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ENGL 101 - Composition I - Murphy and Shehi-Herr: Finding Articles

Fall 2025

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 searches 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.  

Starting Article Databases

Tutorial: Using Academic Search Ultimate

Periodical Title

1. Can be found in Journal Search, the Search catalog, and article databases.

2. Has publication date, volume, issue number.

3. Published on a regular basis.

4. Journal Search lists periodicals available in electronic, paper or microfilm format.

Other Search Locations to Consider

It's worth considering other sources of information outside the traditional "one-stop-shop" databases such as Academic Search Complete and Academic OneFile, or the typical "viewpoints" databases.  Searching outside your comfort zone can often yield a wealth of information that does not appear in other database searches.  In addition, podcasts, documentaries, and news programs can often yield points of view on topics that might not appear in traditional scholarly journals.