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Choosing the best database: About article databases

About article databases

Article databases are ideal for searching the journal literature because:

  • They include hundreds of journals, so you search through thousands of articles at once.
  • Some databases are general or interdisciplinary and provide broad coverage of many topics, while others are subject-specific and cover one field in-depth.
  • Many databases have full text articles, so you can read entire articles online.
  • Databases vary in content and may include more than just journal articles; conference proceedings, book chapters, theses, or technical reports may also be covered.
  • If a database only includes journal articles, various types of articles might be covered, such as articles from trade journals, magazines, or scholarly peer-reviewed journals.
  • Article databases cover differing periods of time, so check date ranges.  For dates not covered by an online database, Ask Us to find relevant print indexes.

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