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Picking the best databases to research your topic

Hannah: I need 3 articles for my paper in Art History.

David: That’s not too many.

Hannah: Yeah, but I’m not an Art major, so I don’t know which of these 200 databases I need to search to find them. I tried Academic Search Premier, but I didn’t find anything that fit my topic.

David: Did you try looking at the A section of the A to Z list? Maybe there’s a good database that starts with the word Art?

Hannah: Yeah, there was one, but it wasn’t focused on the right period for my topic.

David: If only they had a list of all the databases you’d need to know if you were a major in that subject…

Guess what? There are lists like that, and other ways of narrowing down the long list of databases to the 2 or 3 good ones you need for a specific question.

Here are three ways to find the right database for your topic:

Check a subject guide related to your topic to see what databases are recommended.

Search several databases at once using Research Pro, and see which ones have the best results for your topic. (What is Research Pro?)
Ask a librarian or your professor for recommendations.


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