Research Guides: Anthropology: Academic Databases, Journals, & Encyclopedias

Best Bets

This page provides general use databases and journal titles across all areas of anthropology, as well as some helpful encyclopedias.

If you would like to browse the physical collection in the building, you can search here, or you can browse in the following sections on the fourth floor:

GN 1-890	Anthropology
GN 62.8-265	Human Variation
GN 397 - 397.7	Applied Anthropology
GN 406 - 517	Cultural Traits, Customs, and Institutions
GN 537 - 674	Ethnic Groups and Races

The sub-pages are broken down to specific areas with more focused databases and journals for the different anthropology areas.

Key Databases

Academic Search Ultimate
Academic Search Ultimate includes peer-reviewed full text for STEM research, the social sciences and humanities. Scholarly content covers a broad range of important areas of academic study, including anthropology, engineering, law, sciences and more.
Web of Science
Cited Reference Search includes books, artwork, and other cited works. Analyze results identifies frequent authors, funders, universities, and journals for a search or topic.
GeoRef
Technical literature on geology and geophysics since 1785.

Good Starting Journals

Current Anthropology
Current Anthropology is a transnational journal devoted to research on humankind, encompassing the full range of anthropological scholarship on human cultures and on the human and other primate species.
American Anthropologist
American Anthropologist is the flagship journal of the American Anthropological Association. The journal advances the Association's mission through publishing articles that add to, integrate, synthesize, and interpret anthropological knowledge; commentaries and essays on issues of importance to the discipline; and reviews of books, films, sound recordings, and exhibits.
Anthropological Quarterly
While continuing to publish outstanding, original, data-driven articles that advance ethnography and anthropological theory, AQ also asks intellectuals to contribute to on-going public debates relevant to contemporary experiences and public debates. Topics include: war, racism, poverty, nationalism, globalization, human rights, and the social, legal, and ethical implications of new genetic technologies.
Anthropological Theory
Anthropological Theory is an international journal seeking to strengthen anthropological theorizing in different areas of the world. This is an exciting forum for new insights into theoretical issues in anthropology and more broadly, social theory.

Encyclopedias

Encyclopedias can help you find a topic for a paper or project, as well as general background information, definitions, and history on many anthropological terms and concepts.

Anthropology Resources for Librarians
Bibliography of anthropology resources for librarians, but potentially useful for students as well.

The Ashgate Research Companion to Anthropology
This companion provides an indispensable overview of contemporary and classical issues in social and cultural anthropology. Although anthropology has expanded greatly over time in terms of the diversity of topics in which its practitioners engage, many of the broad themes and topics at the heart of anthropological thought remain perennially vital, such as understanding order and change, diversity and continuity, and conflict and co-operation in the reproduction of social life.
Biographical Dictionary of Anthropologists
This biographical dictionary provides information on 322 men and women who have made or are making significant contributions in the field of anthropology. A short biography highlights each persons professional and private background and detailed analysis of the theories or approaches that each contributed to his or her individual field and a guide to their major published works are provided.