About Article Databases
Finding articles in the library's databases is a multi-step process:
1. Decide which database to use. You can browse a list of the Library's databases organized by subject or alphabetically. I've listed some good places to start in the box at right, but depending on the approach you take, you'll want to explore others.
2. Always use the Advanced Search option.
3. Databases don't like full sentences! Build your search using a few words that best describe the main concepts of your topic. These are your "keywords."
4. Select whichever filters are appropriate but do not click "full text" as one of the filters because this will severely limit your results. Instead, see #5 below.
5. If the full text of an article is not available in the database itself, use the 
link. This will take you to the article on another platform or, if we don't immediately have access to the article online, it will offer you an option to order a scanned copy through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). If you don't see a link to ILL, double-check that you are logged in to the UCSB Library website.
6. Most article databases allow you to save, email, cite, download, or export citations or full articles.
