UWM Libraries Research and Course Guides: AADS 311: African Religious Thought and Social Organization : Search for Scholarly Articles

Finding Scholarly Articles

Searching in Article Databases

This video demonstrates how to search a database (search tool) to find scholarly sources. All databases look a little different, but most will have similar features like a search box and features for filtering your search results.

Black Studies Center
Black Studies Center is a fully searchable gateway to Black Studies including scholarly essays, recent periodicals and historical newspaper articles.
Ethnic NewsWatch
Ethnic NewsWatch incorporates both current Ethnic NewsWatch and Ethnic NewsWatch: A History, providing a full-text collection of more than 2.5 million articles from over 330 titles, from 1959 to current. Ethnicities include: African American/Caribbean/African; Arab/Middle Eastern; Asian/Pacific Islander; European/Eastern European; Hispanic; Jewish; Native People.
JSTOR
JSTOR is not a African and African Diaspora Studies database, but it has lots of African Studies and Black Studies Journals. Choose the "Advanced Search" option when you open JSTOR, and then check the box for "African Studies" or "African American Studies" that's located underneath the "Journal Filter" section. There are Caribbean Studies and Afro-Latine Studies Journals listed under the filter for "Latin American Studies."

Searching in Article Databases

Recognizing Scholarly Sources

Use the "Get-It" feature to find Full-text Articles

Use LibKey Nomad Browser Extension for Off-campus Research

LibKey Nomad is a browser extension that makes off-campus searching easier. While searching, you can quickly see which articles are available to you through UWM Libraries. LibKey Nomad works on publisher websites, PubMed, and even Wikipedia to connect you to scholarly resources. If UWM does not have the full text, LibKey Nomad will link you to Search@UW where you can make an InterLibrary Loan request.

LibKey Nomad connects you to resources while preserving your privacy. No personal account is needed, and LibKey Nomad does not track users or store your ID after you close your browser. When you click on a LibKey Nomad link, it will take you to UWM's ePanther login and then straight on to the full-text article. After you login once, you won't have to login again until you close your browser.

Getting Started

Install the LibKey Nomad extension on your browser
Search for and select University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from the list of institutions
- The LibKey Nomad icon will appear in the top right of your browser window
Start your search
- When you are on a page where you can download an article, the LibKey Nomad button will appear in the bottom left of your browser

Watch the video below to learn more and see how to install LibKey Nomad on your computer.

Still have questions?

Check out the LibKey Nomad Technical FAQ or contact UWM's LibKey administrator, Lynne Jones.

Recommended Journals

Link out to the journal of your choice, and enter search terms related to your topic in the "Search Within this Publication/Journal" search box.

African Journal of Religion, Philosophy and Culture
The African Journal of Religion, Philosophy and Culture is a biannual, double-blind peer reviewed journal that publishes articles of high quality in the areas of religion, philosophy, culture and related fields. The journal approaches its subjects of focus in a holistic manner.
Afro-Hispanic Review
The Afro-Hispanic Review, an academic journal of Afro-Hispanic literature and culture, is published by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. The journal’s mission is to promote the study of Afro-Hispanic literature and culture.
Caribbean Quartly
Caribbean Quarterly (CQ) is one of the oldest periodicals in the English-speaking Caribbean. CQ concerns itself with all aspects of Caribbean culture, in all its interdisciplinary ramifications.
Journal of Africana Religions
The Journal of Africana Religions publishes critical scholarship on Africana religions, including the religious traditions of African and African Diasporic peoples as well as religious traditions influenced by the diverse cultural heritage of Africa. An interdisciplinary journal encompassing history, anthropology, Africana studies, gender studies, ethnic studies, religious studies, and other allied disciplines, the Journal of AfricanaReligions embraces a variety of humanistic and social scientific methodologies in understanding the social, political, and cultural meanings and functions of Africana religions.
Journal of Religion in Africa
The Journal of Religion in Africa, founded in 1967 by Andrew Walls, is interested in all religious traditions and all their forms, in every part of Africa, and it is open to every methodology. Its contributors include scholars working in history, anthropology, sociology, political science, missiology, literature and related disciplines. It occasionally publishes religious texts in their original African language.

Request Articles the Library Doesn't Have

You never have to pay for an article. Follow these instructions to request scholarly articles using the Interlibrary Loan service.

1. Sign into your Interlibrary Loan Account using your ePanther ID and password.

2. Once logged into your account, select a request form from the menu in the upper left. Choose "Article or Other Copy" to request articles and book chapters

3A. If you know the DOI number of an article: Paste the full DOI into the top box in the Interlibrary loan article request form, and then click “Resolve DOI." This will auto-fill the form with the details for the item you’re requesting.

3B. If you do not know the DOI number: Copy and paste or manually enter it from the item's citation into the appropriate ILLiad request form. Fill out all the required fields (marked with a red asterisks). To be sure your request is filled efficiently and accurately:

Fill in as many optional fields you can. Details like author, vol, and issue number, ISSN number make it easier to fulfill your request.
In the "notes" or "Where did you find this item cited" field, include the URL for the site or source where you found the article. This can be a publisher webpage, a bibliography, or even another article that cites the item you're trying to find.

4. Click on "Submit Request" at the bottom of the form. You will get an email notifying you when your interlibrary loan request is ready for download. In general, interlibrary loan requests take between 2-3 days for articles.