Purchase College - Library - Instruction

Instruction

Choosing Databases by Subject

Once you choose a database in your subject area, return to the database listings to access and search in it. See Database Listings (/library/electronicresources/databases.asp)

Remember that each database will have slightly different strengths. The following table is only a guide to begin your research. You will find that some of the recommended databases are better than others for finding citations.

Subject Area	Check out the Following:
Art	Academic Search Elite Art Index/Art Retrospective ARTStor Associated Press Multimedia Archive AMICO ARTBibliographies Modern Bibliography of the History of Art (See Reference Staff for help accessing this tool) Design and Applied Art Index Grove's Dictionary of Art Online InfoTrac Onefile Oxford Reference Online Premium: Art & Architecture
Biographies Book Reviews & Interviews	American National Biography Contemporary Authors (includes Dictionary of Literary Biography) Informe Research Library
Business Economics	ABI/Inform ArticleFirst Business and Company Resource Center Business Source Elite Econlit InfoTrac Onefile Investext Plus LexisNexis Academic Regional Business News STAT-USA USA Trade Online
Dictionaries Directories & Encyclopedias	Funk and Wagnall’s New World Encyclopedia Gale Virtual Reference Library Oxford English Dictionary Oxford Reference Online
Education	Academic Search Elite ERIC Abstracts (via FirstSearch) ERIC FullText (via EbscoHost) InfoTrac Onefile Philosopher's Index
General & Multi-disciplinary	Academic Search Elite Associated Press Multimedia Archive ArticleFirst FirstSearch InfoTrac Onefile Masterfile Select Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center Oxford Reference Online Research Library - (via Proquest) Philosopher's Index ProjectMuse World Almanac
History & Civil War	America: History and Life Associated Press Multimedia Archive Discovering Collection Harpweek Historical Abstracts Philospher's Index Project Muse ProQuest Historical Newspapers - New York Times
Journalism	Alternative Press Index American National Biography Associated Press Multimedia Archive Biography Resource Center CQ Researcher Informe The Journal News LexisNexis Academic National Newspaper Index New York State Newspapers Newspaper Source ProQuest Historical Newspapers -The New York Times ProQuest Newspapers The Washington post
Literature	Clase Periodica Discovering Collections InfoTrac Onefile LION – Literature Online Literature Resource Center MLA Bibliography Philosopher's Index ProjectMuse What Do I Read Next? World Shakespeare Bibliography Online Women Writers Online
Medicine & Health	American Medical Association ArticleFirst BioOne Comprehensive Medline (Full Text) CQ Researcher Harrison's Online Health Reference Center Academic Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition Medline (Abstracts)
Music	Grove's Music Library International Index to the Performing Arts Music Index Online
Newspapers	Academic Universe InfoTrac Onefile Newspaper Source ProQuest Newspapers ProQuest Historical Newspapers
Performing Arts	Art Bibliographies Modern Bibliography of the History of Art International Index to Performing Arts Music Index Online Project Muse Wilson Art Abstracts
Psychology	PsycArticles PsycCritiques PsycInfo
Science & Mathematics	Academic Search Elite American Medical Association Alternative Press Index AP Multimedia Archive Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA) ArticleFirst Basic BIOSIS Biological Sciences BioOne Bio/Med/SPARC Chemical Abstracts Clase Periodica Comprehensive Medline Discovering Collection General Science Collection InfoTrac Onefile International Critical Tables of Numeric Data, Physics, Chemistry and Technology Knovel Critical Tables MathSciNet ScienceDirect Smithsonian Physical Tables(9th Revised Edition)
Social Sciences	The Anthropological Index ArticleFirst Clase Periodica Contemporary Women's Issues CQ Researcher Discovering Collection Econlit GPO InfoTrac Onefile Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center ScienceDirect