UCLA Library Research Databases: A Comprehensive Guide

The UCLA Library subscribes to a vast array of research databases, each offering unique resources and tools for students, faculty, and staff. Navigating this extensive collection can be daunting, but understanding the scope and features of these databases is crucial for effective research. This article provides a detailed overview of selected databases available through the UCLA Library, highlighting their key features and subject coverage. Knowing what subject areas are covered ensures that you are using the correct database for your topic. In addition, your choice of database will influence the kind of analysis you're likely to find.

Understanding Library Databases

In Library terminology, a "database" is pretty much any online source of information which has a search engine. Library Catalogs index all of the books and journals owned or subscribed to by a particular institution. (Union catalogs combine the holdings of multiple institutions.) Some catalogs typically only describe full books and journals, not necessarily individual chapters or articles. Article Indexes index individual articles within specific academic fields. It's also important to note that many of our database licenses are selective: we often subscribe to only a portion of the content available on a given site. Most databases only cover materials published in the last few decades; there's usually a specific cutoff date. In a few databases, you also need to ask "How recent does it get?" Databases of historical materials usually don't go up to the present. Most databases index scholarly journal articles, but many cover other types of content, either in addition to or instead of.

Accessing Online Resources

The Library's online subscription resources can always be accessed from computers and wireless networks on campus. However, off-campus access is restricted to current UCLA students, faculty, and staff who have set up their computer using one of the methods below. A program you can download and install, or use the built-in version on many computers or mobile devices. VPN software must be logged on manually before you access a restricted site, but works for all programs on your computer.

Multidisciplinary Databases

These databases offer broad coverage across multiple academic disciplines, making them excellent starting points for research.

A Multidisciplinary Database

A multidisciplinary database, with searchable author abstracts, covering the journal literature of most disciplines. Indexes major journals with all cited references captured.

JSTOR

JSTOR provides full-text back issues of core scholarly journals, browsable and searchable across multiple disciplines. Coverage starts with the first issue, with a moving wall for the most recent 3-5 years. UCLA also has access to selected JSTOR e-books.

Subject-Specific Databases

The following databases are tailored to specific academic disciplines, offering specialized resources and tools for in-depth research.

Historical Research

This database provides historical coverage of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present.

Education

Indexes educational literature from 1966 to the present. Includes articles in journals and reports.

Psychology, Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Abstracts and citations to the scholarly literature in the psychological, social, behavioral, and health sciences. Many link to full-text.

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Sociology

Abstracts and indexes the international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences.

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Coverage of the agricultural and environmental sciences, including scholarly journals, trade and industry journals, magazines, technical reports, conference proceedings, and government publications. Includes the AGRICOLA, TOXLINE, Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management, Ecology Abstracts, and Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) databases.

Earth, Atmospheric, and Oceanic Sciences

Coverage of the earth, atmospheric, and oceanic sciences, including scholarly journals, trade and industry journals, magazines, technical reports, conference proceedings, and government publications. Includes the Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), the Oceanic Abstracts, and the Meteorological & Geoastrophysical Abstracts (MGA).

Environmental Studies

Collection of scholarly, government, and general-interest titles which include content on the environmental effects of individuals, corporations, and local/national governments and what can be done on each level to minimize negative impact. Topics: global warming, green building, ecology, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling.

Nursing and Allied Health

Full text for more than 1,300 English-language nursing and allied health journals and publications back to 1937.

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Core Scholarly Journals

Full text of current issues (from about 1990) of scholarly journals published by university presses, chiefly in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Browsable by discipline and full-text searchable across all disciplines.

Biomedical Literature

Citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites. Also searches NCBI's integrated molecular biology databases, including nucleotide sequences, protein sequences, 3-D protein structure data, population study data sets, and assemblies of complete genomes in an integrated system.

Healthcare Decision-Making

A collection of six databases designed to inform healthcare decision-making: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Cochrane Methodology Register (CMR), Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), Health Technology Assessment Database (HTA), and NHS Economic Evaluation Database (EED).

Additional Resources

Avalon

Avalon provides authenticated access to streaming audio and video collections. Some content is only available after signing in.

A-Z Databases

Find the best library databases for your research.

Calisphere

Discover digital collections from all ten UC campuses and other important libraries, archives and museums throughout the state.

Center for Research Libraries

The Center for Research Libraries has compiled a catalog emphasizing materials produced outside the United States, especially publications and archives from developing regions.

Dryad

An open data publishing platform, Dryad allows UC researchers to archive and publish their data for free.

E-books at UCLA

Looking for an e-book? Browse our collections by database. In addition to scholarly collections, access popular sources through Libby by OverDrive.

eScholarship

This platform serves the scholarly publishing needs of all ten UC campuses, with an emphasis on open access.

HathiTrust

This collaborative digital repository of books includes content digitized through the Google Books project, the Internet Archive digitization initiative and individual libraries.

Library Digital Collections

Rare and unique items from the UCLA Library and contributing institutions, viewable on the Library Digital Collections site and made available with IIIF functionality for research and instruction.

Library Research Guides

Our research guides help users of all backgrounds discover resources by subject, course, format or topic.

Online Archive of California (OAC)

OAC provides access to descriptions of more than 300 California institutions’ archives and primary resource collections, including UCLA Library.

UCLA Dataverse

Discover how you can preserve your research for the long term here at UCLA.

UC Library Search

Locate books, journal articles, course reserves and other content at UCLA, other UC schools and beyond.

WorldCat

Containing materials from across the world, WorldCat houses the collections of thousands of libraries.

Finding the Right Database

The key to finding the right database is knowing what's in it. In addition to subject coverage, consider the type of content indexed by the database. Most databases index scholarly journal articles, but many cover other types of content, either in addition to or instead of.

Getting Help

Need guidance on how to make the most of the UCLA Library? Below are common areas for which we offer services, resources, workshops and more.

Equipment Lending

The UCLA Library lends a variety of technology equipment to support learning and research.

Research Consultations

We can help at every stage of the research process. Schedule a consultation or stop by a help desk!

Data Services

The UCLA Library Data Science Center supports researchers in working with data throughout all stages of the research process. We offer consultations, training and practical resources to support data collection, management, analysis and sharing.

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