Subject Databases
Databases are like lenses: they change what you see and how you see it -- and they offer you easy and efficient ways to bring your questions into
sharper focus. Every academic discipline has at least one subject database that's considered the disciplinary gold standard -- a reliable, (relatively) comprehensive, and accurate record of the books that scholars are publishing, and the ideas they're debating and discussing in important and influential journals. For your Proseminar, we recommend:
MULTIDISCIPLINARY COVERAGE
Academic Search Premier
An excellent next step after you've sampled what's available in HOLLIS.
Like HOLLIS, it's also multidisciplinary in its coverage and it also provides you with a range of article types (some scholarly, some not). But while still broad, it's a smaller universe than HOLLIS.
Depending on your topic, in fact, searching in ASP may even be a more efficient route to quality information, simply because it will deliver a more manageable result set.
JSTOR
This databases overs core scholarly journals in 75 fields; historical fields are represented well here. Some of its content is open access and easily discoverable on the web; some is made available only because of your Harvard affiliation and the library's subscription to JSTOR; the most recent issues of journals may not even appear in a JSTOR search, however, if they are behind the database's 1-5 year "moving wall."
Google Scholar
It searches full-text which can be an advantage when you've got a very narrow topic or are seeking a "nugget" that traditional database searching can't surface easily.
Google Scholar incorporates more types of information -- not just books and journal contents--and depending on your need, comfort level, and perspective, that eclecticism can be an advantage. GS is perfectly acceptable for most general forays into scholarship; its algorithms are excellent and do return relevant results. GS can also be a good way to follow citation trails.
Learn how to get around the Google Scholar paywalls by changing your computer settings here: https://library.harvard.edu/services-tools/google-scholar
KEY SUBJECT DATABASES: HISTORY
America: History and Life
The premier database for scholarly historical study of the the U.S. and Canada, pre-history to the present.
Historical Abstracts
The companion database to AHL. It focuses on world history 1450-present.
KEY SUBJECT DATABASE: RELIGION
KEY SUBJECT DATABASE: BLACK STUDIES
KEY SUBJECT DATABASE: GENDER STUDIES
KEY SUBJECT DATABASE: LITERATURE
MLA International Bibliography
Key Subject Databases: Politics
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
KEY SUBJECT DATABASES: TRANSPORTATION
TRID (transportation research worldwide)
NTIS (National Technical Information Services)
