The staff of the Institute have compiled a page to direct researchers towards freely accessible online research resources. We have included primary and secondary materials, including online text and media archives, and Open Access journals and books. While we have focused primarily on research resources, many of these may also be valuable for incorporating into research-led teaching and self-directed learning activities.

As indicated below, some of these have been made freely available or developed specifically in response to Covid-19, but the majority are permanent Open Access resources that will continue to be available in the future. While the list is not exhaustive and partly reflects the areas of expertise of current staff, it will be regularly updated and we welcome suggestions for further additions to the list, including those in or about other languages or geographic regions. Please write to ies@sas.ac.uk if you would like to recommend any other resources for inclusion.

About this Guide

How to use this guide

This webpage contains a selection of curated links to online research resources that can be used for historical research of all kinds. From digitised archives to oral histories, newspapers, maps and printed collections, we hope that there will some material that can help with your work or with supporting your students.

We have organised the material by period. This is always something of an arbitrary exercise, and there will be some duplication. Some key subject or perhaps unexpected formats have also been included, such as Virtual and Augmented Reality (why not, for example, visit relevant historical sites around the world via Google Streetview?).

This is of course simply a small selection of the vast amount of material that is out there. You will know more about what is available in your own area of specialism, and Google, DuckDuckGo(Opens in new window) or Ecosia(Opens in new window) will uncover more. There are also numerous online guides and bibliographies, both general and specialised, that will give further suggestions, these include Wikipedia's list of digitised newspapers(Opens in new window). Your library will also be able to advise on what is available for you behind paywalls.

Some of the material has been selected by IHR librarians and colleagues in the institute, while others have been suggested by others. We are pleased to hear about suggestions, either by emailing ihr.library@sas.ac.uk or through a short online suggestions box(Opens in new window). The full spreadsheet of suggestions(Opens in new window) might also be useful to review and search.

Other School of Advanced Study and Senate House Library Guides

Institute of Languages, Societies, and Cultures Open Access Resourceshttps://ilcs.sas.ac.uk/about-us/online-resources/open-access-resources-modern-languagesThe staff of the Institute have compiled a list of Open Access resources to support Modern Languages researchers in accessing materials, particularly while libraries and archives remain closed or inaccessible.
Institute of Classical Studies Library Open Access Resourceslibrary.ics.sas.ac.uk/open-access-resourcesDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, more publishers and institutions are making research material available online. We've compiled a growing list of resources for you to use at home during self-isolation.
Institute of Historical Research Online Resourceswww.history.ac.uk/library/collections/online-resourcesDetails of free and paywalled resources with access details for SAS students, etc.
Institute of Historical Research Open Access Resourceshttps://www.history.ac.uk/library/collections/online-resources/open-access-resources#other-school-of-advanced-study-and-senate-house-library-guidesIn response to libraries and archives being closed during the lockdowns in 2020 the IHR launched this page to steer researchers to freely accessible online research resources. 
Open Access Research Resources for the Humanitieswww.sas.ac.uk/support-research/libraries/open-access-research-resources-humanitiesThe School’s physical libraries may be closed for the time being, like libraries across the world, but we’re still working to help researchers access the materials that they need, whether that’s books, journal articles, databases or online tutorials.
Senate House Library A-Z Databases (NB subscription resources for University of London only)senatehouselibrary.libguides.com/az.phpFind the best library databases for your research (for SHL card holders).
Warburg Institute Librarywarburg.libguides.com/libraryDetails of resources that can be accessed when the library is closed.

 

General Secondary Works

Books, Journals, and Institutional Repositories

Preprints and other open access collections can be also found in institutional repositories. A list of UK repositories can be found at Sherpa.

Theses Databases

Biblioteca Digital Brasileira de Teses e DissertaçõesIBICT database for Brazilian theses and dissertations.
CiNiiDatabase of Japanese university theses and dissertations. Use the "本文あり / Full-Text Exists" search option to find electronic copies.
Dart - EuropeThe European portal for finding electronic theses and dissertations. DART-Europe is a partnership of research libraries and library consortia who are working together to improve global access to European research theses.
EthosSearch over 500,000 theses from UK universities, with download option available for many.
History Theses 1970-2014: Historical research for higher degrees in the universities of the United Kingdom and the Republic of IrelandA thematic listing of UK theses created by British History Online. Entries are in the process of being linked to their Ethos record where an electronic copy is available.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and DissertationsThe Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) is an international organization dedicated to promoting the adoption, creation, use, dissemination, and preservation of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). We support electronic publishing and open access to scholarship in order to enhance the sharing of knowledge worldwide. Our website includes resources for university administrators, librarians, faculty, students, and the general public. Topics include how to find, create, and preserve ETDs; how to set up an ETD program; legal and technical questions; and the latest news and research in the ETD community.
PQDT OpenWith PQDT Open, you can read the full text of open access dissertations and theses from the ProQuest database free of charge.
ShodhgangaThe Shodhganga@INFLIBNET Centre provides a platform for research students to deposit their Ph.D. theses and make it available to the entire scholarly community in open access.
TesiOnlineOnline database of Italian theses and dissertations. To access an electronic copy, where available, you need to create a free account.
Theses CanadaTheses Canada, launched in 1965 at the request of the deans of Canadian graduate schools, is a collaborative program between Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and Canadian universities. It strives acquire and preserve theses and dissertations from participating universities, provide free access to Canadian digital theses and dissertations in the collection and facilitate access to non-digital theses and dissertations in the collection.
Theses.frA service similar to the UK's Ethos service. You can search the database for French completed French doctoral theses and those in preparation and access an online version for those records marked with an "Accéder en ligne" tab.