Unit 6: Search Tools: Subscription Databases

Lesson 3: Choosing a Database


Edison College provides access to general databases, such as Academic Search Premier, which features articles on a wide range of topics, as well as databases that only include information about a specific subject or academic discipline, such as ARTstor, which contains thousands of digital images of artworks.

Although each database contains a vast amount of information, no single database contains everything you will need to complete your research. You must select databases that will supply the most relevant information for your research needs, based on your research topic.

Getting Started
If you are not sure where to start, try clicking on the By Subject tab at the top of the databases homepage. Select a linked subject from the list. If, for example, you are writing a paper about the great American novel, clicking on the Literature link will open the list of subscription databases that specifically support research in the subject of Literature. Click on one of the linked database titles listed below to go directly to that database.


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