7 Useful online databases
The following databases can be accessed through the University of Ottawa Library or freely through the internet. Keep in mind that some databases only provide access to journals from particular years. None is complete: you may need to check more than one database to find the information that you need. For other resources specific to particular regions or periods, see https://uottawa.libguides.com/History-en
| Database |
Focus & Advantages |
Disadvantages |
Historical Abstracts
Accessible through the University of Ottawa Library |
|
- Does not include book reviews prior to 2011.
- You will find too much unless you learn to use the search filters (by period, by language etc.)
|
| America History and Life
Accessible through the University of Ottawa Library |
- Database of 1800+ journals addressing the history and culture of the Americas.
- Includes abstracts, citations, and links to full text documents.
- Includes abstracts in English of articles published in other languages.
- Includes book and media reviews.
|
- Focuses on articles in English.
|
RI-OPAC
Accessible at http://opac.regesta-imperii.de/lang_en/index.php |
- The leading database of publications related to all disciplines in medieval studies, in all European languages.
- Includes theses, essays, and workshop proceedings.
|
- Does not provide a direct link to all items but does provide full bibliographic information so that you can find it elsewhere.
|
| JSTOR
Accessible through the University of Ottawa Library |
- Full text archive with direct links to articles in scholarly journals in many disciplines.
- Includes topics from non-history fields as it is multi-disciplinary.
|
- Often does not include recent articles.
- Includes far fewer history journals than the databases noted above.
|
| Google Scholar
Accessible at http://scholar.google.ca/ |
- Covers all disciplines.
- Includes a list of some of the works that have cited the books or articles you find.
|
- Often requires scrolling through many pages to find what you need.
- Does not provide direct access to most sources unless you configure your web browser to link to the library’s subscriptions.
|
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