Click the image to go to the Database List. opens new window

1. Generate an idea for a research topic
2. Read background material on your chosen topic
3. Identify articles and books related to a selected topic
4. Find other content such as reviews, company profiles, and country reports
5. Access the full text of online resources (articles, etc.)
6. Create personalized online folders and bookshelves (e.g., "My EBSCOhost" and the Ebook Central"Bookshelf").
7. Request interlibrary loans for items not held by the ORU library
8. Email articles in PDF or HTML format
9. Copy citations of articles and books to paste into a bibliography or note
10. Saveyour search history for future reference

The Databases Page is the gateway to the major electronic resources to which the ORU Library subscribes. To navigate the list, you may...

• browse the alphabetical listing,
• limit by subject, type, or vendor/provider,
• use the search box to find the title of a known database, or
• click the first letter of the title.

When you're ready to start a research project, go to the Database List and select a subject category related to your topic to see which databases the librarians have selected as the "Best Bets." As the name suggests, the Best Bets are those most likely to contain information relevant to your topic. If you don't find what you need in Best Bets, then try the other databases listed under the selected subject.

To look for ideas for a paper, try the Contemporary & Controversial Issues category.

The databases differ considerably in the kind of information they provide.

1. Many databases are indexes to periodical literature (journals, magazines, newspapers), of which Academic Search Complete is the prime example. Some of these databases include only opens new window indexes and abstracts, while others include opens new windowfull text.
2. Other databases are collections of opens new windowreference materials (mostly dictionaries and encyclopedias), of which Gale eBooks, Credo Reference, and Oxford Reference are prime examples.
3. Some databases are collections of ebooks, of which Ebook Central and the EBSCO eBook Collections are the prime examples.
4. Some databases are opens new windowmulti-disciplinary, meaning they contain material froma wide variety of disciplines, while others are subject-specific, meaning they are focused on one particular discipline. Academic Search Complete is an example of a multidisciplinary database, while the opens new windowAtlaopens new windowSerialsopens new window PLUS® (Atlas PLUS®) and opens new windowBusiness Source Complete are examples of discipline-specific disciplines.
5. Some databases such as CQ Researcher, Points of View Reference Center, and TOPICsearch focus on opens new windowcontemporary or controversial issues, while others focus on opens new windowbiographical information, for example, Gale in Context: Biography. Other databases are composed of primarily opens new windowstatistical information. An example of a statistical database is opens new windoweStatementStudies. Other types of information found in databases include opens new windowdissertations and theses, the primary example being ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. Still others contain opens new windowbook reviews and opens new windownews & current events.

1. Limit by subject
2. Limit by type or format
3. Limit by vendor/provider
4. Limit by a combination of two or more of the above
5. Key in a term in the search box

Start over by clicking the "clear filters"button.