InfoGuides: US History Sources 1940s-Present: Find Primary Source Periodical Publications

Major Periodical Collections

Academic Search Complete
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Provides full-text, peer-reviewed journals, as well as indexing and abstracts for monographs, reports, and conference proceedings. Features content going back as far as 1887.
View a tutorial on this database here.
African American Periodicals, 1825-1995
Resource features more than 170 wide-ranging periodicals by and about African Americans published in 26 states. Include academic and political journals, commercial magazines, institutional newsletters, organizations' bulletins, annual reports and other genres.
View a tutorial on this database here.
Independent Voices
Contains a set of digital collections of 20th-century U.S. newspapers, journals, and magazines originally published by the alternative press broadly described as serials “produced by feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals and the New Left, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBTs, anarchists, the extreme right-wing press and alternative literary magazines." View a tutorial on this database here.
Nexis Uni
Provides access to a wide range of news (includes New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times), business (company news, industry forecasts), government (legislative news, tax information), legal (news, case law) and reference information. Formerly LexisNexis Academic. View a tutorial on this database here.
Readers' Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982
Provides indexing of over three million articles from more than 550 magazines, including full coverage of the original print volumes of Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature™. Coverage: 1890-1982. Tutorial for the Readers' Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982 database.
Readers' Guide Full Text Mega
Includes indexing of over 450 periodicals, 1983 - Present, and searchable full text of articles from over 250 journals, 1994 onward. Subject coverage includes antiques, arts, business, computers, education, entertainment, film & television, gardening, health & medicine, history, home improvement, literature, news & current events, photography, popular & classical music, politics, popular culture, religion, science, sports & fitness, transportation, travel. Tutorial for the Readers' Guide Full Text Mega database.
ProQuest Women's Magazine Archive
Previously rare and inaccessible, high-demand primary source material. Complete back files of the most renowned publications of this type. Opens up countless new opportunities for multidisciplinary research. View a tutorial on this database here.
Underground and Independent Comics, Comix, and Graphic Novels: Volume 1
Covers major works from North America and Europe, beginning with the first underground comix from the 1950s and continuing through to modern sequential artists. The collection contextualizes these original works with 25,000 pages of interviews, commentary, theory, and criticism from journals, books, and magazines, including The Comics Journal. View a tutorial on this database here.
Underground and Independent Comics, Comix, and Graphic Novels: Volume 2
Collection expands on Volume I by providing an additional 100,000 pages of important, rare, and hard-to-find works, scholarly writings, and more. It adds extensive coverage of the pre-Comics Code era of horror, crime, romance, and war comics and contains tens of thousands of pages of non-mainstream, post-code comics and secondary materials from around the world. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest LGBT Magazine Archive
Searchable archive of major periodicals devoted to LGBT+ interests, dating from the 1950s through to recent years. Trace the history and evolution of myriad aspects of LGBT history and culture, including legal contexts, health, lifestyle, politics, social attitudes, activism, gay rights, and arts/literature. Provide access to back files not typically been collected by libraries. View a tutorial on this database here.
Art & Architecture Archive
Full-text archive of magazines comprising key research material in the fields of art and architecture, dating from the late-nineteenth century to the twenty-first. Subjects covered include fine art, decorative arts, architecture, interior design, industrial design, and photography. View a tutorial on this database here.
Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive
Archival research resource containing the essential primary sources for studying the history of the film and entertainment industries, from the era of vaudeville and silent movies through to the 21st century. The core US and UK trade magazines covering film, music, broadcasting and theater are included, together with film fan magazines and music press titles. Issues have been scanned in high-resolution color, with granular indexing of articles, covers, ads and reviews. View a tutorial on this database here.
Vogue Archive
A searchable archive of American Vogue, from the first issue in 1892 to the current month, reproduced in high-resolution color page images. Pages, advertisements, covers and fold-outs have been included, with rich indexing enabling researchers to find images by garment type, designer and brand names. The Vogue Archive preserves the work of the world's greatest fashion designers, stylists and photographers and is a unique record of American and international fashion, culture and society from the dawn of the modern era to the present day.
View a tutorial on this database here.

Major Newspaper Collections

Nexis Uni
Provides access to a wide range of news (includes New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times), business (company news, industry forecasts), government (legislative news, tax information), legal (news, case law) and reference information. Formerly LexisNexis Academic. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers
Provides genealogists, researchers, and scholars with first-hand accounts and coverage of the politics, society and events of the time. Full-text access to 25 Historical Newspaper Titles. View a tutorial on this database here.
Early American Newspapers: Virginia
Access the early newspapers, often printed by small-town printers, which documented daily life in Virginia communities, supported different political parties and recorded both majority and minority views for nearly three centuries (1736-1920); as well as the Richmond-Times Dispatch (1903-1986). View a tutorial on this database here.

Washington Evening Star
1852-1981 Until its demise in 1981, The Evening Star was universally regarded as the “paper of record” for the nation’s capital. Published under such titles as Washington Star-News and The Washington Star, this long-running daily afternoon paper was one of the highest profile publications in the nation. Founded in 1852, by the 1930s its coverage of national politics--including the daily activities of every branch of government--made it the nation’s number one paper in advertising revenue.

Wall Street Journal (1984-Current)
Offers a distinguished source for business news and information on financial markets worldwide as well as national and international news. Provides comprehensive indexing, covering bibliographic information as well as subjects, companies, people, products, and geographic areas. View a tutorial on this database here.

Virginia Chronicle
Virginia Chronicle is a historical archive of Virginia newspapers, providing free access to full text searching and digitized images of over a million newspaper pages.
This collection contains 150,076 issues comprising 1,106,770 pages and 183,885 articles. Virginia Chronicle expands on the Library's participation in the National Digital Newspaper Program's Chronicling American collection with the inclusion of Virginia imprint titles out of scope to the NDNP. The collection is full text searchable, as well as browseable by both title and date.

Proquest Historical Newspapers

GMU subscribes to several individual newspaper titles from ProQuest. Each has a different scope so be sure to look at the dates of coverage for each title.

ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Arizona Republican
From the dust of the territory’s new capital, Phoenix, The Arizona Republican arose in 1890 to ultimately become the state’s largest newspaper. Delivering news about a changing world to its readers, the newspaper focused on local and national politics and ways to make the territory a better place to live. Coverage: 1890 – 2007. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Atlanta Constitution
The only major daily newspaper in the Atlanta area, The Atlanta Constitution provides a fascinating glimpse into the political, economic, cultural, and social life of the southeastern United States from Reconstruction through the late 20th century. Coverage from 1868-1945. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Baltimore Afro-American
One of the most widely circulated Black newspapers on the Atlantic coast. Provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with first-hand accounts and coverage of the politics, society and events of the time. Coverage: 1893 - 2010
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Baltimore Sun
Founded by Arunnah Shepherdson Abell as a paper devoted to the news that most directly affected the lives of its readers, The Baltimore Sun’s history is among the most distinguished in American journalism. Coverage from 1837-1994. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Boston Globe
Whether you're interested in genealogy, “Yankee” perspectives on local and national events, politics, culture, urban development, business, religion, or other topics, The Boston Globe provides a window through which to study firsthand this fascinating time and place in American history. Coverage from 1872-1988. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chicago Defender
The newspaper was a proponent of The Great Migration, the move of over 1.5 million African-Americans from the segregated South to the industrial North
from 1915 to 1925. It reported on the Red Summer race riots of 1919, and editorialized for anti-lynching legislation and the integration of blacks into the U.S. military. Coverage from 1910-1975. Part of the ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Black Newspapers collection. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chicago Tribune
Best known for its prize-winning investigative and public service journalism providing historical coverage of people and events critical to the evolution of the Midwest and the United States. Coverage from 1849-2010. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Christian Science Monitor
Provides secular, balanced coverage of international news and events, as a public service. For more than 100 years, its staff writers and correspondents around the world have reported on wars, scientific discoveries, human rights abuses, political campaigns, the arts, the environment, and people trying to make a positive difference. Coverage from 1908-2006. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Cleveland Call and Post
One of the most influential African American newspapers throughout Ohio. It provides primary source documentation on Black history, politics, culture, and the arts. Coverage: 1934 – 1991. Part of the ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Black Newspapers collection. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Communist Historical Newspaper Collection
A unique look at history through the eyes of the Communist Party USA. Worker’s rights, social issues, national and international politics, culture and Party activity are just some of the topics to be explored on the pages of these Communist Party newspapers, featuring such notable contributors as writer Richard Wright, folk singer Woody Guthrie and political cartoonist Robert Minor. Coverage: 1919 – 2013. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Detroit Free Press
Founded six years before Michigan statehood, the Detroit Free Press is recognized as the leading newspaper in the region. From advocating statehood, to walking the beat along the waterfront, to producing the first newspaper supplement for women, the newspaper chronicles the history of Detroit. Coverage: 1831 – 1999. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Guardian and The Observer
The Guardian (1821-2003) and its sister paper, The Observer (1791-2003) provide readers online access to facts, firsthand accounts, and opinions of the day about the most significant and fascinating political, business, sports, literary, and entertainment events from the past two centuries. Coverage: 1791 – 2003. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Los Angeles Sentinel
African American owned and operated newspaper that puts emphasis on issues concerning the African American community and it's readers. Coverage: 1934 – 2005. Part of the ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Black Newspapers collection. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Los Angeles Times
Delivers unique coverage of the development of Southern California and the American West. Coverage from 1881-2011. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Louisville Courier Journal
Main newspaper for the city of Louisville, Kentucky. The paper has become a progressive voice in southern politics, championing causes such as public education, equal rights for blacks and advocating for the poor of Appalachia. Coverage: 1830 – 2000. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Minneapolis Star Tribune
Researchers will find primary source insights on American culture in the city’s long-time newspaper, the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Regional topics reflect national and international trends of the times - such as Prohibition, civil rights, and the American Indian Movement. Coverage: 1867 – 2001. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: New York Amsterdam News
One of the nation’s leading black newspapers and one of New York’s most influential black-owned institutions. For nearly a century, it has helped influenc one of the nation’s leading black newspapers and one of New York’s most influential black-owned institutions. For nearly a century, it has helped influence and promote the causes and aspirations of African-Americans. Contributors have included W. E. B. Du Bois, Roy Wilkins, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and Malcolm X.e and promote the causes and aspirations of African-Americans. Contributors have included W. E. B. Du Bois, Roy Wilkins, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and Malcolm X. The New York Amsterdam News captured the vibrancy and cultural richness of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s, advocated for the desegregation of the U.S. military during World War II, and fought against discriminatory employment practices and other civil rights abuses in the 1960s. Coverage from 1922-1993. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: New York Tribune / Herald Tribune
Founded by Horace Greely, the newspaper includes coverage of key events of the 19th and 20th centuries, from pre-Civil War tensions and U.S. internationalism to the fight for women’s rights and the completion of the Panama Canal. In addition to politics and reform, it also reports on the arts, New York society, sports, business and finance, and more. Coverage: 1841 – 1962. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times with Index
The world news and personal stories captured by this Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper for nearly 170 years are available online from ProQuest so researchers anywhere can browse and search the digitized pages of this definitive record of the day. The digitized Index allows users to search on and view terms exactly as they appeared in the New York Times print index and newspaper articles. Coverage 1851-2016. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Philadelphia Tribune
The oldest continuously published black newspaper, is dedicated to the needs and concerns of the fourth largest black community in the U.S. During the 1930s the paper supported the growth of the United Way, rallied against the riots in Chester, PA, and continuously fought against segregation. Coverage from 1912-2001. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Pittsburgh Courier
Provides full page and article images with searchable full text from the Courier (1950-1954 : City ed.), New Pittsburgh courier (1969-1981 : City ed.), New Pittsburgh courier (1981-2002), Pittsburgh courier (1911-1950 : City ed.), and Pittsburgh courier (1955-1965 : City ed.). The collection includes digital reproductions of every page from every issue in PDF format. (OCLC). View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: San Francisco Chronicle
Digital archive for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1865-1922. This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: St. Louis Post Dispatch
Founded by Joseph Pulitzer as his first newspaper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch provides valuable coverage of regional events such as the 1904 World's Fair and the completion of the Gateway Arch, as well as a uniquely Midwestern perspective of local, national, and international news. Coverage from 1874 to 2003. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Wall Street Journal
Focuses not only on the stock market, but on all aspects of global business, economics, consumer affairs, and trends and issues. Researchers have access to more than 100 years of The Wall Street Journal’s accurate reporting, exclusive analysis, agenda- setting editorials, and controversial opinions. Coverage from 1889-2002. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post
An unparalleled resource for today’s budding journalists, political historians, and students of government. The Washington Post was the first newspaper in Washington to publish seven days a week. To uncover even more Washington intrigue and drama, start here. Coverage from 1877-2003. View a tutorial on this database here.

Specialized Periodical Sources

Selected Civilian Conservation Corps Camp Newspapers
A private site that links to collections of CCC camp newspapers by state.

This is not an exhaustive list. (for a list of our holdings see Electronic Journals by Title). These examples are meant to provide examples of what you may encounter when searching for periodicals that are still in copyright.

Chicago Defender
Includes the full image of articles published in the Chicago Defender from 1910 to 1975. The Chicago Defender was the most influential African-American newspaper of the 20th century. With the majority of its readership outside the Chicago region, it served as the de-facto national black newspaper in the U.S. You can browse individual issues by clicking Publications at the top of the screen, or search by keyword(s), author(s), article title, date ranges, and more. Includes illustrations and advertisements.
New York Amsterdam News
This leading Black newspaper of the 20th century reached its peak in the 1940s. The Amsterdam News was a strong advocate for the desegregation of the U.S. military during World War II, and also covered the historically important Harlem Renaissance. Dates of Coverage: 1922-1993

Ethnic NewsWatch
Includes journals, magazines, and newspapers from ethnic and minority presses from 1959-present. Ethnicities include: African American/Caribbean/African; Arab/Middle Eastern; Asian/Pacific Islander; European/Eastern European; Hispanic; Jewish; Native People.
View a tutorial on this database here.

Ebony

from 1959-2008 in Google Books
from 11/01/1945 to present in MasterFILE Premier
from 01/01/1992 to present in LexisNexis Academic
from 01/01/1999 to 01/31/2009 Readers' Guide Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson)

Jet

from 1951-2008 in Google Books
from 01/11/1988 to 12/22/2008 in ProQuest Research Library
from 01/01/1992 to present in LexisNexis Academic
from 01/08/1996 to present in MasterFILE Premier
from 03/01/1999 to 12/22/2008 in Readers' Guide Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson)

ProQuest Women's Magazine Archive
Previously rare and inaccessible, high-demand primary source material. Complete back files of the most renowned publications of this type. Opens up countless new opportunities for multidisciplinary research. View a tutorial on this database here.

LGBTQ+ Source
Provides broad coverage of the world's LGBTQ literature, for both academic and lifestyle publications. Covers historically significant journals, magazines, and regional newspapers, both mainstream and grey, and hundreds of books and reference works. Topics include sociology, culture, civil liberties, individual lives, family, community, employment, history, politics, psychology, and religion.
Tutorial for the LGBTQ+ Source database.
Women's Studies International
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Covers the core disciplines in women’s studies and feminist research, largely from 1972-present (some earlier material included). Includes sociology, history, political science & economy, public policy, arts & humanities, international relations and education. Contains over 2,000 periodicals, and other sources such as newspapers, newsletters, books, book chapters, proceedings, theses, dissertations, NGO studies and other grey literature. Tutorial for the Women's Studies International database.
Vogue Archive
A searchable archive of American Vogue, from the first issue in 1892 to the current month, reproduced in high-resolution color page images. Pages, advertisements, covers and fold-outs have been included, with rich indexing enabling researchers to find images by garment type, designer and brand names. The Vogue Archive preserves the work of the world's greatest fashion designers, stylists and photographers and is a unique record of American and international fashion, culture and society from the dawn of the modern era to the present day.
View a tutorial on this database here.

Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) daily reports 1974-1996
Access full text of reports issued 1975-1996 created by the U.S. intelligence community to benefit policy makers and analysts, FBIS Daily Reports offer foreign views and perspectives on historical events from thousands of monitored broadcasts, and publications. See World News Connection for broadcasts from 1996 to 2013. See FBIS Electronic Index, below, for a subject search option.
Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Electronic Index
Provides subject access to the Daily Reports issued by the U.S. Government, including translated broadcasts, news agency transmissions, newspapers, periodicals, and government statements from nations worldwide. Focuses on international political, economic, scientific, and cultural issues and events; covers all regions and reflects the changes that have occurred in them1975-1996. See World News Connection for broadcasts from 1996 to 2013. View a tutorial on this database here.

See Links Resources in the Main Database Wizard by subject: For example,

Computer Science and IT or Engineering or Biology.

National Geographic

1888 to present National Geographic Magazine Archive

Popular Mechanics

from 1905-2005 in Google Books
from 01/01/1994 to present in Factiva
from 01/01/1996 to present in Academic Search Complete, Associates Programs Source, ProQuest Career and Technical Education and ProQuest Research Library
from 01/14/2005 to present in LexisNexis Academic

Popular Science

from 1872 to present in Freely Accessible Science Journals

Scientific American

from 1845 to 12/26/1908 in American Periodicals
from 1910 to 2005 in Scientific American Archive Online

Life

from 1936-1972 in Google Books
from 1978-1986 on microfilm.
from 1986-2000 on microfiche.
from 1996 to 2000 in Academic Search Complete
NOTE-Journal not published from 1973 until Oct.1978.

The Nation

from 01/11/1975 to 1 month ago in Academic Search Complete
v.81-v.241 (1905-1986) available on Microfilm.
1986-current year available on Microfiche.
Current year in Print

Saturday Evening Post

from 01/03/1931 to present in Academic Search Complete

Time

from 03/03/1923 to present Click on the relevant online option.

The Nation

from 01/11/1975 to 1 month ago in Academic Search Complete
from 01/01/1984 to 04/30/2005 in Opposing Viewpoints In Context
from 01/04/1999 to 01/30/2006 in Readers' Guide Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson)
v.81-v.241 (1905-1986) available on Microfilm.
1986-current year available on Microfiche.
Current year in Print

National Review

from 11/19/1955 to present in National Review Archive

New Republic

from 11/07/1914 to present in International Security & Counter Terrorism Reference Center

Partisan Review

from 1934 to 2002 in the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center Archive

Economist Intelligence Unit Country Information
Extensive country information from various Economist Intelligence Unit publications, covering most countries and including politics, economics, business, markets and data. Publications include Country Report, Country Profile, Country Monitor, and Business Newsletters.
View a tutorial on this database here.

Economist Historical Archive 1843-2013
Search every issue of The Economist from 1843 to 2013. Full-color images, multiple search indexes, exportable financial tables and a gallery of front covers highlight a key topic of each week, all combine to offer a primary source of research covering the 19th and 20th centuries.
Economist Intelligence Unit Market Indicators and Forecasts
Contains economic, demographic, consumption and industry data on 60 major countries worldwide and 11 regional aggregates, stretching back to 1990.Includes detailed economic and industry forecasts for the next five years and longer-term economic projections. View a tutorial on this database here.
Mergent Archives
Access an indexed collection of historical corporate and industry related documents. Includes digitized corporate (Moody’s) manuals, municipal & government manuals, annual reports, industry reports, and Ford Equity Research Reports, as well as the Key Business Ratios, country reports, bond reports, the Million Dollar Directory Index, Hoover's Handbooks, commodity yearbooks, and First Research industry research reports. Now includes all content from Mergent WebReports. View a tutorial on this database here.
ProQuest Historical Annual Reports
Annual reports (1844-current) available for over 800 companies, 43,000 reports, 1.3M pages. Searchable puff images with indexed data such as: financial, Fortune 500 ranking, industry classification, key people, geographic location, auditor and related companies. It can also be browsed by company name, related names, industry or date. View a tutorial on this database here.