Los Angeles Valley College Library: Anthropology Research Guide : Find Sources

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Also known as "Scholarly Articles," "Peer-Reviewed Articles," or "Academic Articles." These sources are written and reviewed by scholars; this means the information is approved by other experts before publication.

Key Features of Journal Articles:

Provide new research, analysis, or information about a specific topic
- The information is based on research and expertise
Usually focused on a narrow subject or a single case study
Intended for an academic audience

Find Anthropology Articles:

Social Science Database (Proquest) This link opens in a new window
Extensive journal coverage across a wide range of social science disciplines including anthropology, communication, criminology, economics, education, political science, psychology, social work, and sociology.
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive database covering information concerning topics in emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry & psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational & experimental methods. Full text coverage for nearly 400 journals.
SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Research database covering sociology and related disciplines, including social work, gender studies, criminal justice, social psychology, racial studies, and religion. This database provides access to over 900 full-text, peer reviewed journals as well as 440 full text journals indexed in Web of Science or Scopus.
Anthrosource This link opens in a new window
Database of the American Anthropological Association (AAA). It offers full-text anthropological resources from AAA journals, newsletters, bulletins and monographs.
JSTOR Archival Journals This link opens in a new window
Full-text scholarly and peer-reviewed journal articles across many disciplines. Please note this archive does not include current issues -- a three to five year delay is typical for most publications. Coverage includes economics, philosophy, political science, language and literature, history, art and art history, archaeology, classics, music, film studies, psychology, health policy, public policy, folklore, performing arts, religion, and more.

Full List of Social Science Databases

Unlike journal articles, scholarly books: Book shelf in a library

Are written on a broader, general subject
Are written for a broad audience (easier to read than journal articles)
May contain a collection of related chapters by different authors
Contain less recent information, due to the lengthy publication process

Remember: you may only need to read one chapter of a scholarly book!

Find Books & eBooks:

OneSearch This link opens in a new window
OneSearch is the Library's "discovery" platform. It searches our collection of print books and provides access to ebooks and articles from select databases.

List of eBook databases

camera used to film documentaries

In the field of Anthropology, it can be useful to use films and documentaries to better understand a research topic of interest. Anthropology students may want to find and watch documentaries in order to:

supplement theoretical knowledge with practical examples in an immersive, dynamic way
gain visual insights into diverse cultures
observe social practices
enhance understanding of fieldwork methods

The following streaming video databases feature a wide coverage of content in the discipline of Anthropology.

Find Documentaries:

Films on Demand This link opens in a new window
With more than 40,000 titles, Films on Demand features content that will both educate and entertain, covering a wide range of curricular subjects, including history, biology, business and economics, engineering, computer science, technical and trade skills, art and architecture, music and dance, philosophy and religion, geography, environmental science, anthropology, language and literature, mathematics, psychology, sociology, political science, and more. Producers include A&E, PBS, BBC Learning, National Geographic, ABC News, NBC News, CNBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, HBO Documentary Films, PBS NewsHour, Open University, Bill Moyers, California Newsreel, Annenberg Learner, TED, Films for the Humanities & Sciences, and more.
Academic Video Online (AVON) This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary streaming video database with more than 62,000 titles curated for higher education. Alexander Street includes a range of scholarly video material including: documentaries, interviews, performances, news programs and newsreels, field recordings, commercials, demonstrations, original and raw footage. Also included are thousands of award-winning films, Academy®, Emmy®, and Peabody® winners along with new releases, archival material, and titles frequently used for classroom instruction.

pre-columbian mesoamerican artifact

"Artifact" refers to any object created, modified, or used by humans that holds cultural, historical, or archaeological significance. Examples include tools, pottery, artwork, and structures. Studying images of artifacts can help anthropology researchers:

visually analyze material and culture
understand technological advancements
trace cultural evolution
decipher symbolic meanings

Use the databases/links below to search for images of artifacts

Find Artifacts:

JSTOR Images This link opens in a new window
A cross-disciplinary collection of more than 2.5 million curated images that have been rights-cleared for use in education and research. Scholars can examine wide-ranging material such as Native American art from the Smithsonian, treasures from the Louvre, and panoramic, 360-degree views of the Hagia Sophia. Unlike results from Google or other search engines, images come with metadata from the collection catalogers, curators, institutions, and artists themselves.

Smithsonian Department of Anthropology Archives and Collections
The Smithsonian, Department of Anthropology maintains ethnographic, archaeological and human biological collections numbering over two million items from around the world and employs state-of-the-art collections management and care.
British Museum Collections
Allows access to almost four and a half million objects in more than two million records.

Video: Types of Sources

In the following video [3:54], you will learn how to select a resource appropriate to your information need, the importance of analyzing a resource’s capabilities and constraints, and how to determine if a resource has quality information.

Note: clicking on the image below will open the video in a new tab or window.

Anthropology Research Guide

Citation Resources

Additional Help