A database is an online searchable source providing citations, abstracts, and the fulltext to a variety of documents. Those documents could be scholarly journal articles, peer-reviewed journal articles, magazine articles, trade publication articles, law review articles, newspaper articles, hearings, bills, house and senate reports etc.
We subscribe (pay) to hundreds of databases! Every subject is covered! The topic you are researching and the type of documents you need to use will determine the database or databases you will use.
When you search in a database, you formulate search strategies by entering keywords and connecting them. You can also refine/limit your search results in a number of ways such as:
Date
Language
Document Type
You can also search by author or a known title.
Using Library databases will, in most cases provide you with better results than if you were to just use google (which can be considered a database)
There are many databases you can use that provide access to journal articles, book chapters, book reviews, conference proceedings, dissertations, and other types of publications related to your topics.
Since you will be using many different databases and search strategies, save time by keeping track of what you are doing! Keep a record of what database/s and search strategies you are using and any revisions.
Make sure to search the Ebsco databases together to remove duplicates. Get into one database (the Academic Search Ultimate database is linked below) and then click on - Choose Databases - and add the others. Please see the Tab labeled Searching Multiple Databases Together.
Academic Search Ultimate - everyone can use
Communications and Mass Media Complete - everyone can use if media is in your topic
Then, depending on your topic, add others such as:
APA PsycInfo
Art and Architecture Complete
Art Abstracts
Art Full Text
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
Business Source Complete
Criminal Justice Abstracts
Education Source
ERIC- this is an education database
eBook Collection
eBook Comprehensive Academic Collection
Film and Television Literature Index
Health Source- Consumer Edition
LGBTQ+ Source
Medline
SocINDEX with Full Text
SPORTDiscus
Women's Studies International
Make sure to search the Proquest databases together to remove duplicates. Get into one database (the GenderWatch database is linked below) and then click on - Change Databases - and add the others. Please see the tab labeled Searching Multiple Databases Together.
ARTbibliographies Modern
Black Studies Periodicals Database
Criminal Justice Database
Ebook Central
Ethnic Newswatch
GenderWatch
Sociological Abstracts
Multi-disciplinary database providing information for nearly every area of academic study. Includes an enormous collection of the most valuable peer-reviewed full text journals, as well as additional journals, magazines, newspapers and books. Multidisciplinary subjects including: social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, physics, chemistry, language & linguistics, arts & literature, medicine, ethnic studies. 1965- present.
Get into one database - click on - choose databases - add the others
When using the Ebsco databases, If you retrieve too many results:
limit document type
Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals
or
Academic Journals
Date
Change the field from Select a Field (optional) to AB Abstract or SU Subject
Because Genderwatch and Ethnic Newswatch full text databases, changing the search field might be necessary.
Try either Anywhere except Full Text - NOFT or AB Abstract
In addition, you can bring the words closer together using N/# or NEAR/#
so, "African American" NEAR/5 (women OR female* OR woman) NEAR/5 (media or tv or television or film*)
Is using the N/# NEAR/#, then you can keep the search field to Anywhere
