Dealing with Abbreviations
Journal names are often abbreviated in bibliographies, and deciphering them can be quite a chore.
Below is an online abbreviation lists from the American Journal of Archaeology as well as a more comprehensive print resource in our reference collection.
Dictionary of Bibliographic Abbreviations Found in the Scholarship of Classical Studies and Related DisciplinesCall Number: Central Reference 6th-flr Payne: PA99 .W44 2003ISBN: 0313321418
Conquering Call Numbers!
I've got a call #, now what?
Click the link below for more information.
Books, Articles and More!
Vanderbilt University Library Search
Selecting the best search scope for your research needs:
Everything vs. Library Catalog vs. Articles
| Search Scope | What is included? | When should I use it? |
| Everything |
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| Library Catalog |
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| Articles |
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For a more detailed explanation of your search scope options consult What am I searching?
Keyword vs. Subject Searching
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Step 1: Start your search process by brainstorming a list of keywords that describe the main concepts of your topic or question. |
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Step 2: Use these keywords for your initial searches. Step 3: Use the Subject Heading links in the Library Catalog record to refine your search. |
A Selection of Useful Subject Headings
Try a SUBJECT search using one of the Library of Congress Subject Headings listed below:
| Euripides | Trojan War |
| Homer Iliad | Euripides Andromache |
| Women and war | War Crimes History |
| Civilians in war | Human rights History |
| War (International law) | War Psychological aspects |
The following databases will help you find articles on your topic:
Classical, Medieval and World History
- Année Philologique This link opens in a new window
lndex for research in Classics. Entries cover articles, books, book reviews, Festschrifte, and other collections dealing with the ancient Greek and Roman world, from the second millennium BCE to approximately 800 CE.
- TOCS-IN: Tables of Contents of Journals of Interest to Classicists This link opens in a new windowTables of contents of classics, near eastern studies, and religion journals.
- Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index This link opens in a new windowIndex of journal articles, book reviews, and essays in books about women, sexuality, and gender during the Middle Ages.
- Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Index of academic historical journals on the history of the world (excluding the United States and Canada) from 1450 to the present, including world history, military history, women's history, history of education, etc.
- International Medieval Bibliography This link opens in a new window
Interdisciplinary bibliography of the European Middle Ages, covering Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Periodicals and miscellany volumes (conference proceedings, essay collections, Festschriften, and exhibition catalogues).
General Databases
- Gender Studies Database This link opens in a new window
Combines Women's Studies International and Men's Studies databases with the coverage of sexual diversity issues. Professional journals, conference papers, books, book chapters, government reports, discussion and working papers, theses & dissertations, websites, etc.
- HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive legal research database. Extensive coverage of law reviews and historical access to resources such as the Federal Register, the Code of Federal Regulations, and US Supreme Court decisions. Legislative history and select foreign and international materials. Contains specialized libraries: intellectual property, taxation and economic reform, etc.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowLarge and important archive for academic journals, books, and primary sources in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Many journals do not have current issues.
- ProQuest This link opens in a new windowSearch all ProQuest databases simultaneously. Includes arts, humanities, social sciences, news and science and technology.
Databases of interest: PsycInfo, Sociological Abstracts & Worldwide Political Science Abstracts.
What is 
?
FindIt@VU provides direct links from a database citation to the fulltext of the article (if available) and other supporting resources.
An FAQ for FindIt@VU is also available.
What are primary sources?
A primary source is a document or other sort of evidence written or created during the time under study, or by one of the persons or organizations directly involved in the event. Primary sources offer an inside view of a particular event. Some types are:
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Original Documents (excerpts or translations acceptable) |
Creative Works | Relics or Artifacts |
| Diaries | Poetry | Jewelry |
| Speeches | Drama | Pottery |
| Letters | Novels | Furniture |
| Minutes | Music | Clothing |
| Interviews | Art | Buildings |
| News Film Footage | Films | Tools |
| Autobiographies | ||
| Official Records |
A Selection of Online Resources for Primary Sources
- History Vault This link opens in a new windowDigitzed letters, papers,photographs, scrapbooks, financial records, diaries, and other primary source material. Collections of interest: Southern Life, Slavery and the Civil War, American Indians and the American West, 1809-1972, International Relations and Military Conflict, Women's Studies.
- First World War This link opens in a new windowCovers an array of international perspectives by showcasing intimate personal narratives, wartime propaganda and recruitment material, the truly global reach of the conflict, and the role of women in war through various documentary and visual forms.
- Sabin Americana This link opens in a new windowBooks, pamphlets, serials and other works about the Americas, through the early 1900s. Original accounts of exploration, trade, colonialism, slavery and abolition, the western movement, Native Americans, military actions, etc.
- Mass Observation Online This link opens in a new windowManuscripts from the Mass Observation project which studied the lives of ordinary people in Britain from 1937 into the early 1960s. Provides valuable information about Britain before, during, and after World War II, and about changes in attitudes to many topics in social and economic life.
- Socialism on Film This link opens in a new windowThis collection of films from the communist world reveals war, history, current affairs, culture and society as seen through the socialist lens. It spans most of the twentieth century and covers countries such as the USSR, Vietnam, China, Korea, much of Eastern Europe, the GDR, Britain and Cuba.
- Visual History Archive (USC Shoah Foundation) This link opens in a new windowStreaming video collection of primary source testimonies of survivors and witnesses of crimes against humanity.
- Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies This link opens in a new window
Collection of interviews with Holocaust survivors and witnesses that detail a wide range of experiences, including imprisonment in concentration camps, living in hiding, fighting with partisans or the resistance, rescuing and protecting those targeted by Nazi persecution, and escape to Allied or neutral countries.
First time users must register for an account then search for and request access to an initial testimony. You only need to request access to one testimony to obtain viewing rights for the entire collection. Users must always be logged in to the site to view videos. Detailed instructions for access can be found at http://fortunoff.library.yale.edu/archive/search.
Off-campus access is not working at this time.
Current News Resources
- ProQuest News and Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Direct link to the newspaper section of ProQuest. Includes Alt-Press Watch, Ethnic NewsWatch, GenderWatch, Latin American Newsstand, Canadian Newsstand Complete, ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest Historical Newspapers. Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Times of London, and The Tennessean.
- Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis Academic) This link opens in a new window
News and newspaper stories, federal and state court cases, US law reviews and journals, company profiles and directories. Company Dossier; data on public figures.
- Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new window
Journals, magazines, and newspapers from ethnic and minority presses. National and regional publications: African American, Caribbean, African, Arab, Middle Eastern, Asian/Pacific Islander, European, Eastern European, Hispanic, Jewish, Native People.
- Factiva This link opens in a new window
Business magazines, trade publications, and newspapers; includes the Wall Street Journal.
- World News Connection This link opens in a new windowArchive of foreign news translated into English. Newspaper articles, television and radio broadcasts, online sources, conference proceedings, periodicals, and non-classified reports.
Historical Newspapers
- New York Times (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
First-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.
- Wall Street Journal (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new windowHistorical access to the Wall Street Journal from ProQuest.
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new windowHistorical access to the following newspapers: Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta Daily World, The Baltimore Afro-American, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Defender, The Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Tribune, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cleveland Call & Post, The Commercial Appeal, Detroit Free Press, The Globe and Mail, Hartford Courant, The Jerusalem Post, The Jewish Advocate, The Jewish Exponent, Korea Times, Knoxville News Sentinel, Leftist Newspapers, Los Angeles Sentinel, Los Angeles Times, Louisville Courier Journal, Michigan Chronicle, New York Amsterdam News, The New York Times, New York Tribune, Norfolk Journal & Guide, The Philadelphia Tribune, Pittsburgh Courier, San Francisco Chronicle, South China Morning Post, St. Louis Post Dispatch, The Tennessean, The Times of India, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.
- Amnesty InternationalAdvocacy group that fights abuses of human rights around the world. Information organized by country or topic: includes news and publications and reports.
- Human Rights WatchBrowse by region, country or topic. Resources include news releases, reports, commentaries, letters and essential background information
- Sexual Violence Research InitiativeIssue page for sexual violence in conflict settings: includes overview, research reports and links to online resources.
- UN WomenUN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. Digital library contains manuals, briefs, papers, reports and more.
- UNICEFAcross 190 countries and territories, UNICEF defends the rights of children and young people. Resources available: news reports, statistics, country overview, and reports.
- Universal Declaration of Human RightsThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over 500 languages.
- Women for Women InternationalIn countries affected by conflict and war, Women for Women International supports the most marginalized women to earn and save money, improve health and well-being, influence decisions in their home and community, and connect to networks for support.
