Ohio State Lima Philos/AFAMAST 3440 Starr Sp25: Home

Listed below are databases that can lead you to articles from scholarly journals in the field of history and related fields. If you want a refresher on using databases, please get in touch with us at the library.

For a complete list of all of OSU's African American and African Studies database, please click here.

For a complete list of all of OSU's databases, please click here.

So what is a peer-reviewed article? Peer-review is a process in which articles written by experts in a field of study are reviewed and critiqued by experts in that field before they are published. This process usually assures any reader of the quality of research. Below are the differences between peer-reviewed articles, and articles that are not peer-reviewed:

Articles that ARE Peer-Reviewed:

• Typically longer than 3 pages
• Written by an expert researcher or researchers 
• Contain a list of references
• Use complex language (i.e. methodology)
• Are usually more of interest to other experts than to the general public

Articles that ARE NOT Peer-Reviewed:

• News articles (i.e. Associated Press, Reuters)
• Magazine articles (i.e. People, Time)
• Trade or Professional publications (focusing more on working in a field than research)

There are some great tips and tools that you can use to make sure you’re getting peer-reviewed results:

• Use the “Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed” limiter in a database
• Examine the publishing journal’s official website
• Ulrichsweb, a database with information about periodicals indicates if an item is peer-reviewed
  • Never used Ulrichsweb before? Here's a Video Tutorial to show you how to use it!
• When in doubt, ask a librarian or your instructor

The Ohio State University Libraries' Special Collections collect, preserve, and promote the use of distinctive collections, unique resources and primary research materials. Our diverse collections are available for use by Ohio State University faculty and students as well as visiting scholars and the general public. Some of these special collections have been digitized and have been made available for you across campuses.

Black Studies Broadcast Journal - From 1970 until 1980 the Black Studies Broadcast Journal was an Ohio State University radio program that aired on WOSU. It was produced by the faculty and administration of the newly formed Black Studies Department and was an important platform for Ohio State's African American community.

Our Choking Times - Our Choking Times began in 1970 as the African-American students' newspaper. It was published until 1982 when its name changed to Spectrum and then Dimensions. Dimensions was published until the mid-1990s. Our Choking Times sought to provide a community forum and address frustrations of Black students across the university. The first issue’s manifesto set the tone for the paper’s activist ethos, holding Ohio State accountable for its lack of black professors and students, its lip service to diversity, and later, its investment in companies doing business with apartheid-era South Africa. 

For more information and other special collections related to African American History, please visit the Africana Studies LibGuide, developed by librarian Leta Hendricks.