Multiple languages
The database currently includes research in to languages: English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, German, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Using the language drop down menu in the advanced search panel, there is the option to browse by language or to narrow a search by language. East Asian research entries are provided in their original script together with a romanised version of the book and article titles, author names, and book and journal publication titles: Pinyin for Chinese entries, Hepburn for Japanese, and McCune-Reischauer for Korean.
Keywords
The simplest search method is to enter a keyword in any language or script. Romanized terms may be used, taking into account the romanization conventions the database uses in the case of publications in East Asian languages. This will search all field entries, including, title, author, journal, etc. The advanced search option allows a narrowing of search criteria to include publication title, language, date range, and so on.
Subjects
The advanced search option includes a drop down menu of subject keywords by which there is the option to browse according to subject, or to narrow a search by subject. The range of subjects is as broad as possible in order to reflect the wide-reaching effects of the war. Subjects include captives, ceramics, Christianity, international relations, economy, environment, Europeans, identity, literature, military history, migration, social history, and trade.
Exporting RIS data
The database library is built using Zotero and exported as RIS data. This means users can download the RIS file for any entry or save the embedded metadata to their own citation software using their plugin. Note that due to the need to repurpose fields for romanized information, in an exported RIS file, romanized author may be found in the “Call number” field, romanized title in the “Short title” field, and romanized journal/edited volume title may be found in the “Library catalogue” field. Metadata for these fields is not available at this time.