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HIST 105 - US History to 1877 - Dr. Paul Grady: Databases and Journals

This guide provides a basic introduction to reference sources and how to find them using the library's online catalog. It also covers databases that provide information on topics pertaining to history.

What is a Database?

A database is a collection of organized information.

One type of library database is the library catalog, where you can search for books, e-books, and other physical materials in the library such as dvds and videos.  The library catalog will not search for specific articles from journals.

What you think of most often with library databases is the over 300 databases the library subscribes to that search for scholarly information.  These databases are like search engines allowing you to search using key words, but unlike search engines that search for free information the information library databases search consists of published journals, magazines, reports, documents, newspapers, books, image collections, and more.  This information is copyrighted, licensed, and proprietary information. USC Upstate Library pays for access to these databases so that students can access the information.

Most databases contain full text or indexing (citations & citations with abstracts) to articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers.  Some databases also contain full text or indexing to book chapters, reports, essays, primary documents, and government documents. Some databases are multidisciplinary and cover a variety of topics, while others cover only very specific topics.  If you find an article without full text, check Journal Search and see if the periodical title is available in full text through other article databases OR ask a librarian to help you find it full text. If not, use the Interlibrary Loan service and allow 10 to 14 business days for the material to arrive.

Finding Databases using Search

The following video tutorial walks you through the process of finding databases using Search.  

Relevant Article / Research Databases

For a complete listing of History databases, please follow the steps below: 

1.  From the Library Home page, click on "SearchUP" (the magnifying glass icon)

2.  Click on the "databases" link from the menu at the top of the page

3.  Using the Subjects drop-down menu, choose History / Political Science.

4.  A complete listing of all 111 History-related databases is returned.

 

The databases listed below will be helpful places to start researching history topics, but are by no means the only history-focused databases available at USC Upstate:

VIDEO Tutorial: Using Journal Search

Tracking down the article you need using Journal Search

If you need the full text of an article but only have a citation or an abstract, you can use Journal Search (located in the menu bar at the top of the library home page) to track down the article.   Follow the steps below to search for your article: 

 

  1. From the library home page, open the drop down menu for "Search", located in the top navigation bar.
  2. Click on Journal Search to open the search page.
  3. Search for the article in Journal Search, by entering the TITLE of the journal in which the article appears.  If it is available in a database that the Upstate Library subscribes to, you will see the database(s) listed.  
  4. If the article is available in print but not electronic form, you can use the call number found in the record to locate the journal in our print collection (ask at the Research Desk if you are unsure how to do this, we're happy to help).
  5. If the article is not available in either electronic or print form through the Upstate Library, you may request a copy of it through Interlibrary Loan (ILL).  This *could* take several days to complete the transaction and locate the article, so plan accordingly.    

Tutorial: Using Academic Search Ultimate