How can you tell how much is published in your field each year?

[ManifestMidwest]

Hi all,

I'm a graduate student that just began my PhD program in September, and I was wondering how you all know exactly how much (and what) is published in your field each year?  I follow book reviews in my field's journals, but those tend to be protracted, often having reviews a year or more after the book was published.  I've been reading in my field immensely since beginning my program, but I am trying to figure out how much is published each year so I can keep up to date, and I'm having trouble doing so.  How do you all manage this?

[TMP]

Some H-Net listservs have a monthly round up of new books (H-German does this).  You can also subscribe to the e-mail lists of major university presses favored in your field.  Honestly, book reviews are the best.  There's no way you can read everything out there and book reviews fast-track you.  Also, Go to conferences/read conference programs to get the most up-to-date on current trends in scholarship.

[AP]

In addition to H-net listservs, I also listen to New Books podcasts (whatever the field, but I focus on mine). I also read lots of reviews in big journals (like AHR), smaller journals, and newsletters. Finally, our librarian inform us of new acquisitions every semester and that helps keep tabs on new books. Finally, a good resource is to have Google Scholar alerts and keep an eye on publishers' websites. 

[Sigaba]

On 3/7/2017 at 11:32 AM, ManifestMidwest said:

my field's journals,

Are you also reading the advertisements by publishers and the "books received" section of those journals? Also, some journals compile a list of dissertations and published works each year and print it in the final issue of a volume. Additionally, in your field's journals, the articles will  mention/list works worth knowing in the discussion of a topic's historiography. 

One last question. Is the objective to keep abreast of everything that's produced in one's fields or is the objective to develop the skills to identify which works are historiographically significant?

 

 

[dr. t]

48 minutes ago, Sigaba said:

Is the objective to keep abreast of everything that's produced in one's fields or is the objective to develop the skills to identify which works are historiographically significant?

Spoiler alert: only one of these is possible.

[landscapes-of]

I know this is kind of silly (or maybe obvious) but: in addition to the above, if prominent members of your field are active on twitter, follow them. Follow grad students at other institutions. You'll get a sense not only of what's being published, but what people are reading, thinking about, interested in. (With moderation, of course.) (Except right now presidential politics is kind of monopolizing everyone.) 

Exercise caution, of course