Find and Use Databases
When looking for articles on your topic, the best way to start is to search within article databases. The Library has access to dozens of databases, which in turn index thousands of periodicals. Many, but not all, contain the full-text of articles.
Finding Databases
To find the appropriate databases, go to the Library website.
- If you need a few good articles, search under the Articles tab on the library homepage.
- If you have a specific database in mind, go to Databases A-Z
- If you don't know which database to use, go to Research Guides
Using Databases
Once in a database, start with a KEYWORD search using words relevant to your topic. When you see an article that looks interesting, click on the title to see the complete citation. If there are SUBJECT TERMS or DESCRIPTORS, click on those that seem related to your topic to get other articles on the subject.
Some tips:
- Not all databases have the full-text of articles. Some only provide citations and abstracts. Use the Look for full text with LinkSource icon to see if the full-text of the article is available in another database.
- If the Library doesn't have access to a journal, you can obtain the article through interlibrary loan.
- Almost all Library databases can be accessed from off-campus. The easiest way to do this is to use links from the Library website. You will then be prompted for your Centre ID and password to authenticate yourself as an authorized user.
Best Places to Start
- America: History & Life This link opens in a new windowA comprehensive index to articles on the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. (For history outside of North America, see Historical Abstracts). Coverage begins in 1910.
- New York Times (Historical) This link opens in a new windowIncludes all the articles published since the first issue of the paper in 1851 up to 2018. In addition to news stories, includes editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, photos, and advertisements. Recent issues are available on the NexisUni database.
Find More Articles
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new windowDesigned for college students, this scholarly resource contains indexing and abstracts for more than 13,780 journals, with full-text for more than 9,000 of those titles.
- ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials This link opens in a new windowThe premier index to journal articles, book reviews, and collections of essays in all fields of religion. Links are provided to full text articles in ATLASerials, from more than fifty journals.
- Historical Abstracts with Full Text This link opens in a new windowComprehensive bibliography for material on the history of the world from 1450 to the present. It covers all countries and regions, excluding the United States and Canada (for those countries, see America: History and Life).
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowProvides image and full text online access to back issues of selected scholarly journals in several social sciences and humanities disciplines including African-American Studies, Anthropology, Economics, Education, Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, and Sociology. The most current issues (typically from the past three to five years) are not included.
- The Times (London) Digital Archive, 1785-2014 This link opens in a new windowFull-image archive of every page published by The Times (London) from 1785-2012. The text within the images is fully searchable at the article level. Does not include the Sunday Times, the Times Literary Supplement, the Times Educational Supplement, the Times Higher Education Supplement. For current articles, see Lexis-Nexis Academic.