Research Guides: EALC 247: Death and the Afterlife in East Asian Religions (HC/BMC): Develop your research even further: Databases and Journal Articles

Best Bets

The following databases provide access to journal articles from many disciplines. I recommend trying out these databases first. See what comes up and then change your search tactics accordingly.

ProQuest Arts and Humanities Database
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This ProQuest full-text journal database, formerly known as "ProQuest Arts and Humanities Full Text" has been created to complement the CSA Illumina portfolio of Arts and Humanities databases. Subscribers to any of these databases - including ARTBibliographies Modern, Design and Applied Arts Index, British Humanities Index, MLA International Bibliography and Philosopher's Index amongst others - can link directly from citations in these indexes to the corresponding full-text articles. The contents reflect the full interdisciplinarity of contemporary study in the arts and humanities, with the inclusion of selected titles from related fields that are also covered by these indexes, such as ethnic and area studies, politics, economics and women's studies.
JSTOR
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Provides full-text and page images from many of the top journals in most academic disciplines. Coverage is from the inception of the journal through three to five years ago.
Google Scholar
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Search for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports in all disciplines. Linked to Tripod.
Project Muse journals
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Provides access to journals published by the Johns Hopkins University Press. Disciplines covered are humanities, social sciences, and mathematics.

The following databases are very specific to certain subjects. Once you have an idea of your paper topic, try searching in these databases but if you don't find what you are looking for, don't fret! Try the broader databases as well (see above).

Art Full Text
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Offers abstracts of journals, museum bulletins and yearbooks in the fields of art, architecture, decorative arts and photography. Covers abstracts from 1929-present, full-text articles 1997-present.
Bibliography of Asian Studies
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Provides citations to journal articles, book chapters, conference proceedings, anthologies, and Festshriften on all subjects pertaining to East, Southeast, and South Asia. Covers 1971-present. Complete citations end with the 1991 records. Since 1992, newly published books are no longer being added.
ATLA Religion Database + ATLA Serials (American Theological Library Association)
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Provides online access to the entire core collection of more than fifty significant scholarly journals in the field of religion. Also provides citation information for journal articles, book reviews and essays for over 600 journals in the fields of religion and theology. Covers 1949-present.

Asia Studies
An open source site that provides access to journal articles on the larger Asian region.

History journals and indexes

Use the following sources if you want historical background on any given topic.

Historical Abstracts : this index provides abstracts of journal articles, books, book reviews, and dissertations that cover world history from 1450 to the present (excluding US and Canada).
Cambridge History of Japan : Provides political, economic and social history, philosophy and literature of Japan from the prehistoric period through the modern era. Bryn Mawr has the volumes available online.
Cambridge History of China : An excellent resource that covers topics based on historical period. Some are available online.

Image Sources

If you need high quality images for your papers, be sure to cite where you took your image from. Some reputable places to do so are the following databases, indexes, and reputable websites:

ARTstor A digital library that provides access to thousands of digital images derived from a variety of museum, library and archival collections. Images support a variety of disciplines including architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, and design. Register on the site in order to make personal image group folders and download images.
Japanese Digital Resources: Art : This page from the University of Pennsylvania identifies many websites for images. See in particular the section for databases of prints.
TriArte: Arts and Artifacts database of the TriColleges: TriArte features art and artifacts from Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore Colleges.