Skip to Main Content

UCSD Extension's Academic Connections

Selecting a Database

Databases are online tools that help you search for articles on a particular topic. Article databases are organized by broad subject areas (e.g. biology, art, political science, etc.), and some are interdisciplinary databases or ones that search across multiple disciplines. The database you use depends on the topic or subject you have chosen and the type of information you need to access.

How to pick a database:

The Library has access to hundreds of databases -- organized by broad subject areas. Try browsing our Databases A-Z list, or see our list of Subject Guides that recommend appropriate databases by subject.

Starting with an interdisciplinary database:

Not sure where to start? Maybe your topic spans a couple of disciplines (e.g., Bioengineering)? Some suggested databases to start with are:

Academic Search Complete
- This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary database with 17,800+ journals and magazines, of which 16,000+ are peer-reviewed and 8,750+ are full-text. Also included are books, conference papers and proceedings, government documents, newspapers, video content, and more. Coverage begins in 1887, with material in English, Spanish, German, French, Italian and Portuguese.
Web of Science
- This link opens in a new window
Indexes over 18,000 journals in all subjects (coverage back to 1900 for science and social science journals), as well as 80,000 books and more than 180K conference proceedings. Includes the popular "cited reference search" to identify papers which have cited a previously published work or author. Can also sort by "times cited" and find related articles based on commonly cited works.
JSTOR
- This link opens in a new window
Search by subject or browse 2,600+ full-text titles, predominantly scholarly journals and books in social sciences, history, humanities, and science and mathematics, to their earliest issues. Many titles extend as far back as late 19th or early 20th centuries; most recent 3-5 years often not included. JSTOR provides access to more than 12 million academic journal articles, books, and primary sources in 75 disciplines.

Google Scholar
Search for scholarly publications across disciplines & sources: articles, theses, books, and more, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities etc. Use Scholar Preferences option for UC-eLinks.

Article Databases

Remember, you will need to connect to the UCSD network to access these resources from off campus.

Art and Architecture Source
- This link opens in a new window
1927-present, citations to journal articles on art, architecture, photography, and related disciplines.
Arts & Humanities Citation Index
- This link opens in a new window
1975-present. Provides author, keyword, and cited reference searching from more than 1100 leading arts and humanities journals. In many cases includes searchable abstracts plus links to e-journal images. Part of the Web of Science.
ARTstor
- This link opens in a new window
Library of over 2.5 million digital images and their corresponding metadata. Covers many time periods and cultures, and documents the fields of architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, design, anthropology, ethnographic and women's studies, as well as many other forms of visual culture
Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals
- This link opens in a new window
1934-present, with selective coverage back to 1741. Lists journal articles in architecture, and related fields such as archaeology, urban planning, historic preservation, interior design

Remember, you will need to connect to the UCSD network to access these resources from off campus.

Gale Business Insights
- This link opens in a new window
GBI is a great first-stop for business and management information. It includes information on companies and industries from business and trade journals, academic journals, industry reports, newspapers, newsletters, and classic business reference sources. Search on a company name. In the search results, click on individual companies to open well-organized company profiles.
Business Source Complete
- This link opens in a new window
Dates of coverage vary, some journals back to early 20th century. Abstracts and full text in virtually all subject areas related to Business, Management and Finance. Journal and magazine articles; also books, industry reports, company profiles, SWOT analysis, much more
EconLit
- This link opens in a new window
Abstracts journal articles, books, dissertations, and working papers in economics. New records added monthly. Produced by American Economic Association.
Nexis Uni
- This link opens in a new window
Nexis Uni contains thousands of full-text sources including newspapers, wires, transcripts, newsletters, magazines, trade journals; also industry news, company information, law reviews, court decisions, statutes. Coverage dates vary. International and U.S. sources. (Previously called Lexis Nexis Academic).

Remember, you will need to connect to the UCSD network to access these resources from off campus.

ERIC (Education Resources Information Center)
- This link opens in a new window
1966-present. Sponsored by the U.S. Dept of Education; provides access to educational-related literature. Coverage includes journal articles and non-journal sources in education which are not available online. If not online, write down the ED# located in the 'Accession Number' field of the record, and check the ERIC documents microfiche cabinets located in the Geisel Library Reference Area.
Education Source
- This link opens in a new window
1929-present. Includes more than 2,850 academic periodicals, full text for more than 1,800 journals, 550 books and monographs, education-related conference papers, book reviews and over 100,000 controlled and cross-referenced names of educational tests. Coverage spans all levels of education from early childhood to higher education.
Education: A SAGE Full-Text Collection
- This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text access to over 20 journals published by Sage on topics in education such as curriculum and theory, research methods, diversity, counseling, budgeting, law, standards, and technology. Coverage for some titles dates from 1976. Updated monthly

Remember, you will need to connect to the UCSD network to access these resources from off campus.

Ethnic NewsWatch
- This link opens in a new window
1960-present. Full text U.S. ethnic community newspapers, newsletters, magazines. Includes African-American, Arab/Middle Eastern, Asian-Pacific, European-American, Hispanic, Jewish, Native-American. Searchable in English and Spanish.
Chicano Database
- This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive bibliographic index representing all types of material on Mexican-American topics. Provides extensive indexing from 1960s to the present; selective coverage back to early 1900s. Since 1992 includes articles on the broader Latino experience.
HAPI: Hispanic American Periodicals Index
- This link opens in a new window
1970-present. Lists journal articles on Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean, the U.S.-Mexico border region, and Hispanics in the U.S.

Remember, you will need to connect to the UCSD network to access these resources from off campus.

Film and Television Literature Index
- This link opens in a new window
1987-present; limited 1970-86. Covers writing about film and television for scholars, students and the general public. Subjects include film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, reviews
FIAF: International Index to Film Periodicals
- This link opens in a new window
1972-present. Includes comprehensive coverage of television periodicals 1972-2000, and coverage of tv in film periodicals since that date. Also several other more specialized databases on film research.
Film Index International
- This link opens in a new window
Film Index International is a major information resource for entertainment films and personalities produced in collaboration with the British Film Institute.
Film and Television Literature Index
- This link opens in a new window
1987-present; limited 1970-86. Covers writing about film and television for scholars, students and the general public. Subjects include film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, reviews

Remember, you will need to connect to the UCSD network to access these resources from off campus.

Contemporary Women's Issues
- This link opens in a new window
Abstracts and some full-text articles from more than 1500 publications, offering a multidisciplinary focus on gender issues.
GenderWatch
- This link opens in a new window
A full text database of publications that focus on the impact of gender across a broad spectrum of subject areas. 1970s-present.
LGBTQ+ Life
- This link opens in a new window
A resource for literature regarding gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues. Contains indexing and abstracts for more than 120 LGBTQ+ specific core periodicals.
LGBT Studies in Video
- This link opens in a new window
LGBT Studies in Video is a cinematic survey of the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people as well as the cultural and political evolution of the LGBT community. This collection features award-winning documentaries, interviews, archival footage, and select feature films exploring LGBT history, gay culture and subcultures, civil rights, marriage equality, LGBT families, AIDS, transgender issues, religious perspectives on homosexuality, global comparative experiences, and other topics.
LGBT Thought and Culture
- This link opens in a new window
This resource hosts the key works and, in future releases, archival documentation of LGBT underground political and social movements throughout the 20th century and into the present day. The collection will include select rare works from Alyson Books, Cleis Press, Firebrand Books, and major winners of the Stonewall Book Awards and Lambda Literary Awards. Also included will be personal papers of key figures and archival materials from local and national organizations; and seminal texts, letters, speeches, interviews, and ephemera covering the political evolution of gay rights as well as memoirs, biographies, poetry, and works of fiction that illuminate the lives of lesbians, gays, transgendered, and bisexual individuals and the community.
Women's Studies International
- This link opens in a new window
1972-present. Abstracts of journal articles, books and other materials drawn from a variety of women's studies databases, including Womens Studies Abstracts (1984-present).

Remember, you will need to connect to the UCSD network to access these resources from off campus.

America: History and Life
- This link opens in a new window
1895-present. International database for research on all periods of U.S. and Canadian history, including very recent years. Includes abstracts of journal articles and listings of books and dissertations. Over 1,800 journals are indexed.
Historical Abstracts
- This link opens in a new window
1863-present. International database for research on history of all regions (except the U.S. and Canada) from 1450 to the current decade. Content includes
indexing of historical articles from more than 2,300 journals in over 40 languages.
Humanities Full-Text
- This link opens in a new window
Includes many of the most important academic journals in the humanities with the full text of articles from over 300 periodicals dating back to 1995, and high-quality indexing for almost 700 journals—of which 470 are peer-reviewed—dating as far back as 1984.
Literature Online (LiON)
- This link opens in a new window
A fully searchable library of more than 350,000 works of English and American poetry, drama, and prose; 180 full-text literature journals; and other key critical and biographical sources.
Literature Resource Center
- This link opens in a new window
Provides access to biographies, bibliographies, and critical analyses of authors from every age and literary discipline.
MLA International Bibliography
- This link opens in a new window
The primary database of citations to journal articles, monographs, book chapters, and dissertations in the fields of non-Classical
literatures and folklore. Important source for linguistics and non-technical aspects of theater & film. Ca. 1890 - present.
Philosopher's Index
- This link opens in a new window
The premiere bibliographic database covering worldwide research in all subject areas of philosophy. It contains works on philosophy from both philosophy and interdisciplinary sources. There are author-written abstracts for most records. The global database contains more than 680,000 records with source publications from 139 countries in 37 languages. The primary languages are English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Primary coverage spans from 1940 to present with additional records dating back to 1893.
Project Muse: Scholarly Journals and Books Online
- This link opens in a new window
Search by subject or browse full text scholarly journals in the arts and humanities, social sciences and mathematics. More than 700 journals from over 250 university presses and scholarly publishers are available. Coverage begins 1906 or later, depending on the publication. UCSD also has access to over 30,000 book titles.

Remember, you will need to connect to the UCSD network to access these resources from off campus.

Anthropology Plus
- This link opens in a new window
Indexing database for anthropology, archaeology & related topics. Indexes articles in 2500+ scholarly journals, 1870 to present. Combines databases: Anthropological Literature (Harvard/Tozzer) and Anthropological Index (Royal Anthropological Institute)
Communication & Mass Media Complete
- This link opens in a new window
Coverage varies, but some back to early 1900s. Articles in communication, mass media, linguistics, and film studies. CMMC offers cover-to-cover ("core") indexing and abstracts for over 370 journals, and selected ("priority") coverage of over 230 more, for a combined coverage of over 600 titles. Many journals have indexing, abstracts, PDFs and searchable cited references from their first issues to the present (dating as far back as 1915).
Family & Society Studies Worldwide
- This link opens in a new window
Publications indexed are drawn from a wide range of social science disciplines including anthropology, sociology, psychology, demography, health sciences, education, economics, law, history, and social work. Covers 1970-present.
Food Studies Online
- This link opens in a new window
A database offering the most relevant and valuable materials in the area of food studies. It includes works about how food shapes and defines people's lives through the eyes of philosophers, historians, scientists, sociologists, artists, anthropologists, activists, physicists, psychologists, chefs, and many other important researchers.
Left Index
- This link opens in a new window
Access to the diversity of literature on the left, with a primary emphasis on politically and culturally engaged scholarship inside and outside the academy and a secondary emphasis on significant but little known sources of news and ideas.
Nexis Uni
- This link opens in a new window
Nexis Uni contains thousands of full-text sources including newspapers, wires, transcripts, newsletters, magazines, trade journals; also industry news, company information, law reviews, court decisions, statutes. Coverage dates vary. International and U.S. sources. (Previously called Lexis Nexis Academic).
Military & Government Collection
- This link opens in a new window
Offers current news on all branches of the military and government through a collection of periodicals, academic journals, and other content pertinent to the increasing needs of those sites.
PAIS International (Public Affairs Information Service)
- This link opens in a new window
1972-present. Lists print and electronic articles, books, and government publications on issues of public policy, including politics, government, economy, marine policy, law.
PsycINFO
- This link opens in a new window
1597-present. From the American Psychological Association. Provides access to scholarly literature in the psychological, social, behavioral, and health sciences. Includes journal articles, books, chapters, and dissertations. Includes approximately 2,500 journals. Updated weekly and includes an index of PsycArticles.
Social Sciences Full Text
- This link opens in a new window
Indexes and provides abstracts of articles published since 1983 in over 700 social sciences journals, with full-text provided for most articles published from 1994+.
SocINDEX with Full Text
- This link opens in a new window
This database contains full text for 890 journals dating back to 1908. This database also includes full text for more than 850 books and monographs; full text for over 16,800 conference papers; and informative abstracts for more than 1,300 "core" coverage journals dating as far back as 1895. Subjects covered include criminology & criminal justice, demography, ethnic & racial studies, gender studies, marriage & family, political sociology, religion, rural & urban sociology, social development, social psychology, social structure, social work, socio-cultural anthropology, sociological history, sociological research, sociological theory, substance abuse & other addictions, violence and many others.
Sociological Abstracts
- This link opens in a new window
1963-present. Abstracts journal articles, monographs, dissertations, conference proceedings, other research covering sociology, social work, and related social sciences. Also includes selected web resources.
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
- This link opens in a new window
1975-present. Research within the political science discipline and its complementary fields, including international relations, law, and public administration/policy. Use the Get it at UC button to find full text, print, and/or request the item from another library.

Military Balance (Institute for Strategic Studies)
Annual publication with detailed statistical information about the world's militaries including budget, enlisted personnel, and firepower.

Remember, you will need to connect to the UCSD network to access these resources from off campus.

Aquatic Sciences & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA)
- This link opens in a new window
The ASFA database is a premier source for aquatic resources, covering over 7,000 journals, books, reports, & conference proceedings mainly from 1971 - to present, with some coverage back to the 1800s. This database is ideal for research in the areas of aquaculture, aquatic organisms, aquatic pollution, conservation, fisheries, marine biotechnology, oceanography, policy & legislation, and wildlife management.
Consult the ProQuest online guide for help searching this database, features for refining your search, saving results as alerts or RSS feeds, and emailing or downloading your search & results: https://proquest.libguides.com/asfa
BIOSIS Citation Index
- This link opens in a new window
BIOSIS coverage is from 1926 to present and includes around 6,000 journals, conference proceedings, books, & technical reports in all aspects of biological sciences. The BIOSIS Citation Index database is an excellent database for all biological information, including marine biology, biological oceanography, marine ecology, developmental biology, and molecular biology. This is the preferred database to use over BIOSIS Previews because you can search for cited references.
CINAHL
- This link opens in a new window
1937 - present. Covers indexing of over 5000 journals in nursing and the allied health sciences, with full text for over 700 of those journals. Coverage includes nursing, biomedicine, health sciences librarianship, alternative & complementary medicine, consumer health and 17 allied health disciplines.
Compendex
- This link opens in a new window
Indexes 20+ million journal and trade magazine articles, conference papers, standards, books, and other materials in all engineering disciplines. Core database for mechanical, aerospace, civil, structural, chemical, and environmental engineering, as well as materials science and nanotechnology. ****You can now cross search with Inspec for a more comprehensive search of the engineering literature; duplicate references can be removed.
Defense Technical Information Center's (DTIC) Public Collections
Search and access all unclassified, unlimited citations to documents in the Defense Technical Information Center's Public Technical Reports Collection and DTIC's Full-Text Collection of Department of Defense research reports.
Food Studies Online
- This link opens in a new window
A database offering the most relevant and valuable materials in the area of food studies. It includes works about how food shapes and defines people's lives through the eyes of philosophers, historians, scientists, sociologists, artists, anthropologists, activists, physicists, psychologists, chefs, and many other important researchers.
Inspec
- This link opens in a new window
Indexes 16+ million journal articles and conference papers in physics, electrical engineering and electronics, and computer science. Also good for related disciplines like geophysics, astronomy, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, ocean engineering, and acoustics. Indexes IEEE conference papers and standards. ****You can now cross search with Compendex for a more comprehensive search of the engineering literature; duplicate results can be removed.
Military & Government Collection
- This link opens in a new window
Offers current news on all branches of the military and government through a collection of periodicals, academic journals, and other content pertinent to the increasing needs of those sites.
PTSDpubs Database
- This link opens in a new window
An electronic index to the worldwide literature on post traumatic stress disorder and other mental health sequelae of exposure to traumatic events.
PsycINFO
- This link opens in a new window
1597-present. From the American Psychological Association. Provides access to scholarly literature in the psychological, social, behavioral, and health sciences. Includes journal articles, books, chapters, and dissertations. Includes approximately 2,500 journals. Updated weekly and includes an index of PsycArticles.
PubMed
Covers over 5,700 journals in the biomedical and health sciences and years covered late 1940's - present, with additional older medical literature selectively added. Search using keywords or the controlled vocabulary called MeSH. PubMed will automatically match your keyword terms to MeSH terms. For additional tips, see the Library's PubMed page.