Trying some initial searches in SuperSearch can be a great way to begin to explore a topic from many angles across a variety of disciplines and types of sources. Start with a simple search and scan the results, paying attention to aspects of the topic that jump out at you or resonate with you.
Because SuperSearch contains so much content from so many different kinds of sources, the results can sometimes be overwhelming and hard to focus. At the same time, SuperSearch is also not comprehensive and can miss key sources. To search with more focus, precision, and depth, try some of the databases and other resources recommended below and on the other pages of this guide.
The databases listed here are just a selection of what is available through Wellesley. All of them have content in Spanish as well as English. See our Databases A-Z list and browse by Subject or Database Type to find other databases relevant to your research.
Literature & Film
Scholarly articles on literature, languages, linguistics, film, folklore, and rhetoric, from all cultures.
Articles on film and television from scholarly and popular film journals as well as a selection of encyclopedia articles and other reference sources.
History
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
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.
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.
Gender
Full-text peer-reviewed articles on gender, sex, and sexuality in history, sociology, psychology, education, art, and more.
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
Peer reviewed articles on women's and gender studies, drawing on gender studies, education, sociology, history, and more.
Multidisciplinary
Peer-reviewed articles, scholarly books, and academic theses published from 1859 to present on all aspects of medieval and Renaissance life (400 CE to 1700 CE).
Dates: 1859 CE-Present
Scholarly journal articles and books in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Does not include the most recent 3-5 years of many journals.
Find articles published in over 6000 scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, and other publications in the humanities and social sciences in over 60 languages, reaching back to 1665.
Dates: 1665 CE-present
Spanish-language Portals
These tips work in SuperSearch, the catalog, and most databases.
Use quotation marks " " to search words as a phrase. This will narrow your results.
"birth control"
Use AND to combine multiple concepts in your search. This will narrow your results.
"birth control" AND medieval
Use OR to find different ways your topic could be expressed. This will expand your results. Group these related terms in parentheses, so the database interprets them first. The following search will find results that have any one of the terms in the first set of parentheses along with any one of the terms in the second set.
("birth control" OR contraception) AND (medieval OR "middle ages")
Use an asterisk * to find variant endings. This will expand your results.
("birth control" OR contracept*) AND (medieval OR "middle ages")
You can use the Wellesley Library Catalog to find books, videos, and journals (not individual articles). A few tips:
gender medieval spain
leads to linked subject terms and more books related to different aspects of this topic:
Gender identity > Spain > History.
Gender identity in literature.
Women > Books and reading > Spain > History.
Molina, Tirso de, 1571?-1648. Burlador de Sevilla.
Can't find what you're looking for at Wellesley? You have the world at your fingertips through WorldCat, a catalog of libraries throughout the country and the world! WorldCat is a great place to find books that we don't have in our library, including books in Spanish and other languages. You can request them through Interlibrary Loan with the click of a button.
Use WorldCat Discovery to search and request directly from libraries worldwide via Interlibrary Loan.
Questions? Interlibrary Loan Guide