Databases tagged with a blue/gold symbol must be accessed from either on the UC San Diego campus network or via the campus VPN.
Put some thought into choosing your search terms and consider synonyms or alternative terms. AND, OR, and NOT can be used to combine or exclude search terms. Check the subject terms listed on your results for additional words to search.
Most databases have help screens that explain how to enter keywords for the best search results.
Take advantage of additional database features where possible, such as citation formatting and limiting to academic journals.
In many databases, you will see a "PDF full text" or "HTML full text" link next to a citation. If so, clicking on the link will bring up the full text of the article.
If you don't see one of those links, you should see a
button next to each citation. If we have access to the article from another source, the link will take you to UC Library Search to show you options for getting full text.
A quick checklist:
1. Where did you find the source? Did you use a scholarly database?
2. Who is responsible for the work? Is it published by a university press or another known scholarly publisher? What are the author's credentials? Is the author a professor or other known academic or scholar?
3. Does it look like a scholarly work? Does it have footnotes and/or endnotes and/or a bibliography? What kinds of sources does it cite? Where did the author get their information? What research methodology are they using?
4. You can also use the Ulrichsweb database to confirm if a journal is peer-reviewed. An open book icon next to a journal title indicates "refereed" or peer-reviewed.
Scholarly articles are written by academics who are experts in their field and published in scholarly journals. Peer-reviewed articles are scholarly articles that have been read and vetted by other experts in the field (e.g., the author's peers) before the journal accepts them for publication.
Search tip: Use the button to link to the online full text (if available). You can also use UC Library Search to find the print version of the publication, or order a copy from another library through Interlibrary Loan when not available from the UC San Diego Library.
1972-present. Lists print and electronic articles, books, and government publications on issues of public policy, including politics, government, economy, marine policy, law.
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.
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.
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.
Abstracts journal articles, books, dissertations, and working papers in economics. New records added monthly. Produced by American Economic Association.
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.
Indexes a wide range of important journals in all areas of the humanities and social sciences as far back as 1907 up to 1984. Use the UC-eLinks button to find full text, print, and/or request the item from another library.
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.
Full text of law reviews/legal periodicals plus primary sources such as the Code of Federal Regulations; Federal Register; Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS); Treaties and Agreements Library; United States Code; U.S. Attorney General Opinions; U.S. Congressional Documents; U.S. Federal Agency Documents, Decisions, and Appeals; U.S. Federal Legislative History Library; U.S. Statutes at Large; State Session Laws Library; State Statutes: A Historical Archive; Acts of the Parliament of Canada (Annual Statutes); World Constitutions Illustrated; World Treaty Library. Also includes special topics databases.
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.
Full text access to federal and state court cases, laws and regulations; law reviews, legal periodicals, and encyclopedias; European Union legal documents; and legal guides. Also includes some news sources.
News sources can be particularly useful as primary sources that describe events as they unfold. They may cover sitautions or events that are newer or more specific than than one might find in scholarly articles. The Library subscribes to a number of online sources for international news.
Dates vary, but some historical coverage as far back as 1690. More than 5000 sources worldwide, including nearly 1500 in the U.S. Many historical newspapers are in digitized image form. Largely newspapers, with newswires, transcripts, newsletters, magazines, videos.
Citations to articles in roughly 381 alternative, radical, and left publications in North America. which report and analyze the practices and theories of cultural, economic, political, and social change
Citations to articles alternative, radical, and left publications in North America which report and analyze the practices and theories of cultural, economic, political, and social change
Provides economic studies, company & industry reports, country risk, economic and industrial statistics, and political news with a focus on emerging market countries. Covers public & private companies & global industry reports. Includes interactive data analysis tools & news alerts. Excellent China coverage.
Provides access to over 16,000 global sources including: * 1,000+ Global and local newspapers * 3,000+ Journals and magazines * 30,000+ Company Reports. Factiva.com delivers content in 27 languages, from Arabic to Vietnamese.
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.
