Finding Databases for your Article Search

Databases are online collections of articles, reviews and other materials from newspapers, magazines, conference proceedings, academic journals and other research materials. They are usually organized by date, title, author, periodical title, subject and other categories. They're a great place to go for articles and other research materials. Let's say you have a paper due in a few weeks and you need some journal articles. Not sure where to begin? Here are some ideas:

1. You might try a general database like Academic Search Complete (from the library homepage: go to Databases then click on A-Z Databases and Academic Search Complete).









2. Search for articles from multiple journals about your discipline. From our homepage go to Help->Research Guides(or try Subject Specific Databases) to find links to database descriptions and internet resources.




3. Search a specific periodical (magazine/journal/newspaper) for articles about your discipline. From the library homepage, go to Databases then Online Periodicals By Title. Search by Title or Category. For example, searching the word “psychology” under Title and Contains brings up 284 journals.



Still feeling unsure? You're not alone; experienced researchers also get stumped from time to time.

4. Stop by the Information Desk, call us at (254) 968-9249 or e-mail us at reference@tarleton.edu. Faculty members can schedule a database instruction session with a librarian to familiarize themselves and/or their students with what's available.