Databases are great sources for finding information for your research paper. In databases, you will find peer-reviewed or scholarly articles, news articles, videos, and more for your research. Databases pull their information from a variety of Journals and other sources and compile it so that it is more easily found by the researcher. It is important to note that not any one database contains all the information a researcher needs, so be sure to check across several databases when searching for information.
Articles are traditionally found within journals in either print or electronic format. They are written by scholars, focused on a single topic, include citations and bibliographies (sometimes called references or works cited) and are considered academic sources if they have been peer reviewed.
An Electronic Journal (or E-journal) is a traditional journal that is in an electronic format; either because it was originally created that way, or because someone took a print journal article and scanned it to make it available electronically. They typically contain multiple articles, are published at consistent intervals, and are focused on a specific subject area.
A Database is what is created when a large number of electronic journals are put in one place and a search interface (usually a search box) is added to help find what you need. Both databases and electronic journals can be subject specific. Many journals are only available through your library and often contain the full text of the articles. When you have a database that only has the title or abstract, but not the full text, it is usually referred to as an Index.
Below is a list of databases that are specific to Anthropology. Please note that this is not a comprehensive list but rather a starting point. It is highly recommend that researchers start with either AnthroSource or Anthropology Plus.
Social Science databases are also good general sources to look at when searching for articles. While they may not contain as many subject specific articles, they may contain articles that do pertain to anthropology that may not appear in the other databases. However, the real importance of general social science databases are that they contain articles on topics or subjects that overlap with the field of anthropology. Remember anthropology is a highly interdisciplinary field of study, so the use of generalized databases is also very important when conducting research.
If there is a resource that FAU Libraries do not own or is checked out, you can request it through the Interlibrary Loan Department.
Florida Atlantic University Libraries
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