Introduction
This subject guide highlights some key discipline resources to get you started with study and research.
- Refer to the New Students Library Guide for everything you need to know about Library services and resources.
- Build your researching, reading and writing skills with the Research Essentials Library Guide.
- Streamline your access to online resources with the Library's quick access tools.
Encyclopedias
- Oxford ReferenceOxford Reference collects encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries and other reference works into a single, large, searchable database. Highly recommended for quick facts and for building up your subject knowledge.
- Encyclopedia of Anthropology / edited by H. James BirxThis five-volume Encyclopedia of Anthropology is a unique collection of over 1,000 entries that focuses on topics in physical anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology, linguistics, and applied anthropology.
- 21st Century Anthropology: A Reference Handbook / edited by H. James BirxComprehensive, providing full coverage of key subthemes and subfields within the discipline, such as applied anthropology, archaeology and paleontology, sociocultural anthropology, evolution, linguistics, physical and biological anthropology, primate studies, and more.
- The SAGE Handbook of Social Anthropology / edited by Richard FardonWithin each section authors at the leading edge of the discipline contribute in-depth chapters on the central principles and latest developments in their area of expertise.
Databases and journals
Use databases to search across many academic resources (including peer-reviewed journals) at the same time.
Refer to the A-Z Ejournals and Databases page for a comprehensive list of available resources.
Core Arts and Humanities databases:
The selection of multidisciplinary databases below will retrieve results from different subject areas.
- Discovery (EBSCO)Use Discovery to look for books, ebooks, journal articles and more. It's a great place to start your search but does not give you everything the Library has.
- Google ScholarGoogle Scholar is one of the most popular ways to find academic sources for study and research. Did you know you can use it to search for journal articles that the University of Melbourne has access to? You can do this through the link above or set up your Google Scholar preferences to include Library content.
- JSTORJSTOR is one of the largest databases the Library has access to. It is a multidisciplinary database so it looks in thousands of journals in over a hundred subjects - many of them related to arts and humanities. Highly recommended as your first or second place to search.
- ProQuest CentralCovering more than 160 subjects areas, ProQuest Central is the largest aggregated database of periodical content. This award-winning online reference resource features a highly-respected, diversified mix of content including scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, books, newspapers, reports and videos.
- Scopus (Elsevier)Scopus is another large, multidisciplinary database. It looks through journals, books, and conference papers. It has some advanced tools that can help you discover new research quickly - the 'times cited' and 'related articles' links are great time-savers. While it doesn't always have full-text PDFs it is still an excellent place to look for your research.
- Web of ScienceWeb of Science is a massive, multidisciplinary database which includes a large amount of humanities and social sciences material from as far back as 1900. Like Scopus it has some advanced features that allows you to quickly link to related research.
Anthropology-specific databases:
For more focused results try searching in one of these subject-specific databases.
- Anthropological Index OnlineAIO looks through journals in fields related to anthropology that are held in the Anthropology Library and Research Centre at British Museum in London. It includes both articles and films.
- Anthropology Online (Alexander Street Press)Anthropology Online (also know as Ethnographic Video Online) is a primary source database that focuses on anthropology and ethnographic material. It includes written ethnographies, field notes, seminal texts, memoirs, and contemporary studies, covering human behavior the world over. You can browse by author/ethnographer, cultural groups, and subjects.
- AnthroSource (Wiley)AnthroSource is a well-known database that is run by the American Anthropological Association and includes full-text PDFs of articles from many of the top anthropology journals around the world.
Books
You can access print and eBooks via the Library Catalogue. To find books on a particular subject, try a keyword search:
To improve your searching skills, see the Research Essentials Library Guide. Note that you can search the catalogue in non-Latin scripts (including Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese and Korean).
For information on access and loans, including material from other libraries, see the borrowing from the library page. The eBook Guide provides information on eBook access.
Theses
Streaming videos and media
- Kanopy (Kanopy)Kanopy is a large major streaming media database. Most of the content is by independent filmmakers and producers and includes anthropological and ethnographic films and documentaries.
- Alexander Street Video- AnthropologyAlexander Street Press is another large media streaming database that includes over 2500 videos related to anthropology and ethnography in their 'Ethnographic Video Online' and 'Ethnographic Sound Archives Online' collections.
Research methods
Many disciplines rely on research methods to guide the process of conducting primary research.
To find methods for your discipline, do a keyword search in the Library Catalogue and add your discipline, e.g. Anthropology AND "research method*".
To get started, try some of the resources below:
- SAGE Research MethodsA great resource to help you understand specific research methods, conduct research, and write up findings. SAGE Research Methods Cases are original, specially commissioned, and designed to help you understand often abstract methodological concepts by introducing case studies of real research projects.
- SAGE internet research methodsGood starting point for conducting internet-based research.
- Ethnography : principles in practiceOffers a systematic introduction to ethnographic principles and practice, and includes a new chapter on 'Ethnography in the digital world'.
- Being ethnographic : a guide to the theory and practice of ethnographySets out the important definitions, methods and applications of field research whilst reinforcing the infinite variability of the human subject and addressing the challenges presented by ethnographers' own passions, intellectual interests, biases and ideologies. Classic and personal real-world case studies are used by the author to introduce new researchers to the reality of applying ethnographic theory and practice in the field.
Websites
You can find relevant information and resources for your research on the websites of professional organisations and bodies, institutes, NGOs, government departments, etc.
This guide gives a few suggestions to get you started and to give you an idea what to look for. It is by no means comprehensive. If you are a coursework student, check your LMS to see if your lecturer has provided website recommendations.
Tip: if you want to limit your Google search results to organisational, governmental, or educational websites, use Google's advanced search option to limit the site or domains to .org, .gov, .edu.
Some website suggestions to get you started:
- Australian Anthropological SocietyAAS is the home of the Australian Journal of Anthropology and the Q Newsletter, "a forum for anthropologists to disseminate information about upcoming conferences, important new publications, and theoretical issues of concern to the profession."
- The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and IrelandThe RAI is a network website that includes links to websites of important anthropological organisations around the world.
- American Anthropological AssociationAAA is one of the world's largest associations for professional anthropologists. This website provides a wide range of useful resources anthropological studies and research.
- World Council of Anthropological Associations"The WCAA is a network of national, regional and international associations that aims to promote worldwide communication and cooperation in anthropology."
Referencing and citing
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