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Start Your Research - A Self-Guided Tutorial

A tutorial to take you through the research process.

11 - Different Databases

Different Databases = Different Information

Different databases for different subjects: Music = Music Index ; Education = ERIC ; History = America: History and Life ; Business = Business Source Premier

Different databases search different sources and types of information. Select a database by thinking about the type of information you'll need for your research.

Understanding the Differences

Some databases contain the full-text of articles (for example, JSTOR), others are indexes and contain citations and/or abstracts, with links to the full-text (for example, Academic Search Premier).

Be sure you know the difference between the database name and the database provider (which is the brand or company) that hosts the database. For example, EBSCOhost is the name of the database provider that hosts Academic Search Premier but it also provides access to many other databases.