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History: Databases

The Dome of St Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

Databases provide access to high-quality peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, book chapters, dissertations and many other resources. 

These databases have been especially selected for this subject area. When carrying out your research for a piece of work, you will need to search more than one database to find all of the journal articles relevant to your topic, as each database covers different journal titles.

Database Spotlight

Image of Le Monde Newspaper

Le Monde Newspaper Archive 

The Library offers full-text online access to the Le Monde historical archive (1944–2000). This invaluable resource allows researchers and students to delve into the 20th-century content of this globally respected French newspaper, renowned for its independent analysis, balanced coverage, and high journalistic standards. Offering critical insights and opinions, Le Monde is essential for studying French society, culture, and politics, serving as a valuable additional voice for researchers examining this volatile period of recent history across Europe and beyond.  


With enhanced online access, users can explore significant events, key figures, and trends through detailed searches across articles, photos, ads, obituaries, cartoons, and more. The ProQuest platform also enables cross-searching with other major global newspapers like The New York Herald Tribune, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Times of India, and The Jerusalem Post. This feature enriches comparative research, allowing users to explore how different publications addressed the same issues, deepening their understanding of historical events and their impact on diverse cultures and societies. 

Essential databases

The following are important databases for this subject area, however if you don't see what you're looking for, please go to the Database Directory for History to browse a wider selection.

 

  • Arts & Humanities Citation Index Essential
    Arts & Humanities Citation Index is a multidisciplinary database covering the journal literature of the arts and humanities. Indexes world's leading arts and humanities journals with selected, relevant items from major science and social science journals. Searchable via Web of Science
  • Historical Abstracts with full text Essential
    Historical Abstracts with Full Text is an exceptional resource that covers the history of the world (excluding the United States and Canada) from 1450 forward, including world history, military history, women's history, history of education, and much more. This authoritative database provides indexing of historical articles from more than 1,800 journals in over 40 languages back to 1955. Representing scholarship from more than 90 countries, the database includes book citations, dissertations and theses, and coverage extends to related disciplines such as archaeology, anthropology and sociology. In addition to standard search features, Historical Abstracts with Full Text allows for searching by time period, a major advantage given the extensive range of its coverage. With over 800,000 records and access to the full text of more than 349 journals and more than 120 books, Historical Abstracts with Full Text is unmatched in its scope and breadth of historical and related social science literature.
  • JSTOR Essential
    Used by millions for research, teaching, and learning. With more than a thousand academic journals and over one million images, letters, and other primary sources, JSTOR is one of the world's most trusted sources for academic content.
  • Scopus Essential
    Scopus, the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature, features smart tools to track, analyze and visualize research. Scopus delivers an overview of the world's research output in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences and arts and humanities. As research becomes increasingly global, interdisciplinary and collaborative, you can make sure that critical research from around the world is not missed.
  • Bibliography of British and Irish History Essential
    The Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) provides bibliographic data on historical writing dealing with the British Isles, and with the British Empire and Commonwealth, during all periods for which written documentation is available - from 55BC to the present. It is the successor to the Royal Historical Society Bibliography of British and Irish History, available online from 2002 to 2009. The Bibliography aims to be as comprehensive as is practical for publications since 1900 and has been enriched by co-operation with other projects. Data from the London's Past Online project were added to the database in January 2003 and the first batch of data from Irish History Online was added in August 2004, with further batches from both projects being added later. From the end of 2006 the Bibliography has co-operated with teams working under the auspices of the Scottish Historical Review Trust which will henceforth edit the primarily Scottish titles in the database. All titles included in The Royal Historical Society Bibliography on CD-ROM (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998) are included in the database (with the exception of unpublished theses).
  • British Periodicals Essential
    This database provides access to the searchable full text of hundreds of periodicals from the late seventeenth century to the early twentieth, comprising millions of high-resolution facsimile page images. Topics covered include literature, philosophy, history, science, the social sciences, music, art, drama, archaeology and architecture.
  • Cambridge Histories Online Essential
    First published in 1902, the Cambridge Histories is a globally respected series of over 300 volumes spanning fifteen subject areas across the humanities and social sciences, with a concentration on political and cultural history, literature, philosophy, religious studies, music and the arts. Presenting history as a continuous and evolutionary process, the Cambridge Histories offer a big picture perspective in each subject area, making them essential reading for anyone researching or studying a subject that has an historical element. This site allows instant access to the renowned texts of the Cambridge Histories series, searchable by author, title and subject. Continually updated with new volumes taken from the print series as soon as they become available, this collection represents an impressive breadth and depth of scholarship that offers an unmatched resource for today's historians.
  • Medieval and early modern sources online: MEMSO Essential
    Medieval and Early Modern Sources Online (MEMSO) is an essential resource for the study of Britain and its place in the world during the medieval and early modern period (c.1100-1800). Combining the key printed sources for English, Irish, Scottish and Colonial history with original manuscripts and the latest web technologies. The manuscripts are arranged for easy viewing, and are linked with corresponding printed sources wherever possible.

Database Directory

You can use our Database Directory to browse a broader range of databases that are relevant to History as well as other subjects. The directory also allows you to identify databases that provide access to specific types of resources (e.g. Full Text Articles, Streaming Video, Patents, Theses and Dissertations, and much more).

Database Directory - History

 

 

Research at the University of Manchester

The University of Manchester's research is internationally recognised. Go to Research Explorer, Manchester's research database, to discover the breadth of research produced by staff across the University.

Browse research publications from the Department of History (please note: whilst many of the publications listed are available to access/Open Access, some records are for forthcoming titles awaiting publication).

 

Research Explorer Search Interface

 

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