Types of Library Subscription Databases
Which database to use depends upon your topic.

1. General Databases

  •  Is your topic general or cross-disciplinary?
  •  Currently in the news?

If so, start with one of the general databases. These cover a wide range of subjects and often index a mixture of popular and scholarly sources. Most articles are full text. This is often a good place to begin research. Examples of general databases and the kinds of articles or resources they identify are:

Academic Search Complete
Articles from magazines and journals on a range of topics from 1965 to the present
Omnifile Full Text
Articles from magazines, journals and newspapers on many topics, from 1982 to present
ProQuest Newsstand
Articles from over 300 U.S. and International new sources such as the New York Times and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Credo Reference
Articles in over 600 e-reference books covering a wide variety of fields including technology, literature, art, and law
 
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