What are Databases?

Databases are a collection of information that is organized to be searchable. They can hold a variety of literature, such as journal articles, article abstracts, and conference proceedings, books, trade publications, theses, or other scholarly documents.

Wonder what are the best databases for the research subject you are interested in? Western Libraries has places you can browse to help find the best scholarly databases for your research question or subject:

• Research Guides, where you can search for a curated list of databases and resources for your subject area
• Databases, which is where all databases that Western Libraries subscribes to, and highlights to new/trial databases as well as those most frequently used

It’s important to note that you should always try to look at more than one database! There may not be a singular database that has all the information you may require to help your research inquiry. Some are subject-specific; some are multidisciplinary, but you want to see what is out there to help you answer your questions.

How Do I Choose a Database?

If you have trouble figuring out what databases you may want to pick, ask yourself these questions:

1. Does it cover the desired subject area?
2. If the subject is covered, does it contain key journals in this area or discipline?
3. What is the time span for coverage, or when is information available to use?
4. What type of publications does it cover? What type of publication (e.g. journals, theses, conference proceedings, etc.) am I looking for?
5. How much overlap in content does it have with other resources you find?
6. How often is it updated? Daily, weekly, biweekly, or less frequently?

Remember: Every database will have a “Help” or “About” section that will highlight what content and access is covered by it. And more importantly, many will have a tutorial page or tips to support your abilities to search on the database itself!

What are the type of sources you can find through these databases? Keep reading in our further chapters to find out more!