Scholarly Journal Articles – How do I find scholarly journal articles on historical topics?

In a sentence – you need to consult article indexes that include historical journals. A listing of key historical article indexes appears below, complete with resource descriptions and searching tips. Also, see the important confusing terms explanations below the table.

Name	Description	Searching Tips
Historical Abstracts	- major index to History journals covering all areas of world history, except the United States and Canada, from 1450 to the present. This database works better for Hist 121 than 120. Indexes over 2,000 journals and covers journals printed from 1954-present	- Truncation is * - Use where available - Need quotes to search phrases - Features an extensive subject terms set - No full-text
JSTOR	- includes the full text of over 170 History journals. Coverage is from the initial publication of the journal to three or five years ago. Limit your search to all the History journals or search the entire JSTOR database, with hundreds of journals	- Use the search function, don’t browse - Must select disciplines or journals for your search to work - Only 10% of the articles have abstracts so do not search this field - Truncation is + - No quotes needed for phrase searching - Nearly all scholarly/peer-reviewed materials - Contains full-text
Project MUSE	- includes the full text of over 30 History journals. Coverage varies from the most recent two-three years to six-seven years. You can search the entire database or browse the journals by title, subject, or collection, such as Arts and Humanities or Social Sciences	- Use the search function, don’t browse - Truncation is * - Quotes needed for phrase searching - All scholarly/peer-reviewed materials - Contains full-text
Arts and Humanities Search	- online equivalent of the print Arts and Humanities Citation Index, covering over 1,300 sources. The electronic version covers from 1980-present, while the print version, located in Holland Reference, starts in 1976	- Always look at and follow descriptors - Use where available - No full-text
Humanities International Index	- includes coverage of the major History journals. The online version covers from 1990-present, while the print version goes back to 1974. Earlier resources include the Social Sciences and Humanities Index (1965-1974) and the International Index (1907-1965), both located in Holland Reference	- Features tutorials within the database - Use where available - No full-text
Iter (meaning path or journey in Latin)	- index includes citations to over 600 interdisciplinary journals covering the Middle Ages and Renaissance (400-1700). Covers materials published 1990-present	- First find a WSU subscription database to search - Six project areas to choose from - Truncation symbol is $ - Phrases do not need quotes - No full-text

- What is Find It @ WSU? This searching feature helps you find the full-text of your article of interest. Once you click on this button, you will be presented with a menu of options (see example below).

- What is a truncation symbol? A truncation symbol (e.g., *, +, or $) allows you to search various endings from a root set of letters. For example, if you did a search for computer* you’d get back results including the words computer, computers, computerize, etc. Truncators are one of many tools (phrase searching, Boolean Logic, field searching) you can use to improve your search queries (what you type into a search box). Go to the Search Tips page to learn more.