Because SuperSearch contains so much content from so many different kinds of sources and disciplines, it can sometimes be hard to focus a search to get the most relevant results. At the same time, SuperSearch is also not comprehensive and can miss key sources. To search with more focus, precision, and depth, also try the specialized databases recommended on this guide, or the library catalog for books and films.
SuperSearch can be a helpful starting place for finding primary sources that provide historical evidence about your cultural artifact. Use the publication date limiter to find mentions of the artifact during a particular time period — e.g., around the time of its creation or publication. Limit by content type, such as newspaper and magazine articles, to look at evidence in the popular press.
Important Note: Many sources from of our historical news databases and primary source collections do not come up in SuperSearch results, so be sure to check out the databases on our Historical News guide as well as the primary source collections on this guide for more options.
These databases are a good place to find articles and chapters from scholarly journals and books, and some also contain content from newspapers, magazines, and other sources. It's always a good idea to search in more than one database. Even when there's considerable overlap in content, the different features of each database can help you find different sources. Check out our full Database A-Z list and sort by Subject to find other databases for your topic.
Multidisciplinary
Peer reviewed journals, magazines and regional newspapers on topics pertaining to sexuality and gender identity, and includes the full text of many historically significant LGBTQ+ publications.
Dates: 1917 CE-Present
Full-text newspaper, magazine, and scholarly journal articles from alternative, radical, and independent presses, mostly in the United States.
Dates: 1967 CE-Present
Art
Articles from an international array of publications covering topics in art and architectural history, archaeology, museum studies, graphic arts, industrial design, landscape architecture, urban design, photography, costume design, film, non-western art and more.
Provides full abstracts of journal articles, books, exhibition catalogs, dissertations, and reviews on all forms of modern and contemporary art. Covers all art forms, from painting, sculpture and photography to video, body art and graffiti.
Film & Television
Scholarly and popular articles and book chapters on film and television history, theory, writing, production, cinematography, reviews, and more. Includes Variety movie reviews from 1914 to the present.
Articles on film and television from scholarly and popular film journals as well as a selection of encyclopedia articles and other reference sources.
Literature
MLA Search Tip: MLA is an index, so you're searching a small amount of information about each source, rather than the source itself. Trying a variety of keywords is often essential to getting the best results in MLA. Make note of relevant keywords and subject terms that come up in your initial searches, and use those terms to find more.
Music
Scholarly journal and magazine articles on all aspects of music.
Dates: 1973 CE-present
Scholarly peer-reviewed articles and books on music and musicians. Covers all genres of music from all over the world.
See the A-Z Databases page and filter by subject for additional options.
Hundreds of full-text academic encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other sources for introductions to topics, definitions, or factual information. Includes subject-specific titles from art, literature, education, science, religion, history and more.
Authoritative biographies of historically significant figures and present-day newsmakers from every field—media, sports, politics, religion, medicine, and more. Find biographies by name, occupation, nationality, ethnicity, or gender.
Dates: 3000 BCE-Present
Viral Cultures: Activist Archiving in the Age of AIDS by 
AIDS At 30: A History by 
Global Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History
Historical Dictionary of the Lesbian and Gay Liberation Movements
Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered History in America
After Silence: : A History of AIDS through Its Images by 
Protest!: A History of Social and Political Protest Graphics by 
The Cambridge Companion to American Gay and Lesbian LiteraturePrimary sources focusing on the voices of under-represented groups, grassroots organizations, and countercultural movements in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada. Themes include sexuality and identity, Black resistance movements, Indigenous rights, feminism, environmentalism, disability rights, new media, war, and popular culture.
Dates: 1970s-1990s CE
Find more on the Queer History page of our Primary Sources - History research guide.
Try a keyword search. Once you find a book that is relevant to your topic, use the subject terms for that book to help you find "more like this" and explore different aspects of a broader topic.
Example keyword search: aids AND artist*
Subject terms for books from this keyword search lead you to many more books on aspects of the topic, for example:
AIDS (Disease) and the arts > United States.
Remembering the AIDS Quilt by 
Archiving an Epidemic: Art, AIDS, and the Queer Chicanx Avant-Garde by 
AIDS and the Distribution of Crises by 
AIDS Literature and Gay Identity: The Literature of Loss by