Although SuperSearch can be a great starting place, it can be challenging to find the most relevant material in a flood of results. Specialized databases, like the ones below, can provide a "less is more" experience, by helping to focus your search on articles and books in your area of interest, with an emphasis on scholarly sources. Individual databases will also turn up results that are not in SuperSearch. It always helps to search a few databases for the best coverage. Even when there's considerable overlap in content, the different search capabilities and features of each database can also help you find different sources.
The databases listed here are just a small selection of what is available through Wellesley. See our Databases A-Z list and browse by Subject or Database Type to find other databases relevant to your research.
History
Peer reviewed articles and book reviews of American and Canadian history, prehistory to present and searchable by historical time period.
Peer reviewed articles and book reviews of world history (excluding the US and Canada), 1450 CE to present and searchable by historical time period.
Art, Film, & Literature
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.
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.
Scholarly articles on literature, languages, linguistics, film, folklore, and rhetoric, from all cultures.
Religion
Peer reviewed articles on all aspects of religion, with an emphasis on Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Also searchable by Hebrew Bible and New Testament scripture.
Multidisciplinary
Full-text scholarly articles in all disciplines.
Scholarly journal articles and books in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Does not include the most recent 3-5 years of many journals.
Full text newspapers, magazines, and journals from ethnic, minority and Native presses. Filter by ethnic group and language.
Dates: 1960 CE-Present
Start with a keyword search. Once you find a book that's relevant to your topic, click on the title and look for the Subjects listed for that book to help you find "more like this" and explore related aspects of a broader topic.
Example: Keyword search: black abolitionists
Subject terms for the books that come up in this keyword search lead you to many more books on aspects of the topic, for example:
African American Abolitionists
Antislavery Movements
Slave insurrections
Slavery -- Law and Legislation -- United States
Political Violence -- United States History
Can't find what you're looking for at Wellesley?
Use WorldCat Discovery to search and request directly from libraries worldwide via Interlibrary Loan.
Questions? Interlibrary Loan Guide