Research Guides: HIST 118: Introduction to the History of Science (HC): Journal Articles

Indexes

Journal articles and other periodical publications provide scholarly information on specific aspects of history and the history of science. 1) Because scholarly articles are peer reviewed, they are more authoritative than magazine articles.

2) Since articles are published on a shorter schedule than books, they can be more-up-to-date.

The following indexes are the best ways for you to identify journal articles:

History of science, technology, and medicine
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Key resource for the history of science. Indexes the scholarly literature in the fields of the history of science and medicine. It covers both journal articles and chapter-length material from books.

IsisCB Explore
A database of articles and books about the history of science drawn from 40 years of coverage in the journal Isis. Use the search facets to narrow results to relevant material. The database encourages user input through comments and posts.

Historical Abstracts
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Provides abstracts of journal articles, books, book reviews and dissertations that cover world history from 1450 to the present (excluding the U.S. and Canada which are covered in "America: History and Life"). Includes publications from 1953-present.
Swarthmore has access to the full text.
Année Philologique
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Annèe Philologique is useful for researchers in the classics, philosophy, history, art, archaeology, and the humanities. It contains publication information for articles for the years 1924 to the present.
International Medieval Bibliography Online
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Provides abstracts and citations to articles on medieval subjects in journals, Festschriften, conference proceedings, and collected essays. Covers all aspects of medieval studies within the period 450 to 1500 for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Literature Reviews

Literature reviews are a particularly useful resource when doing research. They address the issues involved in a particular question and the debates among scholars. They map out the intellectual terrain succinctly and give you the major landmarks in terms of key authors and significant titles for greater understanding.

Handbook of medieval studies: terms, methods, trends
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A three-volume collection of essays covering major topics, important terms, textual genres, and key scholars with sources for more reading in each entry. Note in particular "Historiography of Medieval Medicine" and "Miracle Narratives."
History Compass
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This journal publishes literature reviews exclusively. It covers some history of science topics including:
Writing the History of the Natural Sciences in the Pre-modern Muslim World: Historiography, Religion, and the Importance of the Early Modern Period - Justin Stearns (2011)
Integrative Medicine: Incorporating Medicine and Health into the Canon of Medieval European History - Monica H. Green (2009)
The Medieval World View: Contemplating the Mappamundi - Evelyn Edson (2010)
Oxford Bibliographies Online. Renaissance and Reformation
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Extensive annotated bibliographies on specific topics in early modern history written by scholars in the field. This volume has new entries added twice a year. Essays of interest now available include:
Black Death and Plague: The Disease and Medical Thought - Samuel Kohn
Universities - Paul Grendler

Dissertations & Theses
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ProQuest Dissertations and Theses is a collection of scholarly research in the Humanities and Social Sciences that consists of 2.7 million searchable citations to dissertations and theses from around the world, and 1.2 million full-text dissertations that are available for download in PDF format. Coverage is from 1861 to the present day.

Indexes for Specific Subjects

There are also indexes devoted to literary history, philosophy and art history that may be of use for specific topics:

Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA and RILA) This link opens in a new window
Offers abstracts of journal articles, books, and exhibition and dealers' catalogs. Includes European and American art from late antiquity to the present. Covers 1975-2007.
For coverage 2008 to the present, see the International Bibliography of Art.

Feminae
In addition to indexing journal articles, book reviews, essays and images concerning women, sexuality and gender in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, from 450 C.E. to 1500 C.E., the database also indexes primary sources, both complete texts and excerpts from anthologies.

Go to the Advanced Search Page, and enter Translation in the Article Type box.
In the Keyword box enter your topic or you can specify a name in the Author box. You can also specify century and geographic area (British Isles, etc.) in those search boxes.

MLA International Bibliography
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Database of scholarly books and articles related to literature, language, linguistics, film, theater and folklore. Includes scholarship from 1926 to the present.
Philosopher's Index
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Provides citations and abstracts of journal articles, books, anthology contributions and book reviews published worldwide. Topics covered include: ethics, aesthetics, social philosophy, political philosophy, epistemology, philosophy of law, religion, science, history, education, and language. Covers 1940-present. Contains over 328,000 records as of August 2005. Monitors over 550 journals from more than 40 countries.

Recent Journals for Browsing

Watch for these authoritative journal titles when you are searching indexes and scanning footnotes. You can also browse the latest issues online or in paper because it takes some time for indexes to add newly published articles:

Early Science and Medicine
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Isis
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Published by the History of Science Society
Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences
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Nuncius
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Osiris
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An annual, dedicated to a specific theme in the history of science. Published by the editors of Isis.