* What are article databases?

Article databases are tools for discovering what articles have been published on a topic. An article database is sort of like a search engine, except you are only searching the information in one big, but highly selective container. The NCSU Libraries has paid for access to more than 300 databases on behalf of the students, faculty and staff at NCSU.

* Which database should I use?

Many students find this database very useful for beginning their research.

Academic Search Premier

Look for the Limit to Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) or Refereed Publications options if you need scholarly, research articles.

More databases are listed in the Finding Articles guide. You'll find this guide linked from the library's homepage under Search the Collection on the left.

Look for a drop-down menu like the image below. Select a broad discipline related to your research topic to find recommendations from librarians.

* How do I search in a database?

When searching for articles on a topic, it is best to use a Keyword Search. This allows you to combine important search terms or phrases together. Try different combinations of search terms. For example,

• cloning
• cloning and human
• cloning and human and ethics

Note: you must connect relevant words or phrases together with and.

* What information will I find in the database?

The article database shows you what articles exist on a topic. You will find citations and sometimes short summaries called abstracts.

A citation includes article title, author(s), journal name, volume, issue, year, and page numbers.

The most important parts of the citation are the journal title, volume, issue, and pages. This information is usually listed in the SO field. SO = Source.

* Article citations often look like this in databases: