LibGuides: Black History Research Guide: Finding Articles

Finding Articles

The Library online subscription databases provide access to full-text magazines, scholarly journals, newspaper articles, and eBooks containing copyrighted materials and off-campus access is password protected. Search from off-campus by logging on with your MyVVC username and password.

The following selected databases are suggested for Black History research and information:

Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
A multi-disciplinary database providing full-text articles for more than 6,600 magazines and scholarly journals, including full-text for nearly 6,000 peer-reviewed titles. In addition, it includes peer-reviewed full text for STEM research, as well as for the social sciences and humanities.
After typing a search term, use the Select a Field option to refine your search:
Subject (searches subject terms within the database)
Abstract (searches terms within the article abstract)
All Text (search the entire article)
Under Limit your results check:
"Full-Text" for full-text articles only
"Scholarly Journals" for journal articles only
The African American Experience
Collection of works analyzing the contributions and challenges of African Americans throughout history, including the complete WPA Slave Narratives collection. This comprehensive database includes more than 9,000 articles, biographies, primary documents, and media.
America: History and Life (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
Covers the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present. The database includes selective indexing for 1,700 journals from 1955 to present, and full-text coverage of more than 200 journals and nearly 100 books.
Archives Unbound This link opens in a new window
Includes topically-focused digital collections of primary sources: historical documents that support the research and study. A multi-disciplinary resource, collections cover a broad range of topics from the Middle Ages forward- to World War II to twentieth-century political history. Particular strengths include U.S. foreign policy; U.S. civil rights; global affairs and colonial studies; and modern history.
Collections include: African American Studies, African Studies, American Studies, Asian Studies, British and European Studies, Business and Economic Studies, Cultural Studies, International Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Law, Politics and Radical Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Native American Studies and Religious Studies.
Black Freedom Struggle in the United States This link opens in a new window
This website contains approximately 1,600 documents focused on six different phases of Black Freedom including: Slavery and the Abolitionist Movement (1790-1860), The Civil War and the Reconstruction Era (1861-1877), Jim Crow Era from 1878 to the Great Depression (1878-1932), The New Deal and World War II (1933-1945), The Civil Rights and Black Power Movements (1946-1975), The Contemporary Era (1976-2000),
CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
A weekly online publication that covers current and controversial issues. Complete summaries, discussion covering all sides of the issue, and annotated bibliographies are provided for each topic. Users are able to view the current issue, search past issues, or browse by topic, pro/con, and date.
Tip: Click the Browse Reports tab at the top of the homepage for a list of popular topics and pro/con issues.
Gale Academic OneFile This link opens in a new window
Includes over 17,000 publications from scholarly journals and other authoritative sources covering biology, chemistry, criminal justice, economics, environmental sciences, history, marketing, political sciences, and psychology. Access articles from Nature, the Economist, the New York Times, and thousands of podcasts and transcripts from NPR and CNN as well as videos from BBC Worldwide Learning.
Gale In Context: Biography This link opens in a new window
Coverage of the most searched and studied people, Biography includes over 5,000 portal pages on contemporary and historical figures. Reference content is offered alongside videos, audio selections, images, primary sources, and magazine and journal articles from hundreds of major periodicals and newspapers.
Gale In Context: College This link opens in a new window
Topical database of interdisciplinary content covering the humanities and social sciences, literature, science, U.S. history, and world history with hundreds of thousands of images, videos, and audio selections that include archival film clips, broadcast video, BBC News, New York Times video, and NPR.
Gale in Context: U.S. History This link opens in a new window
Provides integrated access to materials covering themes, events, individuals, and periods in U.S. history from pre-Colonial times to the present. Resources include articles from more than 30 reference titles, over 110 full-text journals and magazines, and more than a 1,000 historical (primary) documents.
Tip: Click the Browse Topics link at the top left of the homepage for an A-Z list of popular topics.
Gale in Context: World History This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive collection of references, articles, images, and maps from over 27 reference titles, more than 110 full-text journals, and over 1,800 primary sources. Coverage extends from ancient Europe to Latin America and from the Far East to the Renaissance.
Tip: Click the Browse Topics link at the top left of the homepage for an A-Z list of popular topics.
Gale OneFile: Diversity Studies This link opens in a new window
Access a range of periodical content to explore cultural differences, contributions, and influences in the global community.
Gale OneFile: U.S. History This link opens in a new window
Search coverage of events in U.S. history with full-text periodical content covering events in U.S. history as well as scholarly work established in the field. Updated daily.
Gale OneFile: World History This link opens in a new window
Includes coverage of events in world history and scholarly work being established in the field.
JSTOR: Arts & Sciences Collection This link opens in a new window
JSTOR All Access: The collections feature the full-text articles of more than 2,800 academic journals across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Journals span continents and languages, with titles from 1,200 publishers from 57 countries. Collections include multi-discipline, discipline-specific, and region-based packages.
Newspaper Source Plus (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
Includes more than 860 full-text newspapers (including the New York Times), providing more than 35 million full-text articles. In addition, the database features more than 857,000 television and radio news transcripts from CBS News, CNN, CNN International, NPR, etc.

Selected Journals & Magazines

See a selection of journals and magazines for information and research:

Black Issues in Higher Education
Articles, news, and, reviews about issues in Afro-American education.
Black Scholar
Presents African-American essays on a broad range of issues of concern to scholars in sociology, history, literature, political science, health, art, women's studies and ethnic studies.
Challenge
Articles & research reports on contemporary & historical issues facing the African American community. Encourages a balance between empirical research & conceptual or theoretical analyses.
The Crisis Magazine of the NAACP
Available full-text on google books from April 1911-2011.
Essence
America's leading media brand serving African American women.
Harvard Journal of African American Public Policy
Provides a comprehensive & interdisciplinary examination of the interaction between public policy & the African-American experience.
Journal of African American Studies
Serves as a multidisciplinary forum for social scientists engaged in the analysis of the struggles and triumps of black males. Challenges stereotypes and identifies strategies and policies that can counter the problems black men face.
New Crisis
Feature articles, commentary and profiles exploring the full spectrum of black thought and examining a wide range of critical issues of concern to blacks; founded by Dr. William Edward Burghardt DuBois.
Western Journal of Black Studies
Publishes articles that report original investigations & contribute new knowledge & understanding to the field of Black/African American studies.