Article Databases
Search an article database to find citations (title, author, title of journal, date, page numbers) for articles on a particular topic. The Library gives you access to over 200 article databases covering different disciplines.
1. Think about which academic disciplines might write about your topic. Examples: literature, film, anthropology, history...
2. Find the appropriate article database by subject (academic discipline or department). Look for "Recommended" databases.
Library home > Articles > Article Databases by Subject
Searching Article Databases
Sample searches in CSA Illumina Social Science databases:
Library home > Articles > Article Databases by Subject > Sociology > Sociology Abstracts: click on the CSA Illumina Social Sciences link to search multiple social science databases
1. Example of searches using keywords and truncation
media (keywords)
polygam* (keywords)
keywords = searches most important parts of the record
* = truncation symbol or wildcard; child* = child, childs, children, childish, childhood
2. Example of a search using phrase searching, alternative terms:
latino* or mexican american* or hispanic* (keywords)
advertis* (keywords)
health* (keywords)
another example:
athlet* (keywords)
fallen (keywords)
look for other useful terms, try again:
athlet* (keywords)
scandal* or disgrace* or comeback* (keywords)
3. use an official subject term ("descriptor")
african american* or black* (keywords)
single parent* or single mother* or single father* (keywords)
african american* or black* (descriptor)
single parent* or single mother* or single father* (keywords)
4. to find more results, especially when the topic is too new for academic journal articles: broaden your terms
sb 1070 (keywords)
broaden your terms:
arizona (keywords)
immigra* (keywords)
5. To find more items, take out terms:
gun cultur* (keywords)
masculin* (keywords)
gun (keywords)
masculin* (keywords)
Sample searches in Academic Search Complete
Library home > Articles > General Article Databases > Academic Search Complete
corporate cultur* (select a field )
athlet* or sports* (select a field))
Search Results
- click on the title to see full record (including abstracts and descriptors)
- to limit by publication type (peer-reviewed journals, conferences, books, etc.) click on the appropriate tab or link
- if necessary,look for other limits (latest update, journal articles only, english only) and more advanced searches
- select records to save to your personalized list; lists may be e-mailed, downloaded, printed
UC-eLinks - Find Article Text/Location
Once you've searched a database to find articles, you may need to use 
to link to a PDF or html file if the full text is not immediately available. Each database is a bit different, but a good rule of thumb is this: when you see the Uc-eLinks icon click on it to view your article access options, which can range from full text to a call number to an Interlibrary Loan request:
For more information, here's a tutorial on using UC-eLinks.
About JSTOR!
Library home > Articles > General Article Databases > JSTOR
Everyone Loves JSTOR:
- interdisciplinary
- scholarly
- full text available AND searchable - you may find topics you won't find elsewhere because they're only part of an article on a related topic
- covers journals from their earliest publication dates
CAUTIONS:
- DOES NOT INCLUDE THE LAST 3-5 YEARS of a journal! not good for contemporary topics!
- doesn't include as many journals in a particular discipline as the discipline-specific database (example: MLA Bibliography for literature)