Why Use A Database?
Search a database to find journal, magazine, or newspaper articles. Some databases also provide access to other materials such as dissertations, book chapters, books, datasets, sound recordings, videos, etc.
- Some databases have the full text of articles. If not, follow these instructions to figure out if the library has the journal, or call the Research Help Desk at 405-325-4142 for assistance.
- What if the library does not have a journal article that you need? We can still get it for you via our interlibrary loan service. It's free! And articles often come electronically within a few days. For more information see the interlibrary loan page.
What is the Difference Between a Popular and a Scholarly Source?
If you are not familiar with scholarly publications, it can be difficult to tell the difference between scholarly and popular periodicals. There are no definitive rules for distinguishing between the two, but here are some guidelines:
Scholarly (e.g., academic journals):
- Are written by professionals within an academic field or discipline.
- Contain research projects, methodology, and theory.
- Have few, if any, advertisements.
- Use college-level or specialized vocabulary of the discipline.
- Include articles with extensive bibliographies, footnotes, or other documentation.
- Graphics are often tables, charts, and diagrams.
- Are peer-reviewed or refereed.
- A simple explanation of peer review: other scholars in the field have evaluated a work. Check a journal's website to see what it says about the peer review or referee process. See this page, for example.
- NOTE: Even though many databases allow you to limit by peer review, it's not a guarantee that every article so limited will actually be a peer reviewed research article. Peer reviewed journals also contain non peer reviewed content such as book reviews and editorials.
Popular (e.g., magazines, newspapers):
- Are written by journalists.
- Contain general news articles written to inform, update, or introduce a new issue.
- Have many full-color, full-page advertisements.
- Use a general, non-technical vocabulary.
- Include articles with little or no documentation.
- Graphics are often full-color pictures and illustrations.
Multidisciplinary Databases
- Academic Search Complete (Ebsco)Multidisciplinary database. References to or full text of journal and magazine articles, major newspaper articles, book reviews, and more.
- Environmental Science and History Digital Archive (Wiley)Focuses on critical aspects of environmental science, history, and anthropogenic change and includes unique and rare archival collections from multiple global sources. The archive includes manuscripts, images, maps, and photographs covering topics such as deforestation, agriculture, livestock, fisheries, ecology, botany, biodiversity, extinction, water sources, irrigation, wetlands, and hydrology.
- Google ScholarGoogle Scholar enables you to search specifically for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from all broad areas of research. Use Google Scholar to find articles from a wide variety of academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories and universities, as well as scholarly articles available across the web.
When off campus, be sure to access Google Scholar settings > library links > type in University of Oklahoma. - JSTORIncludes the full text and complete archives of core scholarly journals in many disciplines, some dating from the 1600s. Current issues may not be available.
- Project MuseFull text of scholarly journals in the humanities, arts, and social sciences.
- ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (was Dissertation Abstracts)Millions of searchable citations to dissertations and theses from 1861 to the present day together with over a million full-text dissertations that are available for download in PDF format. Includes UK & Ireland content.
NOTE: Many universities have started archiving dissertations locally rather than through this database. Try a search in Worldcat, note the name of the institution where the dissertation was written, and go to that institution's catalog to see if a copy is in a local repository.
Most OU dissertations are full text through summer 2013; after that date, find OU dissertations in SHAREOK. - Web of Science (Clarivate)Multidisciplinary database. Includes a "cited reference" search. (A type of search that allows you to find articles that cite a previously published work.)
Subject Specific Databases
These databases have proven useful to IAS students in the past. See also the other subject guides.
- Anthropology Plus (Ebsco)Anthropology, archaeology, and related fields. References to or full text of journal articles, books, and more.
- Art Index (Ebsco)Traditional art, art history, archaeology, architecture, fashion design, interior design, visual art, folk art, film, and non-western art. References to or full text of journal articles, yearbooks, and museum bulletins.
- ATLA Religion Database (Ebsco)Biblical studies, world religions, church history, etc. References to or full text of journal articles, essays, book reviews.
- Communication Source (Ebsco)Communication, linguistics, rhetoric and discourse, speech-language pathology, media studies. References to or full text of journal and magazine articles, books, and book reviews.
- Contemporary Women's Issues (Gale)Contemporary and international women's issues in areas such as education, health, legal status, reproductive rights, and feminism. References or links to the full text of a variety of materials from journal articles to fact sheets.
- EconLit (Proquest)Covers both economic theory and application. References to or full text of journal articles, books, working papers, dissertations, and more.
- Film and Television Literature Index (Ebsco)Coverage includes film and television theory, preservation and restoration, writing, production, cinematography, and more. References to or full text of journal and magazine articles, trade publications, books, and reviews. See this page for information on finding film reviews.
- GeoBASE (via Engineering Village)Human and physical geography, geology, ecology, international development, and related disciplines. References to or full text of journal articles, books, conference proceedings, and more.
- GreenFILE (Ebsco)All aspects of human impact to the environment. References to or full text of journal and magazine articles, books, book reviews, and reports.
- Historical Abstracts (Ebsco)World history (except the U.S. and Canada), 1450 to the present. References to journal articles, books, book reviews, dissertations.
- MEDLINE (Ebsco)Medicine, dentistry, nursing, and other health fields. Created by the National Library of Medicine. References to or full text of journal articles and some magazine articles.
- MLA International Bibliography (Ebsco)Literature, language, linguistics, and folklore. References to or full text of journal articles, books, book chapters, and dissertations.
- Music Index (Ebsco)Music, musicians, and the music industry for both the classical and popular worlds of music. References to or full text of journal and magazine articles, book reviews, trade publications, and books.
- ProQuest One Business (formerly ABI/INFORM)Focus is on business and management topics, but includes many other subjects as well. References to or full text of journal, magazine, and newspaper articles, books, videos, company reports, and more.
- PsycINFO (Proquest)Psychology and related disciplines in the behavioral sciences. References to or full text of journal articles, books, dissertations, and more.
- SocINDEX (Ebsco)Sociology and other social and behavioral sciences. References to or full text of journal and magazine articles, reviews, trade publications, dissertation, books, and conference papers.
Essential Databases: International Affairs and Political Science
These are the major databases for finding articles and other materials related to International Affairs and Political Science.
- Annual Reviews (Annual Review of Political Science) (1998- )This database "critically reviews the most significant primary research literature to guide researchers to the principal contributions of their field and help them keep up to date in their area of research." Includes political theory and philosophy, international relations, political economy, political behavior, American and comparative politics, public administration and policy, and methodology.
- Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO)International politics and related fields, including security studies, global finance, diplomatic practice, humanitarian law, global governance, development studies, and environmental studies. Includes working papers, policy briefs, and current analysis and commentary, as well as scholarly journal articles, e-books, and videos. Economist Intelligence Unit supplies comprehensive country surveys, including in-depth political and economic data and detailed maps.
- PAIS Index (Proquest)Public and social policy issues, foreign and domestic. References to or full text of journal articles, government documents, books, pamphlets, yearbooks, statistical directories, grey literature, and more.
- Worldwide Political Science Abstracts (Proquest)Political science and its complementary fields, including international relations, law, and public administration/policy. References to or full text of journal articles, book reviews, books, dissertations, and working papers.
Area Studies
These are the major databases for finding articles and other materials related to Area Studies.
- American Bibliography of Slavic and East European Studies (Ebsco)Multi-disciplinary coverage of East-Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. References to or full text of journal articles, books, book chapters, book reviews, dissertations, online resources, and selected government publications published in the United States and Canada.
- ARTFL (12th-20th C.; Univ. of Chicago)Classic works of French literature, non-fiction prose, and technical writing.
- Bibliography of Asian Studies (Ebsco)East, Southeast, and South Asia, with special focus on the humanities and social sciences. References to or full text of western-language journal and review articles, conference proceedings, chapters in edited volumes, and Festschriften .
- China Academic Journals (2000-present; CNKI)Full text of Chinese language journals in the areas of economics, politics, law, education, social sciences, literature, history, and philosophy.
- ClasePeriodica (FirstSearch)Multidisciplinary coverage of Latin America. References to or full text of journal articles, books, book reviews, essays, conference proceedings, and technical reports in Spanish, Portuguese, French, and English.
- Digital National Security Archive (dates below; Proquest)The DNSA collection is the most comprehensive collection available of significant declassified U.S government documents central to U.S. foreign and military policy since 1945. OU Libraries provides access to four sub-collections relating to Latin American policy and human rights:
El Salvador: The Making of U.S. Policy, 1977–1984
El Salvador: War, Peace, and Human Rights, 1980–1994
Nicaragua: The Making of U.S. Policy, 1978–1990
-Death Squads, Guerrilla War, Covert Operations, and Genocide: Guatemala and the U.S., 1954-1999. - Handbook of Latin American StudiesMultidisciplinary coverage of Latin America. References to journal articles, books, book chapters, and conference papers in Spanish and English. NOTE: "Check for Full Text" is not available in this database; you must search the Local Catalog for the title of the journal to see if we own it.
- HAPI, the Hispanic American Periodicals Index (UCLA)Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latinx communities in the United States. References to or full text of journal articles.
- Index Islamicus (Proquest)Islam, the Middle East and the Muslim world, all time periods. References to or full text of journal articles, books, book reviews, conference proceedings.
- Integrum (In Russian)Access to a large collection of Russian and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) databases covering a wide range of topics. Includes archives of mass media, such as newspapers, magazines, radio, and television, and reference information.
- JapanKnowledge Lib - Japan narejji Lib (In Japanese)Provides fully searchable and browsable English-Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries, the Encyclopedia Nipponica and Encyclopedia of Japan, articles published in the weekly magazine Ekonomisuto, the Toyo Bunko, and other resources.
- Koseisha Zasshi Kijisakuin ShuseiReferences (in Japanese) to journal articles. Covers Meiji period to the present.
- RAMBI: Index of Articles on Jewish Studies (National Library of Israel)Academic articles and books covering all fields of Jewish studies as well as the study of Eretz Israel and the State of Israel. NOTE: "Check for Full Text" is not available in this database; you must search the Local Catalog for the title of the journal to see if we own it.
- South Asia Open Archives (JSTOR)Historical and contemporary primary sources in the arts, humanities and social sciences from and about South Asia; built through a collaborative initiative involving US research libraries and partners from South Asia.
- Struggles for Freedom: Southern Africa (JSTOR)Focuses on the complex and varied liberation struggles in Southern Africa, with an emphasis on Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Over 20,000 primary source materials include periodicals, nationalist publications, records of colonial government commissions, oral histories, local newspaper reports, personal papers, correspondence, UN documents, out-of-print and other particularly relevant books, photographs, pamphlets, speeches, and interviews with those who participated in the struggles.
- World Heritage Sites: Africa (JSTOR)Collection of more than 86,000 objects of visual, contextual, and spatial documentation of African heritage and rock art sites. Resources include site plans, diagrams, and maps; 3D models; stereo, digital, and panorama images; manuscripts and books; trade logs; videos; excavation reports; archaeological and ethnographic field notes; personal journals and travelers’ accounts from the 17th century to the 19th century; and more.
Video and Images / Audio
These databases cover still images, video, and audio. See also the Film and Media Studies and the Audio and Video Resources at OU guides.
- American Archive of Public BroadcastingAn initiative to digitally preserve and make accessible public broadcasting radio and television programming,
- American History in Video (Alexander Street Press)Access to commercial and governmental newsreels, archival footage, public affairs footage, and important documentaries related to American history.
- ARTstorRepository of over two million images that include collections from a wide variety of civilizations, time-periods, and media. The images are drawn from different sources, such as museums, archaeological teams, photo archives, slide collections, and art reference publishers. NOTE: Artstor's content and resources are moving to the JSTOR platform. Currently, 96% of Artstor’s content is available on JSTOR. In the coming months, the remaining 4% will migrate and the Artstor website will be fully retired on August 1, 2024. The JSTOR platform will retain the same functionality as Artstor.
- Avon: Academic Video Online (Alexander Street Press)Streaming academic video content, including acclaimed and award-winning interdisciplinary documentaries, independent non-fiction films, training and instructional videos, foreign films and shorts, and other educational titles. NOTE: AVON video access is mediated. This means that any video not currently licensed for use will require the user to request access. Access is being enabled for class use with instructor approval.
- British Pathé Archives85,000 historic films from 1896 to 1976, includes footage from Britain and around the globe. The archive is particularly strong in its coverage of the First and Second World Wars.
- Kanopy Streaming VideoAccess to streaming video supporting classes in the arts, business, health, media/communication, science, humanities and education. Effective Kanopy video access is mediated. This means that any video not currently licensed for use will require the user to request access. Access is being enabled for class use with instructor approval.
- Library of Congress - Prints and PhotographsDigitized photographs, fine and popular prints and drawings, posters, and architectural and engineering drawings.
- New World Cinema: Independent Features and Shorts (Alexander Street Press)Streaming full-length feature films from leading independent distributors and award-winning short films.
- Smithsonian Open AccessDigital assets that are created, stored, or maintained by the Smithsonian. This might include text, still images, sound recordings, research datasets, 3D models, collections data, and more.
- Swank Digital CampusSwank's streaming platform offers access to over 25,000 feature films, documentaries, foreign films, and TV shows from the largest movie studios, including Walt Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, Columbia Pictures, Lions Gate, MGM, and others. NOTE: Swank Digital Campus access is mediated. This means that any video not currently licensed for use will require the user to request access. Access is being enabled for class use with instructor approval.
- Television News of the Civil Rights Era (1950-1970; Univ. of Virginia)Aims to collect, digitize, and present television news footage from the period.