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African American Studies Research Guide

Resources for researching African American culture and history at the Emory Libraries.

What are Reference Works?

Reference works:

 

  • Provide an overview of your topic
  • Are often written by scholars or experts in the field
  • Provide key people, places, events, and terms that you can use to refine your searches
  • Often offer suggestions for further reading

To find reference materials for your research topic try a search in library search combining keywords.

For example: african americans history bibliography

Bibliography of African American Studies

Need help finding a topic? The Oxford Bibliography for African American Studies is a great place to browse research subfields in the discipline. 

Although it's somewhat dated, if you're interested in historical topics, another great source is the Harvard Guide to African American History

Reference Databases

Handbooks & Companions

To find companions, handbooks, or bibliographies related to African American Studies you can use library search; however, individual articles can be hard to find. Also try searching the portals to these resources below.

Oxford Bibliographies, annotated bibliographies that provide a gateway to research in particular subfields of African American Studies.

Cambridge Companions, guides to various Native American literature topics.

Routledge Handbooks, book-length companions to various topics.

Oxford Handbooks, reviews of scholarly literature.

Annual Reviews Online, reviews of scholarly literature in the sciences and social sciences.