Gender and Women's Studies: Researching Topics : Home
Getting Started in GWS Research
Getting started in research on a topic for a gender and women's studies class or examining how a particular issue affects women? If you haven't already, take a look at the GWS Portal for starting information about the Office of the GWS Librarian, other campus GWS offices, finding resources, managing citations, and more.
After you have explored the portal, then move on to this guide which will direct you to resources pertaining to GWS research in specific subject areas. Use the databases listed below for almost any topic and then click on the subject area from the menu on the left to see suggestions of resources targeted to that discipline.
Contact Karla J. Strand, Gender and Women's Studies Librarian, with any questions or to set up a research consultation.
Databases for any GWS topic
For almost any GWS-related topic, the following databases can be searched to find journal articles:
-
GenderWatchCovers gender, women, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) issues from an array of academic, radical, community, and independent presses. 1970 - present
-
Women's Studies InternationalIndexes women's studies, women's issues, and gender-focused books, book chapters, journal and magazine articles, dissertations, and reports from throughout the world, starting in about 1972.
-
JSTORArchive of scholarly journals and ebooks in the humanities, social sciences, sciences and mathematics. Journal coverage is volume 1 of each title until 3-5 years ago (embargo period varies by title).
-
SocINDEX with Full TextCovers all aspects of sociology, including abortion, criminal justice, ethnicity and race, gender studies, politics, religion, social work, substance abuse, urban studies, violence, welfare, and more.
-
Alternative Press Index and Alternative Press Index Archive (combined)Provides access to non-mainstream content from a variety of cultural and social viewpoints across the sociopolitical spectrum.
-
Studies on Women and Gender AbstractsCovers a variety of English-language journals, summarizing articles on education, employment, women in family and community, medicine and health, female sex and gender role socialization, and more.
-
Directory of Open Access BooksSearchable index to over 33,000 peer-reviewed Open Access books from over 400 academic publishers from around the world.
-
Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)The Directory of Open Access Journals provides free, full-text access to open access scientific and scholarly journals. Open access journals are journals that use a funding model that does not charge readers or their institutions for access.
Gender and Women's Studies Librarian
430 Memorial Library
728 State Street
Madison, WI 53706
Last Updated
Kelsey Foster, GWSL Administrative Assistant
September 2025