Below you will find a few recommended databases based on general areas of topical interest. Aside from using Pathfinder (Search the Library), it might prove useful to identify and explore specific databases (curated collections of journals or books devoted to a particular discipline or multidisciplinary scope) as well. In general, for many topics, we recommend exploring a few of our more multidisciplinary tools such as Sage Journals or Academic Search Complete to peruse a fairly robust subset of journals on a variety of topics. However, it is often useful to hone in on particular subject areas when you seek a particular academic voice or professional expertise.
Aside from the handful listed below, we strongly encourage that you follow up with a librarian for a more customized recommendation list, depending on your topic. If you find yourself struggling to locate enough relevant resources, or find your research process is too homogenous, reach out to one of the librarians for guidance!
General, multidisciplinary databases for researching topics in community. You will likely find at least a few articles here on most topics, but not all:
This link opens in a new windowAcademic Search Premier is a multi-disciplinary database designed for academic institutions. The database offers information in nearly every area of academic study, including arts, biology, chemistry, computer sciences, ethnic studies, engineering, language and linguistics, literature, medical sciences, philosophy, physics, psychology, religion, social sciences, and more.
JSTOR provides page images of back issues of the core scholarly journals in the humanities and social sciences from the earliest issues to within a few years of current publication. Users may browse by journal title or discipline, or may search the full-text or citations/abstracts. Subjects covered include: African American studies, anthropology, Asian studies, ecology, economics, education, feminist studies, film studies, finance, history, literature, mathematics, philosophy, political science, population studies, science, Slavic studies, sociology, and statistics.
Sage has over 1100 journals across many major disciplines (social sciences, business, humanities, science, technology, and medicine). Including over 200 gold open access journals and 400 society partners.
Suggested databases for researching community in the context of the psychology or mental well being of community members:
CINAHL provides indexing for journals from the fields of nursing and allied health, with indexing back to 1937. Offering complete coverage of English-language nursing journals and publications from the National League for Nursing and the American Nurses' Association, CINAHL Plus with Full Text offers access to health care books, standards of practice, Evidence-Based Care Sheets, and more. Searchable cited references for many journals are also included.
PsycINFO, from the American Psychological Association (APA), contains more than 2 million citations and summaries of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, books, and dissertations, all in psychology and related disciplines, dating as far back as the 1800s. 97 percent of the covered material is peer-reviewed. Journal coverage, which spans 1887 to present, includes international material selected from nearly 2,000 periodicals in more than 25 languages.
Suggested databases for researching community within the context of environmental impact:
GreenFILE offers well-researched but accessible information covering all aspects of human impact on the environment. Its collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles include content on the environmental effects of individuals, corporations and local/national governments, and what can be done on each level to minimize negative impact. Topics covered include global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more. GreenFILE is multidisciplinary by nature and draws on the connections between the environment and a variety of disciplines such as agriculture, education, law, health and technology.
Suggested databases for researching community within the context of socioeconomics, civil rights, or other social/human relations topics:
Suggested databases for researching community within the context of Education:
A premier source of literature for sports and sports medicine journals, SPORTDiscus provides extensive coverage for research interests in Allied Health and Sport Management related fields. Full-text coverage dates back to the 1970's.
Look for the "Search Inside" Box within each of the below journals, and search for your topic. You might try searching on the terms accompanying the "community" element, such as searching for: food deserts, parental/maternity healthcare, religious communities, etc.