Research Guides: Locating Scientific Literature: Searching Databases

Recommended Databases

Keyword Searching the Databases

If you were unable to locate the full text article described in your secondary source using the Journals A-Z list, you can try searching for another article on the same topic in one of the library's databases. Here are some databases we recommend getting started with.

Search Tips

If you see a "Full Text" box, check it. This will eliminate articles that we do not have in full text in the library.
If you see a "Scholarly" or "Peer Reviewed" box, check it. This will eliminate the popular and other non-scholarly articles that you don't want to include in your references.
Read through the article carefully. Is the author describing original research that they've done themselves, or are they describing someone else's research?
Limit your results to the last 5 or 10 years. This will help you find the most recent and up-to-date information.

Recommended Databases

Here are some suggestions to get you started:

Academic Search Complete
General research database from EBSCO, contains journals on a variety of topics, including the sciences.
Biological Science Database
ProQuest's Biology Database, including journals in the life sciences.
Environment Complete
Full-text articles on topics such as agriculture, ecosystem ecology, energy, natural resources, marine and freshwater science, environmental law, public policy, social impacts, urban planning & more.
Science Database
ProQuest's Science Database. Includes journals in a variety of sciences and technology.
ScienceDirect
Database of more than 1400 scientific journals in the sciences and social sciences. Full text of most articles from 1997 to the present. Easy to search by research type (i.e. research article, review article, editorial, etc.)