Databases

Databases for Literature Searches

There are numerous databases that can be used to search for scholarly literature. All these databases contain bibliographic metadata on scholarly publications—for instance, the title, author, and publication year. Bibliographic databases typically do not contain full-text publications. Instead, they contain links that lead to either the publisher website or some other location where the full-text publication can be purchased and/or accessed. If a bibliographic database contains a full-text publication, it is referred to as repository.

Bibliographic databases differ in their scope. Some databases include literature from all areas of research. Others, in contrast, are specialized in literature from a particular academic discipline. Not all areas of research have the same range of information resources. Also, not all databases are freely accessible—some require a subscription that often is arranged at a university level.

Until recently, library catalogs were the main tools used to search for research literature. Since around 1970s, the traditional paper catalogs have been digitized and made available for browsing online. Now in most cases, library collections can be navigated through an [Page 403]online public access catalog (OPAC) with university libraries being no exception. Universities usually have access to other databases useful for literature searches. These databases can be accessed directly from their websites. Alternatively, databases can be accessed through discovery systems—a more recent trend whereby OPACs are replaced by systems that help to access research from a single website, not just the university library catalog but also the numerous databases to which the university library has access.

When the focus in a literature search is on books and other publications that most likely can be found in a library, a useful source is WorldCat, which is maintained by the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC). WorldCat provides online access to library collections in libraries that are members of the OCLC network. The number of participating libraries exceeds 15,000. A search through the WorldCat user interface can identify the geographically most accessible library where the publication of interest can be found. In addition, WorldCat can help to identify a relevant edition and/or translation, if there are several.

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