Library Research Guide

The databases and library services listed below cover most fields of academic research.  If you have any questions or suggestions to make concerning this basic research guide, or if you are an instructor and would like a subject-specific guide created for your course, please contact: researchguides@libraries.cul.columbia.edu.

Start with CLIO to find books and journals in Columbia University library collections.  (Note: the Law Library is an exception, use Pegasus to search that collection.)

Then try WorldCat.  With over 100 million individual book and journal records it is the most comprehensive online catalog in the world.

To find dissertations produced at universities in the United States and Canada, search Proquest Digital Dissertations.  Coverage is from 1861 to the present, with full text usually available for dissertations submitted after 1997.  For dissertations from other countries, try the Center for Research Libraries catalog, or use WorldCat.

• Oxford Reference Online
  This database includes both language and subject dictionaries.  It is an excellent first choice for basic information in virtually all fields of academic research. 
• Biography Resource Center
  A reliable source of general biographical information.  Many entries provide a bibliography to assist further research.
• Encyclopedia Britannica Online
  The online edition of the Britannica consists of a fully searchable and browsable collection of many authoritative references, including Britannica's latest article database, articles not yet in the print Britannica encyclopedia, Merriam-Webster Dictionary & Thesaurus, and the Britannica year in review. New resources are added regularly. 
• Library Subject Guides
  Created by Columbia University librarians, these guides identify print and electronic resources that support research in a broad range of subject areas.
  

• EBSCOhost electronic journal service
  A gateway to electronic journals from hundreds of different publishers.
• Google Scholar
  This search engine is useful for broad searches of scholarly literature.  A "Scholar Preferences" option will allow researchers affiliated with Columbia University to link to digital resources in the university's library collections.  The advanced search screen also provides a variety of useful options to help users define their searches.
• JSTOR
  Provides full text articles from over 600 scholarly journals in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences.  Coverage is typically from the earliest issue of a journal to within 5 years of current publication. Users may browse by journal title or discipline, or search the entire contents of the database.
• LexisNexis Academic
  An interdisciplinary, full-text database of over 18,000 sources including newspapers, journals, wire services, newsletters, company reports and SEC filings, case law, government documents, transcripts of broadcasts, and selected reference works.
• Project MUSE
  Full-text articles from more than 200 scholarly journals in the humanities and social sciences. Disciplines covered include literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, economics, and many others.  Coverage typically starts with issues of a journal published after 2000.
• Proquest
  This resource contains full text articles covering a broad range of academic and professional disciplines.  Users can search multiple databases simultaneously, or select individually from over 40 journal, magazine, and newspaper collections.  Current and historical issues of the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, and LA Times are all included in Proquest.
• Web of Knowledge
  Provides access to the Science Citation Index (1900 to the present), Social Sciences Citation Index (1956 to the present), and Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1975 to the present). Each index can be searched separately, or in combination with the others.  Continually updated, this database is an excellent source for articles in all academic fields.

• To learn more about specialized print and electronic resources available in Columbia University library collections, please refer to the Directory of Subject Specialist Liaisons for the contact information of a librarian who can assist you.