Discover Search Explained
Simultaneously searches dozens of our databases, including Web of Science and ebook collection, plus the library catalog. Note:
- Watch dates on sources carefully - use limiters if needed.
- Choices to refine search results are to the right of the results list
- May select Scholarly (Peer reviewed) journals. This is at the publication level - evaluate the item you intend to use.
- Full text often available by clicking link under "View It" on item record.
- If not available in print or electronically, use Interlibrary Loan.
Start Here
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window** Expanded access continues as we work to implement a new contract for JSTOR's new all-access model, which will provide access to all archival journals and primary source content. **
Back volumes for 2,890 journals from the very first issue but usually excluding the most current 2-5 years, though almost 100 with coverage through the most recent issue. General subject areas include art & architecture, Asian studies, botany, ecology, economics, education, finance, history, language & literature, mathematics, music, philosophy, political science, population studies, sociology and statistics.
Other Databases with Important Content
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new windowFull-text of more than 175 journals, focusing primarily on humanities and language. Some coverage for the performing arts, social sciences, and education. Almost all publications are scholarly, peer-reviewed journals. 25 journals continue the JSTOR coverage of the publication.
- ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Provides full text for over 1.7 million dissertations and masters theses from U.S. and international academic institutions and abstracting and indexing for 3.8 million. - Web of Science This link opens in a new windowSimultaneously search the most important journals in the social sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, the humanities, and visual and performing arts. Includes 'high impact' scholarly sources. Search by author, topic, affiliation, etc., or follow links to cited sources. Create an individualized sign-in to save results, set up search alerts, and gain access to citation management with the My EndNote Web service. Includes Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Science Citation Index (SCI).
Finding Book Reviews
Book reviews appear in scholarly historical journals just as original articles do.
If you're looking for reviews of a specific book, search for that title as a phrase in a database such as JSTOR or Academic Search Complete. To ensure you keep the title as one single phrase, put quotation marks around it. "Past in the Making" will focus your search your search in important ways, avoiding false hits you'd get without those quotation marks.
You can limit your results to book reviews in one of these ways:
- Use the databases own features to limit the search to book reviews:
- In JSTOR, you can check the box for "Review" under "Item Type" in the "Narrow By" section.
- In Academic Search Complete, there is a scroll-down list for "Document Type" near the end of the "Search Options" section. In the "Document Type" list, you can choose "Book Review."
- Sometimes the database record may not have been marked as a review, even though it should be, so the features above might not find everything you want. If you search without applying those limiters, you can use variations of book and review as search terms to focus your search more. You may want to find reviewed as well as review and books as well as book, so use truncation symbols:
- In JSTOR, the truncation symbol is a plus sign, so review+ will find review, reviewed, and reviews.
- In Academic Search Complete, the truncation symbol is an asterisk, so review* would achieve the same result.
If you're seeking reviews of a book that's several decades old and you don't find the reviews in one of our databases, the print series Book Review Index on our Reference Shelves may help.
Interlibrary Loan
If you need a book or article that we don't have, you can get it via Interlibrary Loan Details (ILL).
- Request a book or article.
- Most articles are emailed within 1-2 weeks. Books may take longer.