ANTH 691H: Honors Thesis Seminar in Anthropology: Discover research materials
Great starting points for anthropology research
A few key databases focused on Anthropology and Sociology may be helpful starting points -- but there are also many more resources that can be found on the E-Research by Discipline tab or by exploring other Research Guides on the library website.
Finding foundational readings
- Oxford Bibliographies OnlineProvides sophisticated online recommendations to the core scholarship on a subject as determined by experts in the field. Each module constitutes a convenient and comprehensive introduction to the essential body of literature that has shaped research on a topic. At the click of a mouse, you therefore have 24/7 access to expert recommendations that have been rigorously peer-reviewed and vetted to ensure scholarly accuracy and objectivity.
Each OBO subject database allows you to identify the core authors, works, ideas, and debates that have shaped the scholarly conversation so you can find the key literature. All the bibliographic essays have been peer-reviewed, and the specific entries are linked to full-text content available through the web or the UNC Library. The "My OBO" feature also allows you to create a personalized list of citations.
Subject specific databases & journal collections
- AnthroSourceDeveloped by the American Anthropological Association (AAA), AnthroSource provides over a century publications online. It has current issues of the AAA's most critical peer-reviewed publications and archives of all AAA journals.
- Ethnic NewsWatchA full-text collection of newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press. This collection of articles, editorials, columns, reviews, etc. provides a broad diversity of perspectives and viewpoints.
- GenderWatchFull-text collection of international journals, magazines, newsletters, regional publications, special reports and conference proceedings devoted to women's and gender issues.
- Historical AbstractsCovers the history of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding the United States and Canada) and indexes nearly 2,300 journals in over 40 languages.
Note: Limited to 6 users at a time. - ProQuest Social Science DatabaseResearch covering topics in sociology, social work, anthropology, and politics.
- PsycInfoDatabase from the American Psychological Association covering the academic research and practice literature in psychology and related disciplines (medicine, education, social work, etc.) from over 60 countries in more than 29 languages. It provides indexes to journals, dissertations, book chapters, books, technical reports, and other documents from 1887 to the present.
- PubMedDatabase of biomedical literature from the National Library of Medicine covering journal articles about medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, biology and public health from 1950 to the present; multiple mobile apps available, provides access to MEDLINE, etc. Includes links to full text of UNC-CH's electronic journal subscriptions.
- Sociological AbstractsDatabase covering over 2500 journals in sociology, both theoretical and applied, and related disciplines including anthropology, economics, education, medicine, community development, philosophy, demography, political science, and social psychology. Articles in 30 different languages from about 55 countries.
General and multidisciplinary search options
- Academic Search PremierFind information on academic areas of business, social sciences, humanities, general academic, general science, education and multi-cultural topics; resource provides access to major popular and scholarly journals with many full-text articles.
- Articles PlusIndex to hundreds of millions electronic resources, including journal and newspaper articles, e-books, dissertations, and media in campus library collections.
- Google ScholarEnables you to search specifically for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from all broad areas of research. Use Google Scholar to find articles from a wide variety of academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories and universities, as well as scholarly articles available across the web.
Google Scholar provides the "cited by" feature which traces an article's topic from the time of publication forward.The cited by link will show other articles that have cited this resource. When combined with an article's bibliography, you are then able to locate a project within a scholarly conversation. Be sure to configure your Google Scholar account so that you gain full access to articles provided by the University Libraries.
- JSTORProvides an image archive of important scholarly journal literature in nearly all the humanities and social sciences disciplines, international and foreign areas studies, and many of the sciences. UNC patrons have access to extensive retrospective holdings of hundreds of journals, starting with the first issues. Excludes the most recent 2-5 years of currently available journals.
Anthropology review articles, handbooks, and bibliographies (good for theory, background, and context)
Reviews of research are essays which summarize what has been published about a given topic in recent years.The most important source for such reviews in anthropology is the Annual Review of Anthropology. The titles below which begin with the word "companion" often contain useful overviews of research.
- American AnthropologistSee in June issues of American Anthropologist. Since 2009, each June issue of the American Anthropologist includes a series of articles which present useful overviews of research for the year in broad subfields of anthropology(archaeology, biological, linguistic, practicing, and sociocultural).
- Annual Review of AnthropologyThe Annual Review of Anthropology covers significant developments in the subfields of anthropology, including archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistics and communicative practices, regional studies and international anthropology, and sociocultural anthropology. The Annual Review of Anthropology synthesizes the large amount of primary research literature and identifies important contributions to the field. The Annual Review brings together expert Editorial Committees to facilitate meetings where members can discuss trends in each field and select relevant topics for review. Authoritative authors are then invited to submit reviews on the chosen topics.
- Routledge HandbooksRoutledge Handbooks (e.g., a general companion to anthropology research and contemporary anthropology and handbooks on medical, urban, environmental, and business anthropology)
- Wiley Online Library(e.g., companions to medical, political, organizational, and urban anthropology, and anthropology of the body and embodiment as well as the anthropology of various world regions)
Reference Resources
The Very Short Introduction Series from Oxford University Press (various print and ebook copies)
Very Short Introductions is a book series published by the Oxford University Press. The books are concise introductions to particular subjects, intended for a general audience but written by experts. Most are under 200 pages long.
Cambridge Companions (online)
A series of authoritative guides, written by leading experts, offering lively, accessible introductions to major writers, artists, philosophers, topics, and periods.
- Oxford Dictionary of National BiographyNational record of men and women who have shaped British history and culture, worldwide, from the Romans to the 21st century. Now provides links for the biographee to the Bibliography of British & Irish History, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Archives, Who Was Who, etc.
- Oxford African American Studies CenterCombines a rich array of historical and cultural information about the African American experience with selected primary documents, web sites, and maps. The material is compiled by Oxford University Press from their many reference works, such as Africana, Encyclopedia of African American History, various Oxford Companions, and the African American National Biography.
Research methods
Research Methods in Anthropology by
Research Methods in Anthropology is the standard textbook for methods classes in anthropology. Written in Russ Bernard's unmistakable conversational style, this guide has launched tens of thousands of students into the fieldwork enterprise with a combination of rigorous methodology, wry humor, and commonsense advice. Whether you are coming from a scientific, interpretive, or applied anthropological tradition, you will learn field methods from the best guide in both qualitative and quantitative methods.
ISBN: 9781442268845Publication Date: 2017-11-17
Anthropology by
Stanley R. Barrett's Anthropology has long been a premiere sourcebook for students, providing a comprehensive overview of both theory and method in the discipline. In this updated second edition, Barrett's discussion of the origins and evolution of anthropology remains, augmented by sections addressing recent changes and ongoing questions in the field. The second edition of Anthropology adds important new material on questions of culture versus power, Max Weber's thought, the potential of applied anthropology, and the rise of public anthropology, while briefly touching on the anthropology of globalization. As in the previous edition, Barrett remains committed to exploring the impact of postmodernism on the practice and theory of anthropology, positing that it is a formless and ultimately short-lived approach. Including case studies to demonstrate real-world applications of the theories discussed, Barrett's Anthropology remains an essential text for students and teachers of anthropology.
ISBN: 9780802096128Publication Date: 2009-09-19
Ethnographic Research in the Social Sciences by
This book is an essential guide to scientifically conducting contemporary ethnographic research at undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels in the social sciences, the humanities, and business studies. It addresses the methodological challenges of ethnographic research across the social sciences and highlights present time research areas, including digital ethnography, artificial intelligence, classroom pedagogy, hybrid organization, and many more. This volume is divided into three parts and can be a single source of reference that: Guides students through essential theoretical and conceptual aspects of ethnography Demonstrates the usage of ethnography in allied disciplines--psychology, healthcare, international border studies, linguistic, artificial intelligence, and organizational behaviour Demonstrates the application of ethnographic research in the field Presents valuable lessons from fieldwork experiences by different scholars across a variety of communities Includes dos and don'ts for early career and first-time researchers A step-by-step guide with student-friendly text, this book will be an essential supplementary reading across the social sciences and the humanities, especially for those conducting fieldwork in the Global South.
ISBN: 9781032480084Publication Date: 2023-06-14
Dissertations
- ProQuest Dissertations & Theses GlobalIndexes US dissertations from 1861 with full text available from 1997; masters theses covered selectively including some full text. Citations for dissertations from 1980 include 350-word abstracts, while masters' theses from 1988 have 150-word abstracts. Selectively covers dissertations from Great Britain and other European universities for recent years.
In addition to this database, the full text of the majority of UNC theses and dissertations from 2006, and all beginning in 2008, are freely available electronically from the UNC Library: Dissertations | Theses
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global can provide useful bibliographies and models for structuring your own work.
WorldCat
- WorldCatOCLC's WorldCat is the world's largest union catalog containing of millions bibliographic records for items in the collections of thousands of libraries from many countries. This database includes all the records cataloged by OCLC member libraries in several hundred languages.
The Big Five
Five publishers have bought up a large portion of academic journals. One benefit is that you can search across journals on their websites (the library pays for most of this content).