The Information Navigator

A self-help guide to quality information

How do I choose the best database for my subject?

Article databases can be created for specific subject areas or publication types or for more general coverage of several subject areas. For example:

Compendex covers in-depth articles on engineering topics from journals and conference proceedings

Proquest General Reference provides general coverage, but less depth, of many fields.

To choose the best database ask yourself:

• What level of information do you need? Broad coverage, somewhat in-depth, or a highly-specific, scholarly treatment?
  
• What types of publications do you need? Some options are newspapers, magazines, scholarly peer-reviewed journals, trade journals, theses, conferences, and technical reports.
  
• Does your topic come from a specific area of research (subject specific) or would a general collection of resources cover it?
  
• What dates are relevant for your topic? Article databases cover differing periods of time. For dates not covered by an online database, Ask Us to find relevant print indexes.
  

Once you have some answers to these questions, check the subject listings in Vera and read the database descriptions. The descriptions will give you clues that will guide you to the right resources:

Figure 1: Example of article database entry in Vera

Hint: Be sure to try more than one article database since different databases cover different journals, even within a subject area.

I'm not looking for articles. Do the Libraries have databases that contain data, facts and figures, images, or electronic books?

Still having trouble selecting a database? Ask Us!