
- for 1995 in vol. 5, issue 2 (Spring 1997)
- for 1996 in vol. 6, issue 3 (Fall 1998)
- for 1997 in vol. 7, issue 3 (Fall 1999)
- for 1998 in vol. 9, issue 3 (Fall 2000)
- for 1999 in vol. 9, issue 2 (Spring 2001)
- for 2001-2004
Previously published in:
Publication of the Society for Literature and Science: PSLS, 1984-88.
LOCATION: Not held at Harvard or the Boston areaThe Relations of literature and science: an annotated bibliography of scholarship, 1880-1980, edited by W. Schatzberg, R. A. Waite, and J. K. Johnson. NY: Modern Language Association of America, 1987, 458 pp.
LOCATION: Widener: RR 3003.82
JSTOR allows simultaneous or individual searching, full-text searching optional, of several history of science journals from their inceptions to about 5 years ago. JSTOR provides a list of included history of science & technology journals.
Periodicals index online indexes contents of thousands of journals in the humanities and social sciences, from their first issues to 5 years ago. Covers journals from North America, the UK, and Continental Europe. Includes the complete table of contents for each issue of each journal. Includes book reviews. Indexes the following journals in the history of science:
- Agricultural History
- Agricultural History Review
- Ambix (history of chemistry)
- Annals of Science
- Archives internationales d'histoire des sciences
- British Journal for the History of Science
- Bulletin of the History of Medicine
- Clio Medica
- History and Technology
- History of Science
- Industrial Archaeology Review
- Isis
- Journal of Garden History
- Journal of the History of Ideas
- Journal of the History of Philosophy
- Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences
- Journal of Transport History
- Medical History and Medical History, Supplement
- Medizinhistorisches Journal
- Newcomen Society for the Study of the History of Engineering and Technology, Transactions
- Osiris
- Quipu: Revista Latinoamericana de Historia de las Ciencias y la Tecnologia
- Social History of Medicine
- Studies in History and Philosophy of Science
- Technology and Culture
- Victorian Studies
- Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science