Subject Guides
Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Guide Contents
Your Subject Librarian
Citation Help
- Citation Help & Academic HonestyHow to cite using MLA, APA, & Chicago, plus links to other citation styles. Information on how to avoid problems with plagiarism.
Research Resources
These databases contain content focused on women's and queer studies. For more information on searching the databases and other library resources, visit the Search Strategies guide.
Key Resources
- AM ExplorerAccess millions of pages of primary source collections across the entire portfolio of Adam Matthew Digital, spanning content from the 15th-21st centuries. Trial ends December 31, 2023.
Collections of particular interest for WGSS include:
Defining Gender
Gender: Identity and Social Change
Sex & Sexuality
Women in the National Archives - Archives of Sexuality & Gender: LGBTQ History and CulturePrimary sources for the historical study of sex, sexuality, and gender. With material dating back to the sixteenth century,you can examine how sexual norms have changed over time, health and hygiene, the development of sex education, the rise of sexology, changing gender roles, social movements and activism, erotica, and many other interesting topical areas.
- GenderWatchFull-text database that focuses on the impact of gender across a broad spectrum of subject areas. Coverage: mid-1970s - present.
- LGBT Source+Provides abstracting and indexing for more than 130 LGBT-specific core periodicals and over 290 LGBT-specific core books and reference works.
- Contemporary Women's IssuesMultidisciplinary, full-text database that brings together relevant content from mainstream periodicals, "gray" literature, and the alternative press -- with a focus on the critical issues and events that influence women's lives in more than 190 countries.
- Women Studies InternationalCovers the core disciplines in Women’s Studies to the latest scholarship in feminist research. Covers 1972 - present.
- Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender IndexCovers journal articles, book reviews, and essays in books about women, sexuality, and gender during the Middle Ages. Books written by a single author are not indexed; for these, check library catalogs that have strong collections in medieval studies.
- More Women's Studies databasesFor a full list of databases relevant to Women's Studies, please see the Women's Studies database page.
Find books on women's and queer studies in the Libraries' collections or requestable from other places. For more information on searching the databases and other library resources, visit the Search Strategies guide.
Find additional search tips for finding books in the Libraries on our guide to Finding Books.
- WorldCatLocate items in libraries worldwide.
Reference Books
Reference books can be helpful for finding background or general information on a topic.
Gender and Sexuality Studies
- Enclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered History in America byISBN: 9780684314273Publication Date: 2004-02-01A three-volume survey of more than 400 years of lesbian and gay history and culture in the United States, presented through over 500 alphabetically arranged entries. Coverage includes people, public policy, economics, social issues, identities, and culture, among many others. For students, researchers, and general readers.
- The Global Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History byISBN: 9780684325545Publication Date: 2019-02-08A three-volume set, The Global Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History (Charles Scribner's Sons) will provide a global view of the history of LGBTQ, covering significant figures and events worldwide. Wide-ranging in scope, this encyclopedia complements courses in a variety of disciplines, including history, literature, psychology, sociology and others. This title is being created under an international editorial board, led by Howard Chiang (University of California, Davis).
- The World's Women 2010 byISBN: 9789211615395Publication Date: 2010-09-30The World's Women 2010 uniquely reviews and analyses the current availability of data and assesses progress made in the reporting of national statistics, as opposed to internationally prepared estimates, relevant to gender concerns. Published every five years, the World's Women sets out a blueprint for improving the availability of data in the areas of demographics, health, education, work, violence against women, poverty, decision-making and human rights.
Open Access Journals & Research
Open Access means free access to information and unrestricted use of electronic resources for all. Students, staff, faculty, and community users have access to this content without logging in or paying.
- Feminist PeriodicalsAn open access repository of digitized contents pages of 150 academic journals and pop culture magazines in the fields of Feminism, Gender and Women's Studies, Sexuality Studies, and LGBTQIA+ studies.
- The Journal of International Women’s StudiesAn online, open-access, peer-reviewed feminist journal that provides a forum for scholars, activists, and students to explore the relationships among theories of gender and sexuality and various forms of organizing and critical practice.
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies CommonsOpen access academic research from top universities on the subject of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies.
- Open Access Online Feminist JournalsA list of open access online feminist journals curated by the Association of College and Research Libraries Women and Gender Studies Section. Titles are categorized by currency.
- Open Access Sexuality and Gender JournalsA list of open access sexuality and gender journals curated by the Center for Positive Sexuality.
LGBTQ+ Resources
- Q Center ResourcesCompiled by the university's LGBTQ+ center, resources include on campus, off campus, online, and crisis hotlines.