Getting Started with Databases
Use OneSearch for Broad Searching
OneSearch is a simple search engine that allows you to search simultaneously for books, articles, and more available at SCU Library. OneSearch brings together content of a large selection of our subscribed e-journals and databases, our library catalog, and our digital library collections in a single search interface. It can be a good starting point for interdisciplinary research, which you then might augment with some discipline-specific databases. Access OneSearch directly on the Library homepage. Learn more about OneSearch here.
Example using OneSearch:
Step 1: Add keywords with Boolean Operators and Search
Step 2: Use filters on left side of screen
Proquest Database Example Search
Ebsco Example
InterLibrary Loan
If you are unable to view the PDF of the article. You can submit an InterLibrary Loan Request. Our staff will find the article (within 3 days) and email you when the PDF is ready to be viewed!
Click Here to view all Databases
Multidisciplinary
- Academic Search Complete A multidisciplinary database providing access to more than 8,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. It also offers indexing and abstracts for more than 12,500 journals. Covers a wide range of academic topics including business, education, social sciences, humanities, science, & engineering. Coverage varies, with some publications going back to 1911.
Education & Psychology
- Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
Indexes and abstracts over 500 professional and scholarly education journals. Dates of coverage vary by title, but some go back to 1983. For 250 of the journals, full-text of the articles is provided, some back to 1994, but most for only the most recent 5 years.
This database will lead you to articles from more than 3,000 professional and scholarly education journals and magazines as well as some books and conference papers. The vast majority of sources are in English, but other countries and languages are represented. Dates of coverage vary wildly, but you could find something from as far back as 1929.
Abstracts professional and scholarly psychology journals and book chapters, plus dissertations and technical reports. The coverage includes over 1300 journals in 27 languages from approximately 50 countries. 1887-present. Updated monthly.
Provides access to more than 100 important journals in all subject areas relevant to psychology. Journals published by the American Psychological Association, the Canadian Psychological Association, and English language journals from Hogrefe Publishing are included. Most titles are covered from volume one to the present. Citations in PsycINFO have links to the full-text in PsycARTICLES.
Social Sciences Databases
- Social Science Premium Collection
Contains more than 1,800 full-text articles and over 14,000 abstracts from scholarly journals and dissertations in the social sciences such as criminal justice, education, language behavior, linguistics, political science, sociology, etc.
- Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
Indexes and abstracts articles at least one column in length from over 544 different English language periodicals in the social sciences, which includes anthropology, psychology, sociology, ethnic studies, political science, economics, geography, urban studies, and more. Fulltext of articles are available from about 175 of these periodicals. Indexing goes back to 1983. Abstracts began with January 1994. Fulltext availability varies title to title, but may go back to 1995. Updated daily. For indexing of articles appearing prior to 1983, use Humanities & Social Sciences Retrospective.
- Communication Source
The most comprehensive resource for scholars studying mass media, communication theory, linguistics, organizational communication, rhetoric & discourse, phonetics, and speech pathology. It includes the full text of more than 600 publications (academic journals, conference papers, magazines, and periodicals). Coverage goes back to 1915.
Women & Gender Studies
- GenderWatch
GenderWatch enhances gender and women's studies, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) research by providing authoritative perspectives from 1970 to present. GenderWatch provides access to over 300 titles, with more than 250 in full-text, from an array of academic, radical, community and independent presses.
- LGBTQ+ Source
Contains all of the content available in LGBT Life as well as full text for more than 140 of the most important and historically significant LGBTQ+ journals, magazines and regional newspapers, plus full text for 150 monographs/books. The database includes comprehensive indexing and abstract coverage as well as a specialized LGBTQ+ Thesaurus containing over 10,000 terms.
- Women's Studies International
The ultimate women's studies resource! Includes over 540,000 records drawn from a variety of essential women's studies databases. 1972-present.
Ethnic Studies
- Diversity Collection
A collection of three full-text databases, namely GenderWatch, Ethnic NewsWatch, and Alt-PressWatch. GenderWatch enhances gender and women's studies, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) research by providing authoritative perspectives from 1970 to present. GenderWatch provides access to over 300 titles, with more than 250 in full-text, from an array of academic, radical, community and independent presses. Ethnic NewsWatch is a comprehensive full-text database of the newspapers, magazines, journals and newsletters of the ethnic, minority and native presses as well as many journals concerned with issues of race and ethnicity, with archival material back to 1985. Alt-PressWatch includes over 1.5M articles from more than 300 small sources including unique, independent voices from respected and cited grassroots newspapers, magazines, and journals covering the arts and all viewpoints across the social and political spectrum from 1970 to present.
Political Science and Public Policy
- Political Science Complete
Political Science Complete contains full-text for more than 520 journals and indexing & abstracts for over 2,900 titles, including top-ranked scholarly journals. The database has a worldwide focus, reflecting the globalization of contemporary political discourse. The database also features over 340 full-text reference books and monographs and over 36,000 full-text conference papers. The subject specific thesaurus contains over 17,500 terms to aid researchers.
Health
- Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition
Contains information on many health topics including the medical sciences, food sciences and nutrition, childcare, sports medicine and general health. Indexing, abstracts and full-text of around 600 journals covering nursing and allied health subjects. 1975-present. Updated daily.
- PubMed
Includes MedLine. The National Library of Medicine's bibliographic database. It includes such topics as microbiology, delivery of health care, nutrition, pharmacology, and environment health. 1966-present. Click here for our PubMed Quick Guide.
Computer Science
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O'Reilly includes technical and business content from more than 250 publishers. Additionally, videos, case studies, interactive tutorials, audio books, and self-assessments are provided.