A library database is an online collection of scholarly resources.

Databases don't hold the resources, but provide the information needed to find it including the author, title, source, publication date, and often an abstract. Many databases have links to the full-text.

Databases can be interdisciplinary (covering several topics), or subject specific (focusing on one particular discipline).

The ANU Library subscribes to hundreds of scholarly databases, containing many millions of searchable items including scholarly journal articles, newspaper articles, images, streaming videos, music, and other academic publications.

Searching databases can be a great way to find reliable, peer-reviewed scholarly sources for your research and assessments.

You can see the full range of databases on the Library's e-resources and databases page.

What’s in a database and e-journal collection?

The information contained in each database and e-journal collection will vary, but all provide basic bibliographic information including author, title, journal title, date and pages. Most will also provide an abstract (summary) and contain full text articles. 

Library databases are indexes of journal articles and other materials (reports, images, maps, historical ephemera, statistical data and more) covering a particular subject area, academic discipline, or group of related disciplines. Examples include JSTOR, Web of Science and ProQuest.

To access ANU databases and e-journal collections:

• Go to the e-resources and databases A-Z listing on the Library website.
• Enter the name of a database or e-resource collection in the Search by title search box or select a subject from the subject drop down list. Select Go.
• If you are off campus or on a personal device, you may be prompted to login using your Uni ID and password.

Want to level up your searching? This example shows how to do a cited reference search in the Web of Science database. This is very useful when you have identified very few sources on your topic and want to find publications that have cited one of those sources. It can help you identify relevant authors, publications, research projects and a more comprehensive set of search terms.