LibGuides: HIS2070: Doing History: Articles and Databases

How to Search Databases Demo Video (8 min.)

This eight-minute video covers how to search databases available through Ryan Library.

Library Databases with Primary and Secondary Sources

Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources through Library Databases

(Note: You will be prompted to enter your PLNU username and password.)

Primary Sources: When using the three EBSCO databases below, in Advanced Search, limit the Publication Type to Primary Source:

Secondary Sources: See the box to the right for a list of history databases. These databases are good places to search for secondary sources on your topic.

Tertiary Sources: Online and Print Encyclopedias

Ryan Library provides hundreds of print encyclopedias in the Reference Area. And we provide access to over 790 reference books simultaneously through Credo Reference database. Encyclopedias are helpful resources to find background information on your topic.

Credo Reference Database

Google Scholar

Use Google Scholar to access citations to and some full-text of academic articles. Use Interlibrary Loan to request the full article, if needed. NOTE: You will have access to many more full-text articles when searching Google Scholar while on campus at PLNU. When off campus, you will have access to fewer full-text articles. If you would like a librarian to search for a full-text article for you from campus, send an email with the article's citation to RefLib@pointloma.edu.

Library Databases on History

Recommended databases for Doing History (HIS2070):

NOTE: All databases require a PLNU login.

Academic Search Premier This multi-disciplinary database provides full text for more than 4,500 journals, including full text for more than 3,700 peer-reviewed titles.
ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials An index to journal articles, book reviews, and collections of essays in all fields of religion with American Theological Library Association (ATLA)'s online collection of major religion and theology journals. This database begins in 1949 although indexing for some journal titles extends back into the nineteenth century. Within EBSCO, combine databases with Christian Periodical Index and Academic Search Premier to search for even more articles in religious publications.
JSTOR This multi-disciplinary database offers full-text access to journal issues and pages as they were originally designed, printed, and illustrated. With more than a thousand academic journals and over 1 million images, letters, and other primary sources, JSTOR is one of the world's most trusted sources for academic content.
ProQuest Religion The database includes over 135 titles, with more than 120 available in full text. The database provides details on doctrines and philosophies, reports on religious history and related archeology, and covers formal theological studies and commentary on topics of general interest from the perspectives of specific religions. Primary faiths represented in the database are Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism.

Additional databases recommended for History students include:

OmniFile Full Text Mega This multi-disciplinary database contains a wealth of essential material for learning and detailed research in a single, easily-searched database. With the full text of articles from over 2,500 publications, and indexing and abstracts from nearly 3,600 publications, this database provides invaluable support for research in all core undergraduate subjects and for cross-disciplinary work.
Christian Periodical Index Christian Periodical Index provides indexing for journal articles and reviews in journals primarily from an evangelical Christian perspective. Coverage includes over 140 publications from a broad spectrum of knowledge — science, literature, medicine, music, philosophy, history, sociology, nursing, and education — dating back to 1976. Within EBSCO, combine databases with ATLA and Academic Search Premier to search for full-text information from even more articles in religious publications.
Social Sciences Full Text This standard resource covers every area of the Social Sciences, including addiction studies, anthropology, corrections, criminal justice, gender studies, geography, law. mass media, minority studies, political science, psychology and social work. It provides indexing and abstracting for 625 periodicals as far back as 1983, nearly 400 of which are peer reviewed. Full-text content of over 200 journals is available back to 1995.

(Hint: Since these are EBSCO databases, you can search the three databases above, along with Academic Search Premier and ATLA, at the same time by clicking on "Choose Databases" once you are inside one of the databases. Check the box of the names of the databases you would like to search simultaneously. Or search all EBSCO databases simultaneously by using the Articles tab on the Library's homepage.)

Cambridge Histories Online This unique historical reference compendium allows access to the renowned texts of the Cambridge Histories series from Cambridge University Press. With access to over 350 volumes of up to date and authoritative scholarly content, Cambridge Histories Online is an invaluable resource, for undergraduates, graduates, and faculty alike.
Historical Statistics of the United States This resource is an online version of the standard source for the quantitative facts of American history.
Women and Social Movements in the U.S., 1600-2000 This full-text database focuses on the history of women in social movements in the U.S. between 1600 and 2000. Includes biographies of missionaries.

The Other Sheep: Available Online and In Print

The Other Sheep was a monthly journal devoted to the Foreign Missionary interests of the Church of the Nazarene. Ryan Library provides print periodicals for the titles and date ranges listed below. All periodicals are organized alphabetically by title and located on the Lower Level of Ryan Library:

Nazarene Missionary journal has changed names over the years:

Other Sheep: 1913-1974 (v. 1-61)

World Mission: 1974-1998 (v. 1-24)

Holiness Today: 1999-2019 (v. 1-21)

NOTE: Several indices have been created for The Other Sheep, though they are not comprehensive. See this Google Drive to find indices for years 1913-1918 and 1953-1974. (The 1953-1974 index is attached at the bottom of this box.)

The Wesleyan Holiness Digital Library (WHDL) provides global online access to a wealth of Wesleyan-Holiness resources, including archival materials. WHDL was initiated by the global Church of the Nazarene and serves as the institutional repository for Nazarene universities.

The WHDL contains some digital copies of issues from 1931 to 1951 of The Other Sheep. (Note: Click on 'Download PDF' to read online or actually download. When dowloaded, you can keyword search the downloaded PDF using the Cntl+F shortcut for PCs or Cmmd+F for Macs.)

Herald of Holiness (general publication of the Nazarene denomination; later changed names to Holiness Today):

sporadic digitized coverage between 1953-1977

Other Sheep Index 1953-1974