Africana
From Simmons Library Research Guides
We have selected these resources to help you find relevant information on your research topic. Please contact a librarian for help using the resources listed in this guide or for help with your research process.
Contents |
Reference and Background Information
Search for Reference sources that contain information about your specific research topic here:
You may also consult the resources below for overviews of the topic that you have chosen to research. Use these resources to help you to put your topic in context and give you the big picture of what information exists about your topic. These resources may have bibliographies at the end of each entry that can help further your research.
- Companion to African-American Studies
Level 1 Reference E184.7 .C65 2006
Containing contributions from over 30 scholars in the field, this resource offers a comprehensive re-appraisal of the history and future of African American studies as an academic discipline. An index and an extensive list of references are provided.
- Encyclopedia of Black Studies
Level 1 Reference E185 .E554 2005
A volume with long, in-depth entries on conceptual topics such as "African Americans and American Communism" and "Diopian Historiography," rather than specific people or events. Each entry includes a guide to further reading.
- Africana : The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience
Level 1 Reference DT14 .A37435 2005
A multi-volume set covering African history and the African diaspora. The entries are by known authorities in the field and are written for a general audience. These include biographies, regional overviews and information on key topics such as Affirmative Action and the Civil Rights movement.
- A Pan-African Encyclopedia
Level 1 Reference DT14 .P28 2003
A volume of short, academic entries primarily focused on broad political and cultural topics.
- African American Almanac
Level 1 Reference E185 .A37
A comprehensive starting point for information about Americans in the African Diaspora. It includes a time line, statistical information, and entries on topics such as law, history and culture.
- New York Public Library African American Desk Reference
Level 1 Reference E185 .N57 1999
A tool for quick fact-finding. Each section lists sources for additional research, and an alphabetical list of topics is included for easy searching.
Finding Articles
Below are suggested databases and indexes for articles on the topic that you have chosen to research. These databases include articles from newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals. Articles are shorter and more narrowly focused than books or reference materials so you should use them after you have narrowed your topic.
- Africa Bibliography
Level 1 Reference DT3 .A34
A set of volumes listing citations of works published during 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005. Citations are separated into specific categories, like "Ghana - History, 20th century," and arranged alphabetically.
- Ethnic Newswatch
Simmons Eresource
A comprehensive collection of newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic, minority, and native press in America - now with expanded international coverage. Includes 932,000 articles (over 203,000 of them in Spanish) from 275 publications with titles in both English and Spanish. Approximately 7,500 new articles are added each month. Updated monthly.
- Index to Black Periodicals
Level 1 Reference E185 .I53
These volumes are organized alphabetically by topic and contain citations for articles from various periodicals focused on African Studies and Africana.
- Index to Periodical Articles By and About Blacks
Level 1 Reference E 185. I54
A multi-volume set, this simple, unannotated index lists articles on African Americans and Africana in dictionary format. Coverage dates from 1973 to 1983.
- Freedom's Journal
Free Online
The first African-American owned and operated newspaper published in the United States. The Journal was published weekly in New York City from 1827 to 1829. All 103 issues are available in PDF format.
- JSTOR
Simmons Eresource
JSTOR offers both multidisciplinary and discipline-specific collections. Provides full-text backfiles of many core scholarly journals, some dating back to the 1800s. However, JSTOR is not the database for current issues as it focuses on older journals.
- Project MUSE
Simmons Eresource
Offers nearly 250 quality journal titles from 40 scholarly publishers. As one of the academic community's primary electronic periodicals resources, Project MUSE covers the fields of literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, economics, and many others. Project MUSE is setting the standard for scholarly electronic journals in the humanities and social science.
- Academic Search Complete
Simmons Eresource
Academic Search Complete is a great place to start your search for both popular and scholarly articles, no matter what your topic is! It contains journals from almost every topic and is designed specifically for academic institutions. It provides more than 5,300 full-text periodicals, 4,400 of which are peer-reviewed journals. This resource also features content as far back as 1865.
- Academic Onefile
Simmons Eresource
Academic Onefile contains 8,000 academic journals, the majority in full-text, available in HTML and PDF formats. In addition it contains hundreds of podcasts and transcripts from NPR, CNN, and the CBC.
- Expanded Academic ASAP
Simmons Eresource
From arts and the humanities to social sciences, science and technology, this database meets research needs across all academic disciplines. Access scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers - many with full text and images. Updated daily.
TIP: Use the Advanced Search for a more precise search!
- Sociological Abstracts
Simmons Eresource
A key resource for finding published research in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database draws information from an international selection of over 2,600 journals and other serial publications, plus conference papers, books, and dissertations. Use the Advanced Search for a more precise search.
- Social Sciences Index
Simmons E-resource
A database of abstracts and full-text articles from several social science publications. Updated weekly.
- Humanities Fulltext
Simmons Eresource
A database of article citations on topics in the Humanities, some available full-text. Includes content from more than 300 key humanities publications, including feature articles, book reviews, interviews, obituaries, bibliographies, original works of fiction (including dramas and poems), and reviews of plays, operas, ballets, dance, musicals, movies, and television and radio programs.
Searching the Web
Simmons librarians have created a customized search engine that allows you to find Africana information on the free web. Use this Africana Google Custom Search Engine box to search all select, quality free web sites at the same time:
You can also go directly to, or bookmark, the Africana Google Custom Search Engine
Tips for Searching the Internet:
- Use the advanced search function, which is available from most search engines:
- Google - See also "Advanced Search Tips"
- Ask - Click "Advanced." See also "Advanced Search Tips"
- Live (MSN) - See also "Options"
- Exalead - See also "Exalead FAQ"
- Yahoo! Search
- Limit your search to .edu and .gov sites. These often provide quality research, statistics, and commentary. Sites ending in .org often have good information, too, but are likely to espouse a strong stance or bias on the issues they cover and may not be objective.
- Try Scandoo, which presents search results from Google, Yahoo! Search, or Live (MSN) with an evaluation about the objectivity, credibility, and overall reliability of the site.
- Consider using a directory of pre-screened, annotated sites:
Writing Style and Citation
For more information on style and citation for this discipline, please contact the Simmons College Writing Center
You may also consider consulting these resources:
- Writing Resources
Free Online
The Writing Center provides online resources for citing your research. If you are unsure of which citation style to use, consult your professor and consider the following:- Use APA (American Psychological Association) when your topic is in the Social Sciences
- Use ASA (American Sociological Association) when your topic is in Sociology
- Use MLA (Modern Language Association) when your topic is in the Humanities
- Use Chicago/Turabian when your topic is in Literature, History or the Arts
- Use CSE (Council of Science Editors) when your topic is in the Sciences
- RefWorks
Simmons Eresource
RefWorks is a great program for organizing articles, books, and other materials you need for research. You can also use RefWorks to create bibliographies, create in text citations in your paper (Write-N-Cite), and share your research with others. Access RefWorks from the A-Z list of resources on the library's web page, and then follow the instructions to create your own username and password. We hold RefWorks Clinics throughout the semester. For more information, ask a reference librarian
