Finding and Using Databases
What are Databases, anyway?
A Database is, quite literally, a container for sources of information. Sometimes that information is an index or a directory that leads you to another location where an item is stored, but often the database contains the item itself. So for example, we have databases that hold newspaper articles (Proquest Newspapers, America's News, and Nexis Uni are a few of our newspaper databases). We also have databases like Statista, which is a portal for statistics on a wide variety of topics. It is important to be able to indentify and search in specific databases that are relevant to your topic because Scout searches a lot of the library's content, but it doesn't have access to some databases.
You can access all of our databases using the Database link on the University Libraries homepage, or check out the examples of databases in this section.
- Database A-ZUse the Database A-Z list to sort through and find specific databases by subject, content type, or by database publisher.
- ProQuest Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Provides full text of many U.S. and international news sources. Includes the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Times of London, plus other newspapers and news wires.
- America's News This link opens in a new window
This collection of U.S. news from local, regional, and national sources offers print and online newspapers, blogs, journals, newswires, broadcast transcripts, and videos. Included are news sources from various Alabama counties.
- Crimson White, The This link opens in a new window
The digitized print edition of current issues and archives of The Crimson White, the student news organization and paper of record for The University of Alabama.
- Tuscaloosa News, The This link opens in a new window
Explore Tuscaloosa history through local news, events and people with Tuscaloosa News Collection. Search current and archived issues with full-color newspaper pages, full-text articles and content only published online. Also available remotely 24/7 on any device. Full-text access 2008-present. Digital Image access 2022-present.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Images of the full text of many scholarly titles in a range of subject areas, including literature, biological sciences, economics, finance, and statistics. Search the archive or pull up a specific article. Artstor is now available on the JSTOR platform.
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Project MUSE provides full-text access scholarly journals in the humanities and social sciences. The database is a collaboration between Johns Hopkins University and other university presses and not-for-profit publishers. Also included are the UPCC collections in Asian and Pacific Studies, and Poetry, Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction.
- Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
Multi-disciplinary database; articles from journals and other publications. coves business, education. history, literature, medicine, philosophy, politics, and technology.
Databases
- Definitions for SearchingThis guide helps you understand the technical aspects of database searching.
The tabs below reference course prefixes (i.e. EN signifies "English").
- Academic Search PremierThis is a great database because it contains information for almost any topic that you might be writing about! Plus, it looks a lot like SCOUT, so remember you can use the same strategies to search!
- LexisNexis AcademicProvides access to full text resources on topics including current and general news; business and financial information; newspapers; company directories; government and politics; medical and health topics; accounting, auditing, and tax; federal and state laws; legal cases; and regulations. Resources include TV and radio news transcripts.
- Opposing ViewpointsHelps you explore a topic and identify the pros and cons of that topic. Here you can find newspaper articles, scholarly articles, encyclopedia information and multimedia files. It's a great starting point for finding sources to building an argument.
- StatistaA statistics portal to the world of data and facts from over 10,000 sources. Categorized in subject sectors, Statista provides patrons with direct access to relevant quantitative facts on finance, media & marketing, politics, telecommunications, sports & recreation and many more areas of interest. Sources of information include market researchers, trade publications, scientific journals, and government databases.
- PsycARTICLESProvides over 39,000 full text articles from journals published by the American Psychological Association, the APA Educational Publishing Foundation, the Canadian Psychological Association, and Hogrefe & Huber, including all material from the print journals except for ads and editorial board lists.
- PsycCRITIQUESProvides full text reviews of current books and some popular films, comparative reviews of books, reviewer bio and photo, and book cover image, as well as a backfile of approximately 4,000 reviews from 1995-2003.
- PsycINFOContains citations and summaries of journal articles, book chapters, books, and technical reports in the field of psychology and psychological aspects of related disciplines including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, anthropology, business, and law.
- Mental Measurements YearbookDescriptions and reviews of over 2000 tests and assessments in 18 major categories, mostly related to education and psychology.
- MIT CogNetResources for brain/cognitive sciences from MIT. Full text MIT journals and books, plus MIT OpenCourseWare and Video. Includes several psychology reference titles.
- CINAHL PlusIncludes full text coverage of over 3,000 nursing and allied health journals. This database also offers access to health care books, nursing dissertations, selected conference proceedings, standards of practice, educational software, audiovisuals and book chapters, as well as Evidence-Based Care Sheets.
- Cochrane Collection PlusProvides evidence-based, high quality health care data for providers, patients, and those responsible for researching, teaching, funding and administrating at all levels of the medical profession. Some full text articles are available.
- Health Source: Nursing / AcademicA mostly full-text database providing over 520 scholarly journals focusing on a variety of medical disciplines. Also included are USP Pharmacopoeia DI: Volume II - Advice for the Lay Patient and Stedman's Medical Dictionary.
- MEDLINECoverage from 1948 to the present in nursing & medicine. Includes direct links to full-text articles in over 200 journals via OVID, in addition to providing links to other UA Libraries' e-journal collections.
- PubMedProvides access to over 11 million MEDLINE citations back to the mid-1960s and additional life science journals. Many articles are full text from PubMed Central (PMC). Links to full text journals owned by the UA Libraries is accessible only when connected through links on Libraries' web site.
- Academic Search PremiereThis is a great database because it contains information for almost any topic that you might be writing about! Plus, it looks a lot like SCOUT, so remember you can use the same strategies to search!
- PsycINFOContains citations and summaries of journal articles, book chapters, books, and technical reports in the field of psychology and psychological aspects of related disciplines including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, anthropology, business, and law.
- Social Services AbstractsProvides bibliographic coverage of current research focused on social work, human services, and related areas, including social welfare, social policy, and community development. The database abstracts and indexes over 1,406 serials publications and includes abstracts of journal articles, dissertations, and citations to book reviews.
- Web of ScienceIncludes the Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1985-present); the Science Citation Index (1955-present); and the Social Sciences Citation Index (1900-present).
- Academic OneFileThe premier source for peer-reviewed, full text articles from the world's leading journals and reference sources. With extensive coverage of the physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, literature and other subjects, Academic OneFile is both authoritative and comprehensive.
- Academic Search PremiereThis is a great database because it contains information for almost any topic that you might be writing about! Plus, it looks a lot like SCOUT, so remember you can use the same strategies to search!
- LexisNexis AcademicProvides access to full text resources on topics including current and general news; business and financial information; newspapers; company directories; government and politics; medical and health topics; accounting, auditing, and tax; federal and state laws; legal cases; and regulations. Resources include TV and radio news transcripts.
- SPORTDiscusCovers sports medicine, sports law, exercise physiology, biomechanics, sports psychology, training techniques, coaching, physical fitness, recreation facilities and equipment. Includes citations to scholarly articles, books, conference proceedings, theses and dissertations, reports, and other materials produced by international sports organizations.
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Position PapersContains the collection of position papers published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Included are some position papers published by other associations that have been endorsed by the Academy. This database contains the full text of these papers and is available to the general public.
- CINAHL PlusIncludes full text coverage of over 3,000 nursing and allied health journals. This database also offers access to health care books, nursing dissertations, selected conference proceedings, standards of practice, educational software, audiovisuals and book chapters, as well as Evidence-Based Care Sheets.
- Cochrane Collection PlusProvides evidence-based, high quality health care data for providers, patients, and those responsible for researching, teaching, funding and administrating at all levels of the medical profession. Some full text articles are available.
- PubMedProvides access to over 11 million MEDLINE citations back to the mid-1960s and additional life science journals. Many articles are full text from PubMed Central (PMC). Links to full text journals owned by the UA Libraries is accessible only when connected through links on Libraries' web site.
- Science DirectInformation source for world's scientific, medical, and technical research, but also includes social science and humanities topics. Contains 1,500,000+ articles on topics such as chemistry, mathematics, computer and materials science, medicine, etc. Includes links to 10,000 journal titles, articles that have been accepted for publication but not yet in print, access to Medline, a web search engine, and information on available jobs for scientists.
- Catalog of U.S. Government PublicationsThe finding tool for federal publications that includes descriptive information for historical and current publications as well as direct links to full documents, when available. Users can search by authoring agency, title, subject, and general keywords, or click on "Advanced Search" for more options.
- Hoover's OnlineIn-depth profiles of approximately 15,000 public and private companies in the U.S. and the world, plus information on initial public offerings, industry snapshots, and business news.
- LexisNexis AcademicProvides access to full text resources on topics including current and general news; business and financial information; newspapers; company directories; government and politics; medical and health topics; accounting, auditing, and tax; federal and state laws; legal cases; and regulations. Resources include TV and radio news transcripts.
- WARCFeatures a large collection of successful marketing and advertising case studies, complete with videos and print ads from the campaigns. Also includes news sources, academic journals, and trade publications related to advertising, Adspend data sets, and market trend research.
- Business Source PremierContains thousands of academic journals, trade publications, dissertions, newspapers and magazines. Use the 'Suggested Topics' section, located at the top of the page, to get more ideas and expand your results.
- IBISWorldContains over 700 detailed industry reports. Browse the items by scrolling down the page, or enter the name of an industry (or company within an industry) to get a list that meets your criteria. Each report contains sections including industry outlook, lifecycle, products & markets and competitive landscape.
- Mergent OnlineA suite of extensive financial information on US and international public companies, provides digital images of annual reports to shareholders, complete text of SEC filings, equity research reports, global historical stock prices, corporate and municipal bond data, and industry reports.
- Mintel ReportsComprehensive information on markets for consumer products, travel, lifestyles and leisure. Each report combines data & analysis of the competitive landscape, market-share analysis and consumer profiles.
- OneSourceProvides you with Datamonitor, RMA comparison ratio's and various other industry-related information. Simply enter a term in the 'Industry' search box located in the upper-right side of the page.
- PassportContains company reports, industry reports and country reports. Get product information and how various products and services are faring in other countries. In addition to reports, you can get detailed demographic and consumer information for various countries.
The tabs below correlate to course reference prefixes. In other words, EN signifies "English".
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