Don't know where to start? The MSU Libraries offer a discovery layer or interface called SearchPlus. SearchPlus pulls together a large number of databases (including the Library Catalog) into a unified search engine, increasing one's chances of finding results by keyword or phrase. Whenever possible, links are provided directly to the online source identified.
So this is a great tool for undergraduates not knowing where to start. It is also a good starting point for graduate students and faculty looking for materials outside their established silos. Once you do a search; note how SearchPlus offers a large number of facets on the left side to refine your search.
SearchPlus is a starting tool. Advanced researchers will still want to explore more deeply in specialized databases, particularly those that are not covered by SearchPlus.
Please note:When seaching in SearchPlus, use the faceted date field to limit your search to a date range. Do not use the slider, as that only displays the date range for the viewable results (around 200---the results returned list may be larger in number).
Below is an additional list of selected indexes and databases relevant to Asian American or Pacific Islander American Studies, starting with some general coverage tools and progressing to more subject-specific tools. Use these to find articles and other research on your topic. For a more extensive list of databases (and electronic resources) available in the MSU Libraries, go to the Electronic Resources page.
Expanded Academic ASAP (1980 to date). Provides coverage of 3,000 indexed and 1,900 full-text titles in a wide variety of disciplines including: social science journals, humanities journals, science and technology journals, national news periodicals, general interest magazines, newswires, The New York Times and many others. More than 1,400 journals are peer reviewed, and more than 20 years of backfile coverage are included. Check out the browse subjections section for all the entries starting with Asian American, or narrower terms like Cambodian Americans, Chinese Americans, Hmong Americans, Japanese Americans, Korean Americans, Filipinos, or Vietnamese Americans for example!
JSTOR. Searchable database of the full text of journals covering a wide array of academic topics including anthropology, Asian Studies, ecology, economics, education, finance, history, literature, mathematics, philosophy, political science, population studies, and sociology. Years available vary with each title, but the most recent issues available in JSTOR will normally be 4-5 years old due to embargoes from publishers.
Periodicals Archive Online (1770-1995) is a database of millions of articles published in the arts, humanities and social sciences, across more than 300 years, by Proquest. Covers more than 3,000 journals.
Project Muse. This database provides access to two hundred humanities and social science journals from 29 not-for-profit, scholarly publishers. Years offered by each journal vary but usually are only the most recent issues. Muse is a unique collaboration between the participating publishers and the Milton S. Eisenhower Library at the Johns Hopkins University.
Proquest Research Library (indexing: 1971 to date; full-text: 1991 to date). Provides online access to an extensive collection of published material. You can search for information in thousands of different journals, periodicals, dissertations, newspapers, and magazines. Complete articles -- in full text, page image, or UMI's unique Text+Graphics format -- are available for many of the most popular and important sources. Provides full text coverage of over 400 journals. However, full text coverage varies by date from journal to journal.
Social Sciences Full Text (EBSCOHost)
Google Scholar, current. Google has created this database to speed location of reports and journal articles available on the Internet. Google is also working hard on facilitating links to subscription resources offered by university libraries. However not all the links work yet. So if you find an interesting article or resources via this database, be sure to check whether it is available via the MSU Libraries electronic or print collections.
Alt-PressWatch (Proquest). Full-text database of selected newspapers, magazines and journals of the alternative and independent press. Coverage complements the reporting in the mainstream press. Also listed under Newspapers.
Ethnic NewsWatch (Proquest). An interdisciplinary, bilingual (English and Spanish) and comprehensive full text database of the newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press. Designed to provide the "other side of the story," ENW titles offer additional viewpoints from those proffered by the mainstream press. Coverage varies by paper, but goes as far back as 1960 for some publications. Also listed under Newspapers.
America History and Life (1964 to date). Provides access to the citations of articles (and in some cases, the full text of articles), book reviews, and dissertations in American and Canadian history. Note : Access limited to 6 simultaneous users.
AnthroSource. The premier online portal serving the needs of educators, students, researchers, and practitioners. An online service of AAA, AnthroSource offers access to more than 100 years of anthropological knowledge.
EHRAF World Cultures. A cross-cultural database that contains information on all aspects of cultural and social life. The annually-growing eHRAF database is unique in that the information is organized into cultures and ethnic groups and the full-text sources are subject-indexed at the paragraph level. eHRAF is produced by the Human Relations Area Files, Inc. (HRAF) at Yale University. The mission of HRAF, a non-profit consortium of universities and colleges, is to encourage and facilitate worldwide and other comparative studies of human behavior, society, and culture. Includes materials on Chinese Americans, Korean Americans, North American Hmong, etc.
Communication and Mass Media Complete. Provides indexing and abstracting for more than 600 publications, and includes selected full-text coverage for more than 240 journals in communications, mass media, and related fields. Topics include (among many others) health communication, gender and communication, communication theory, and mass media.
Criminal Justice Abstracts (1968 to date). Contains hundreds of in-depth abstracts of current books, book chapters, journal articles, government reports, and dissertations published worldwide. Criminal Justice Abstracts also offers extensive coverage of new books from scholarly and commercial publishers and valuable reports from public and private agencies in many nations. For each document, a summary of the finding, methodology, and conclusions is provided. Topics include crime trends, prevention projects, corrections, juvenile delinquency, police, courts, offenders, victims and sentencing.
LexisNexis Academic. Provides access to full-text news, business, and legal publications, using a variety of flexible search options. One of the most heavily used databases in higher education,
LexisNexis Congressional.Provides users with efficient, targeted access to the most comprehensive collection of historic and current congressional information available anywhere online. This collection includes the full text of congressional publications (including hearings, reports, and documents), finding aids, a bill tracking service, and the full text of public laws and other research materials to enable both novice and experienced researchers to complete many types of research projects using a single, user-friendly interface. Since Congress is interested in all public policy, social, and economic issues, the database is an effective source for general research in many academic disciplines, in addition to research related to specific legislative proposals and laws. Note: not everything identified in this database is available full-text; however with the citation we can track down the items for you.
Proquest Statistical Insight. Provides users with access to statistical publications of the US government, state governments, international organizations, and professional associations.
PAIS International (including Archive) (1915 to date). Indexes selected books, government documents, and periodical articles on contemporary public issues and the making of public policy. Note: try Asian Americans, Pacific Islander Americans, Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, events, etc.
PsycInfo (including PsycArticles) (1887 to date). Contains summaries of the world's journal literature, of dissertations and technical reports, and of English-language chapters and books in psychology and related disciplines. Covers over 1300 journals in over 30 languages from approximately 50 countries. No full text content within PsycInfo, but there are links to full text in other databases, including PsycARTICLES. Also includes psychology articles from related disciplines such as sociology, linguistics, education, medicine, law, physiology, business, psychiatry, and anthropology.
Race Relations Abstracts. Includes bibliographic records covering essential areas related to race relations, including ethnic studies, discrimination, immigration studies, and other areas of key relevance to the discipline. The index contains more than 46,000 records, which are carefully selected from the most important sources within the discipline.
Sociological Abstracts (1952 to date). Provides access to the latest research in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Includes citations (and abstracts since 1974) for articles in over 1,500 journals. Draws information from an international selection of journals, serials, conference papers, books, and dissertations. Note: try Asian Americans, Pacific Islander Americans, etc.
Web of Science. Indexes science, social sciences, and arts and humanities information from nearly 9,300 of the most prestigious, high impact research journals in the world. Note: you can restrict your search to the Science Citation Citation Index (1900 to date), the Social Sciences Citation Index (1956 to date), or the Arts and Humanities Citation Index (1975 to date).
Confused?
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