Guides and databases: Anthropology: Databases

Key databases

The core database for Anthropology is the Anthropological Index Online. Given that there are several disciplinary strands that make up studying anthropology, also listed are database suggestions from other subject areas that would also be relevant to the various anthropology sections.

Core database for finding peer-reviewed literature for Anthropology

Anthropology Plus
See the LibrarySkills@UCL guide to EBSCOhost. Including the indexing from Anthropological Literature and Anthropological Index Online, Anthropology Plus provides worldwide indexing of core and lesser known journal articles, reports, commentaries, edited works, and obituaries in the fields of social, cultural, physical, biological, and linguistic anthropology, ethnology, archaeology, folklore, material culture, and interdisciplinary studies. Coverage is from the late 19th century to the present.

Key interdisciplinary databases for peer-reviewed literature in the social sciences and humanities

ASSIA Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts
ASSIA covers the literature of health, social services, psychology, sociology, economics, politics, race relations and education. The database abstracts and indexes over 500 journals and periodicals from 19 countries, including the UK and US
Humanities Index (BHI)
Previously called BHI: British Humanities Index. Index of published literature in the humanities, covering humanities journals and weekly magazines, as well as quality newspapers published in the UK and the United States.
IBSS: International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (ProQuest)
Index of literature in the social sciences and related subjects.
JSTOR
Archive of important scholarly journals. Core resource. Accessibility statement for JSTOR.
Project Muse
Full text of journals, mainly in the humanities and social sciences, with some scientific and medical titles. Accessibility statement for Project Muse.
ProQuest Central
ProQuest Central is the largest multidisciplinary database with over 11,000 titles, with over 8,000 titles in full-text. Over 160 subjects areas are covered including business and economics, health and medical, news and world affairs, technology, social sciences and more. Accessibility statement for ProQuest Central.
SCOPUS
See the LibrarySkills@UCL guide to Scopus. Multi-disciplinary database containing references to journal articles, conference proceedings, trade publications, book series and web resources. Please use IE 8 or higher, Google Chrome or Firefox browsers.
SocINDEX with Full Text
See the LibrarySkills@UCL guide to EBSCOhost. Sociology research database, which features more than 2.1 million records with subject headings from a 20,000+ term sociological thesaurus designed by subject experts and expert lexicographers. Containing full text for more than 860 journals dating back to 1908, 830 books and monographs, and over 16,800 conference papers.
Web of Science
See the LibrarySkills@UCL guide to Web of Science. Defaults to a ‘Core Collection’ search, covering the main Web of Science journals database; select 'All Databases' option from the drop down menu to cross-search all of UCL's subscribed Web of Science products, including Biosis, MEDLINE etc.

Key databases for social and cultural anthropology and material culture

AATA Online
Abstracts of literature related to the preservation and conservation of material cultural heritage, including works of art, material culture, and archaeological and architectural sites and materials.
Art & Architecture Archive, 1895-2015
Full-text archive of art and architecture magazines, dating from the late-nineteenth century to the twenty-first. Subjects covered include fine art, decorative arts, architecture, interior design, industrial design, and photography. Accessibility statement for Art & Architecture Archive, 1895-2015.
Art & Architecture Source
See the LibrarySkills@UCL guide to EBSCOhost. This database covers a broad range of related subjects, from fine, decorative and commercial art, to various areas of architecture and architectural design.
Art, Design and Architecture Collection (ProQuest)
This collection includes the specialist indexes ARTbibliographies Modern (covering modern and contemporary art), Design and Applied Arts Index (for all aspects of design and crafts) and the International Bibliography of Art (covering scholarship on Western art history), together with a complementary collection of current full-text journals, Arts and Humanities database.
Berg Fashion Library
Provides access to interdisciplinary and integrated text and image content on world dress and fashion. It covers all regions of the world, with in-depth content from pre-history to the present day contributed by internationally-renowned scholars. Accessibility statement for Bloomsbury Berg Fashion Library.
Design and Applied Arts Index (DAAI)
Design and Applied Arts Index (DAAI) is the leading source of abstracts and bibliographic records for articles, news items, and reviews published in design and applied arts periodicals from 1973 onwards. An indispensable tool for students, researchers, and practitioners worldwide, DAAI covers both new designers and the development of design and the applied arts since the mid-19th century, surveying disciplines including ceramics, glass, jewellery, wood, metalsmithing, graphic design, fashion and clothing, textiles, furniture, interior design, architecture, computer aided design, Web design, computer-generated graphics, animation, product design, industrial design, garden design, and landscape architecture. Around 1200 new records are added in each monthly update.
GEOBASE
A human geography and physical geography database. It contains scholarly information on many human geography topics such as migration, transnationalism and globalisation.
SocINDEX with Full Text
See the LibrarySkills@UCL guide to EBSCOhost. Sociology research database, which features more than 2.1 million records with subject headings from a 20,000+ term sociological thesaurus designed by subject experts and expert lexicographers. Containing full text for more than 860 journals dating back to 1908, 830 books and monographs, and over 16,800 conference papers.

Key databases for biological anthropology

BIOSIS Citation Index
See the LibrarySkills@UCL guide to BIOSIS Citation Index. Get a comprehensive view of life sciences research, including the most important discoveries, significant influences and relevant connections. Biosis Citation IndexSM combines critical life sciences research with powerful citation indexing.
PrimateLit
The proprietary software used to develop Primate-Lit in a format easily viewed on the Internet no longer exists. The raw data files are archived at MINDS@UW, please see their FAQs
ScienceDirect
Information source for scientific, technical, and health research. Contains full-text scientific database offering journal articles and book chapters from nearly 3,800 journals and more than 35,000 books. Accessibility statement for ScienceDirect.

Key databases for medical anthropology

CINAHL Plus
See the LibrarySkills@UCL guide to EBSCOhost. This database can be accessed by no more than 4 users at a time. The authoritative source of information for the professional literature of nursing, allied health, biomedicine, and healthcare.
EMBASE
See the LibrarySkills@UCL guide to Ovid. Comprehensive pharmacological and biomedical database renowned for extensive indexing of drug information.
MEDLINE (Ovid version)
See the LibrarySkills@UCL guide to Ovid. Index of journal articles from the National Library of Medicine. Covers medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and the preclinical sciences. Includes EPub Ahead of Print citations.
PsycINFO
See the LibrarySkills@UCL guide to Ovid. Index of literature in psychology and psychological aspects of related disciplines.
PubMed
See the LibrarySkills@UCL guide to PubMed. Please view the instructions on how to see findit@UCL links in PubMed when offsite. PubMed is an index of biomedical literature, including all data from the Medline database from National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the US National Library of Medicine (NLM).

Key databases for linguistic anthropology

Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA)
Index of journal articles covering all aspects of the study of language including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. Complete coverage is also given to various fields of linguistics including descriptive, historical, comparative, theoretical and geographical linguistics.See Linguistics Database (ProQuest) for full-text of some journals covered.
Linguistic Minorities in Europe Online
Linguistic Minorities in Europe Online provides comprehensive documentation of indigenous and immigrant linguistic minorities in Europe. Accessibility statement for De Gruyter.

Key databases for public anthropology

ABI/INFORM Collection (ProQuest)
Search a complete database comprising full-text business periodicals and news sources from ABI/INFORM Global, Dateline, and Trade & Industry. Accessibility statement for ABI/INFORM Collection (ProQuest).
AES E-Library
The digital repository of the Audio Engineering Society, documenting the progression of audio research, featuring research papers, articles, and materials spanning across every AES journal, conference, and convention. Includes over 20,000 documents from 1953 onwards.
Business Source Complete (EBSCO)
See the LibrarySkills@UCL guide to EBSCOhost. Business Source Complete is a scholarly business database, providing a collection of bibliographic and full text content. Accessibility statement for Business Source Complete.
Performing Arts Database (ProQuest)
Previously entitled International Index to Performing Arts (IIPA) Full Text. Covering the arts and entertainment industry-including dance, drama, theatre, performance, opera, film and television.
Screen Studies Collection
Cross-searches American Film Institute Catalog (AFI), Film Index International (FII) and FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals Database.

Also have a look at the audio visual resources page of this guide. This lists film streaming databases available through UCL Library.

Key databases for ethnographies and primary sources

Anthropological Fieldwork Online
This fully indexed, primary source database unfolds the historical development of anthropology from a global perspective, bringing together the work of early scholars who shaped the theories and methods studied today.
Anthropology Online
Anthropology Online brings together a wide range of written ethnographies, field notes, seminal texts, memoirs, and contemporary studies, covering human behavior the world over.
eHRAF Archaeology
An online cross-cultural database containing information on world’s prehistory organized by archaeological traditions. The documents are subject-indexed at the paragraph level
eHRAF World Cultures
An online cross-cultural and ethnographic database containing descriptive information on all aspects of cultural and social life. The annually-growing eHRAF database is organized by cultures and ethnic groups, and every document is subject-indexed at the paragraph level, facilitating precise retrieval within documents.
Mass Observation Online
Featuring, amongst other material, original manuscript and typescript papers from the Mass Observation organisation. The archive was developed to create an 'anthropology of ourselves' and study the everyday lives of ordinary people in Britain. Accessibility statement for Mass Observation Online.
Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (RAI) Digital Archive
Includes nearly one million pieces of unique content, including research data, papers, fieldwork, drawings and photographs, and a wealth of previously uncatalogued material.

Key databases for works of anthropological theorists

Social Theory
This database offers an extensive selection of documents that explore the complexities and interpret the nature of social behavior and organization. Particular care has been taken to index this material so that it can be searched more thoroughly than ever before. The current release features more than 150,000 pages of content by major theorists.

Key databases for newspapers: current coverage and archives

Al-Ahram Digital Archive
Founded in 1875, Al-Ahram (الأهرام‎, “The Pyramids”) is one of the longest-running newspapers in the Middle East. It is one of Egypt’s most authoritative and influential newspapers, and one of the most important newspapers in the Arab world, with a circulation of over 1 million
African American Newspapers, Series 1: 1827-1998
Providing access to 280 U.S. newspapers and chronicling a century and a half of the African American experience, this collection includes papers from more than 35 states and features many rare and historically significant 19th-century titles. Accessibility statement for African American Newspapers, Series 1: 1827-1998.
African American Newspapers, Series 2: 1835-1956
This database complements and expands on African American Newspapers, Series 1, 1827-1998 with more than 75 newly available newspapers all written for or by African Americans. The focus is on the lives of African Americans as individuals, an ethnic group and Americans. Accessibility statement for African American Newspapers, Series 2: 1835-1956.
African Newspapers: The British Library Collection
This collection, originally archived by the British Library, features nearly 60 newspapers from across the African continent, all published before 1900.
British Library Newspapers
Cross-search with other Gale/Cengage primary sources in Gale Primary Sources. British Library Newspapers consists of collections from the British Library which span three hundred years of newspaper publishing in the U.K. The resource consists of six collections and covers the period from 1732-1950. Accessibility statement for British Library Newspapers.
Caribbean Newspapers, 1718-1876
Focuses on the evolution of the region across two centuries chronicled within more than 140 titles from 22 islands
Eastern European Newspapers
Newspapers published in Eastern Europe between 1835 and 1922.

The Economist
Current access to the Economist is via ProQuest Central.

Economist Historical Archive, 1843-2020
Cross-search with other Gale/Cengage primary sources in Gale Primary Sources. The Economist Historical Archive delivers a complete searchable copy of every issue of The Economist from 1843 to 2020. The Economist presents the world's political, business, scientific, technological and cultural developments and the connections between them.
Financial Times (FT.com)
Access for UCL students and staff only. UCL username and password required. Registration is required on first visit to enable off-site and ePaper access. UCL users also have access to the app
Gale OneFile News
Gale OneFile: News provides access to more than 2,300 major world newspapers, and includes thousands of images, radio and TV broadcasts and transcripts.
Gale Primary Sources
Cross search many of Gale Cengage's databases in one platform. Contains archives of newspapers such as The Financial Times, The Times, The Telegraph, and others.
Imperial Russian Newspapers
The Imperial Russian Newspapers collection comprises out-of-copyright newspapers spanning the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, up to the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution
Irish Newspaper Archives
Covers Irish newspapers from both North and South of the Irish border dating from 1738 to the present day. This archive contains over 9 million pages of content from 106 publications.
Jerusalem Post, 1932-2008: ProQuest Historical Newspapers
Founded in 1932 as The Palestine Post, this paper fervently supported the struggle for a Jewish homeland and freely opposed British restrictions on Jewish immigration. The publication came to be known as The Jerusalem Post in 1950. Over the decades, the paper espoused a left-leaning perspective that shifted to the right in the 1980s. The Jerusalem Post archives (1932–2008) tells firsthand the history of the state of Israel
Late Qing and Republican-Era Chinese Newspapers
Following the 1912 establishment of China’s first post-imperial government, the Republic of China, the country experienced both industrial and social revolution, a civil war during which communist and nationalist forces battled to shape the country’s future, and looming external threats during both world wars. This collection of Chinese Newspapers provides invaluable perspective on this critical period. The press of more than twenty cities is represented, spanning the Chinese mainland and the entire half century.
Latin American Newspapers, Series 1: 1805-1922
This database provides more than 50 fully searchable Latin American newspapers published in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Featuring titles from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and elsewhere
Latin American Newspapers, Series 2: 1822-1922
The second series of digitized Latin American Newspapers expands the number of searchable titles available from this region. Providing issues from more than 250 additional titles, this online series includes newspapers published in English, Spanish and Portuguese from 20 countries, including some countries and cities not represented in the inaugural collection of Latin American Newspapers.
Le Monde, 1944-2000 : ProQuest Historical Newspapers
Written in the French language and dating from 1944 to 2000 ProQuest's Le Monde archive covers leading issues and events, such as World War II and the Fifth Republic, French, European and international politics, society and business.
Nexis
News database. Provides international, national, and local newspaper coverage, back to the 1980s for most titles. Text only, no images.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers
Search the historical archive of The Guardian, The Observer, The South China Morning Post, The Times of India, Le Monde, and 13 major American newspapers including The New York Times. Click "i" for a full coverage list.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chinese Newspapers Collection
Providing insight into Chinese political and social life during the turbulent 120 year period from 1832 to 1953 with 12 English-language Chinese historical newspapers.
ProQuest News & Newspapers
Searches ProQuest Newsstream and Historical Newspapers databases
Southeast Asian Newspapers
Covering countries including Myanmar (formerly Burma), Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, and multiple languages including Dutch, English, French, Javanese, Spanish, and Vietnamese, the Southeast Asian Newspapers collection incorporates a wealth of coverage and perspectives on major regional and global events of the late 19th and 20th centuries.
World News in Indian Newspapers, 1782-1908
This collection contains copies of three English language newspapers published in India during the period 1782-1908: The India Gazette (1782-1834); The Bengal Hurkaru and Chronicle (1822-1866); and The Bengal Times (1876-1908

Key databases for research methods

SAGE Research Methods
Combining content from Sage books, journals, case studies, datasets and references works to help users explore methods concepts when designing research projects, conduct research, and write up findings. Access to all areas including Datasets and Doing Research Online. Some video contents is available - refine by 'Available to me'. Foundations content is now included. Accessibility statement for SAGE Research Methods.

Library Databases

Library databases A-Z
Browse or search our databases by title, or use the Subject drop down box at the top to narrow down to databases in your subject area.

What is a database?

Newspapers

The Library provides online access to many historic and current newspapers from around the world. You can access them by:

Searching by individual title in Explore.
Searching across collections using Newspaper collection databases.

Newspaper collections at UCL
Details on the many online newspapers to which UCL subscribes, and how UCL staff and students can find and access them.