Databases - ENGCMP 0450: Research Writing - Pittsburgh Campus

How do I Find Databases and Articles . .

If you're seeking articles on a topic, search PIttCat or go directly to an Article Database.

Databases are focused collections of articles that you can search by topic or subject. Most of our databases offer links to the full text of articles.

If you know the name of the database you want to search, start at the Databases A-Z list.
If you're not sure which database to search, you can search databases in a particular Subject, or just ask a librarian for guidance by chatting or emailing us at Ask-A-Librarian.

If you have a citation to an article, search PittCat.

PittCat will list all the journals we subscribe to either online or in paper. If the journal is online, the PittCat item record will offer a link directly to the journal database. If the ULS doesn't subscribe to the journal online, PittCat will list any paper volumes and issues we have of that journal.

If we don't have the journal or article you need, request the article for free through Interlibrary Loan.

Medical Databases

PubMed This link opens in a new window
PubMed comprises more than 22 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.
CINAHL This link opens in a new window
The CINAHL database covers nearly 1000 English-language nursing and allied health journals. It also includes references to book chapters, pamphlets, audiovisual materials, software, dissertations, standards of professional practice and nurse practice acts.
Medline (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
MEDLINE provides authoritative medical information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, pre-clinical sciences, and much more.
APA PsycINFO This link opens in a new window
PsycINFO provides indexing coverage of all document types, including journal articles, book chapters, books, dissertations, and technical reports. The database is international in scope.
Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition This link opens in a new window
This resource provides more than 550 scholarly full text journals focusing on many medical disciplines and coverage of nursing and allied health is particularly strong. This database includes the Clinical Pharmacology database, providing access to up-to-date, concise and clinically relevant drug monographs for all U.S. prescription drugs, hard-to-find herbal and nutritional supplements, over-the-counter products and new drugs.

News & Current Events Databases

These databases are excellent starting points for your research because they have something on every subject:

National Newspapers (Current) (Full Text) This link opens in a new window
National Newspapers via ProQuest provides current full text access to some popular publications like Christian Science Monitor and the New York Times.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Provides full text and citation access to information in the reference, business, medical, and legal disciplines. [Formerly titled: Academic Lexis-Nexis]
Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
This scholarly collection provides journal coverage for most academic areas of study, including biological sciences, economics, communications, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts and literature, medical sciences and women's studies. This is an EBSCOHost database.
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Online reference library that provides access to a selection of reference books. CredoReference also includes cross-references to other full text titles containing related information.

Other Suggested Databases

You can find lots of article databases by using Databases by Subject. Here are a few you can start with:

Communication & Mass Media Complete This link opens in a new window
Communication and Mass Media Complete (CMMC) incorporates CommSearch produced by the National Communication Association and Mass Media Articles Index produced by Penn State.
ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) via EBSCO This link opens in a new window
ERIC, sponsored by the US Department of Education, is the premier national bibliographic database of education literature. ERIC consists of two files: Resources in Education and Current Index. The database also includes the full text of ERIC Digest Records. Ebsco and CSA are subscription services that offer sophisticated interfaces. The third option is to search the database via the government's web portal.
GenderWatch This link opens in a new window
GenderWatch is a full text database of publications that focus on the impact of gender across a broad spectrum of subject areas. GenderWatch contains archival material, in some cases as far back as the 1970's with additional archival material continually added.
GreenFILE This link opens in a new window
Comprised of scholarly and general interest titles, as well as government documents and reports, GreenFILE offers perspective on the positive and negative ways humans affect the ecology.
Policy File Index This link opens in a new window
Covers all public policy issues and it draws its content from public policy think tanks, university research programs, research organizations and publishers.
Social Work Abstracts This link opens in a new window
The Social Work Abstracts database is an index to articles and documents covering all aspects of social work and related fields. The database provides exceptional coverage of more than 450 journals in all areas of the profession, including theory and practice, areas of service, social issues, and social problems.
Web of Science This link opens in a new window
Web of Science provides access to Science Citation Index, Social Science Citation Index, and Arts and Humanities Citation Index.
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts is building on the merged backfiles of Political Science Abstracts and ABC POL SCI, published by ABC-CLIO. The database provides citations, abstracts, and indexing of the international serials literature in political science and its complementary fields, including international relations, law, and public administration / policy.

Reference Resources

These resources can help you with background information, as well as the resources at our Reference Resources page.

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Online reference library that provides access to a selection of reference books. CredoReference also includes cross-references to other full text titles containing related information.
CountryWatch This link opens in a new window
CountryWatch provides up-to-date information and news on the countries of the world.
Encyclopedia of Associations This link opens in a new window
The Encyclopedia of Associations lets you search for non-profit, membership organizations anywhere in the world in a variety of ways, including name, location, budget, officers, description, and over a dozen more. This database includes access to International Organizations, National Organizations of the U.S., and Regional, State and Local Organizations.
*Users must select desired directory from the drop down menu.
Gale Ebooks This link opens in a new window
Gale Ebooks is a database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.

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ENGCMP 0450: Research Writing - Pittsburgh Campus

United States Data

International Data

Business Databases

How do I Find Databases and Articles . .

Medical Databases

News & Current Events Databases

Other Suggested Databases

Reference Resources