Search Databases?

The most reliable and comprehensive place to look for academic, quality journal articles is a bibliographic database. Some also include conference papers, technical reports, book chapters, standards, etc. Most databases restrict themselves to particular subject areas or particular types of publication (e.g. theses). Different databases will cover a different range of journals, so for a thorough search you may well have to use more than one database.

You can search databases by keywords, authors and subjects. The database will provide you with a list of results that match your search terms. Each result will include an abstract (summary) and full details of where the article has been published. Some databases offer a link out to the full-text if the Library has a subscription to the journal.

Once you have found the details of some relevant publications, you need to check the library catalogue to see if we have a copy. The catalogue contains both print and online material. If not, you can order it through Interlibrary Loan. They will find a library that stocks that item and borrow it or photocopy it for you.

Type of Databases

Databases can be organized by the scope of the information they contain. Being aware of what this scope is can be helpful in selecting a database to begin your information search.

• General interest databases include information from several different subject areas and disciplines.

• Discipline-specific databases include information for several related subject areas.

• Subject-specific databases focus on providing information for one particular subject.

General interest databases are a great place to begin research or for a general topic. These databases contain the broadest range of materials and include many different subjects and disciplines. Examples of general interest databases include:

• ProQuest Central - Identifies magazine and journals articles in most subject areas including social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, medical sciences, and ethnic studies.

Discipline-based databases are more focused then general interest databases. These databases include materials in several related subject areas. Materials are usually only from professional/trade publications and scholarly/academic journals. If you are having trouble finding information on your topic in general interest databases, try a discipline-based database.

• ProQuest Central - ProQuest Central is the largest multidisciplinary database with over 12,665 titles, with over 9,745 titles in full-text

ScienceDirect's extensive and unique full text database covers authoritative titles from the core scientific literature, including high-impact factor titles such as THE LANCET, Cell and Tetrahedron.

Subject-Specific Databases

If you are doing in-depth research on a topic, you will want to use subject-specific databases. These databases usually only contain materials from professional/trade publications and scholarly/academic journals. Below are some examples, but a list of all available subjects can be viewed on the Online Research Resources page.

• ABI/Complete - Identifies articles on business, finance, and management topics from regional, U.S. and international publications.