Why databases?
The BU Libraries subscribe to hundreds of specialized databases covering different content formats (newspapers, statistics, images, etc.) and subject areas (history, psychology, etc.). While much of this content can be retrieved through BULSearch, consulting these concentrated sources of information can make your research faster and easier.
Finding journal articles
- Academic OneFile (Gale) This link opens in a new window Multidisciplinary database that includes scholarly journals in the physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, business, literature, and other subjects. Date coverage and full text availability vary by publication.
- Social Sciences Full Text This link opens in a new window Social Sciences Full Text provides access to hundreds of English language journals in the social sciences. About two-thirds of the journals are peer-reviewed. Date coverage: 1983 - present.
- America: History & Life (AHL) This link opens in a new window Covers the history and culture of the U.S. and Canada from prehistory to present times; indexes journal articles, book titles and chapters, reviews from numerous multilingual sources; all abstracts in English. Date coverage: 1949-present
- Worldwide Political Science Abstracts (WPSA) This link opens in a new window Indexes and abstracts international relations, political science, and foreign affairs literature. May include references to dissertations, books, or scholarly articles. Some full text included; links provided to BU content. Date coverage: 1975 - present.
- PAIS Index This link opens in a new window The PAIS International database covers current public policy issues and areas of potential legislation. Cited articles, books and documents can date back to 1910 and are listed in the original language. While some full text is included, the index primarily links to full text articles available through existing BU subscriptions. Date coverage: Approximately 1910 - present.
- Communication & Mass Media Complete (CMMC) This link opens in a new window CMMC indexes journals covering communication, mass media, linguistics, discourse, rhetoric, sociolinguistics, communication theory, language, logic, organizational communication and other closely related fields of study. Date coverage: 1915 - present.
Databases with related content:
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new window Google Scholar provides access to academic literature from many disciplines. The sources include articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions and come from diverse places including academic publishers, online repositories and other websites.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window This database provides full text access to the back issues of core scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Book reviews are included as well as journal articles. Abstracts are available for some of the articles. Date coverage: earliest issues of each journal up to the most current five years for most publications and to the present for some.
