Suggestions for Choosing a Database

• Click on “More Info” to read a brief summary of each database.  Look for:

• Subjects included – Many focus on a subject or discipline (e.g., Historical Abstracts).  Others are interdisciplinary (covering multiple subjects).

• Dates covered – Some have up-to-date information, while others include older materials (e.g., JSTOR).

• Types of materials – Does it include scholarly or peer-reviewed journals?  Popular magazines or newspapers?  Images?  E-books?

• Full-text – Does the database offer full-text online, or only citations or abstracts? 

• Go directly to subject-area databases under Databases by Subject or check out our suggestions in the library’s subject guides.

• If you just need a place to start, try a full-text, interdisciplinary database (e.g., Academic OneFile or Project Muse).  (See our list of interdisciplinary databases for further recommendations.)

• For more assistance finding a database for your topic, contact a librarian at the Research Assistance Desk.