Selecting a Database
If you know the general subject area of your research but don’t know which databases are available, then you can look at the relevant subject guide. Subject guides give you a list of key databases in your area.
Databases can be general in coverage or subject specific. Some databases are made up of many individual databases, which can be searched separately or cross-searched simultaneously. As well as easy to use basic search options, you can use advanced search options to retrieve relevant documents. Databases also offer options to sort and refine results (e.g. by publication date, whether peer-reviewed, type of document, etc.) or search within results.
By using databases subscribed to by the University you will be able to search more effectively and retrieve materials you might miss otherwise if using general internet search engines.
Tools for Using Databases
We have a subject guide for every subject on campus, and each one has a page linking to the major databases in that subject field. Most have advice and help tips for using them.
A complete list of MU Library’s database subscriptions.
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Why Use Just One?
If you don't find what you need in one database, try another! Searching a second database for a different but related subject can also provide useful results for your topic.
Choosing the Right Database
The key to finding the right database is knowing what's in it. Here are some questions to ask about any database before you use it.
What Subject Area Does It Cover?
Note what subject areas are covered to ensure that you are using the correct database for your topic. Searching for engineering results in PsychINFO won't get you far because it is a Psychology database.
What Date Range Does it Cover?
Most databases only cover materials published in the last few decades; there's usually a specific cut-off date. If you're looking for articles or research from before that date, you'll need to use a different database.
In a few databases, you also need to ask "How recent is the coverage?" Databases of historical resources usually don't go up to the present. And some databases exclude the most recent year to five years of all journal articles.
What Types of Material Does It Cover?
- Books are most useful for definitions and background information
- Journal articles and conference papers are most useful for up-to-date, in-depth research
- Depending on your topic, you could also consider searching for statistics, patents, standards, reports or theses.
Citation Searching
Students and researchers have always found additional relevant articles by looking at the reference list or bibliography at the end of papers and books.
Citation searching is based on this method of finding further information. Once you have a useful reference to a book or journal article on the subject you are researching it will allow you to search further in the published literature. Starting from your known reference you can locate new articles which cite that reference in their reference lists.
This also enables you to take an influential article and uncover who influenced the author (who was cited) and go forward in time to discover how that research influenced newer works (who is citing it), following the development of an idea or theory through the literature.
In summary, citation searching allows you to
- find out if articles have been cited by other authors
- discover references to a particular author
- find more recent papers on the same subject
- discover how a known idea or innovation has been confirmed, applied, improved, extended or corrected
Some citation databases and providers are:
Primary Source Databases
Primary sources are those that are created at the same time as the period a researcher is studying. In contrast to secondary sources, they don't provide any analysis on the topic after it has happened. They report on information or events as they happened (for example, a newspaper article, discussing an historical event as it happened). Primary sources are useful for researchers because they reveal how certain topics and ideas were understood during a specific time and place. The particular primary sources you might use in your research, as well as how you find them, can vary a lot based on your field of study.
Examples of Primary Sources:
- Newspapers
- Government records
- Archives - Pamphlets and other archival material
- Memoirs and autobiographies
Some primary source databases and providers are:
Multidisciplinary Databases
It is easy to know that the Royal Society of Chemistry database relates to specifically to Chemistry, but what about the "multidisciplinary databases" that cover all topics?
Multidisciplinary databases cover a wide range of academic subjects including the arts, business, literature, law, sciences, and more from journals, newspapers, magazines, ebooks, and reports. These databases are good because you can find a huge number of articles about your topic allowing you to narrow down your keywords even further. So whatever your search, it is wise to check these general databases as well as relevant subject specific databases.
Some multidisciplinary databases and providers are:
