Selecting Databases

You can focus your searches by limiting them to specific databases. You can access the Databases page by clicking on the Databases selected link, just below the tabs at the top left of most pages, or by clicking the Select multiple databases link next to the Database drop-down menu on the Advanced or Basic Search pages.

Use the Databases page to see what subject area a database covers, to see the publications included, and to select the databases you want to search.

• Select a Database or Databases to Search
• Learn More about a Database
• Get a List of Publications in a Database
• About Databases

Select a Database or Databases to Search

To limit your search to specific databases, check the box to the left of each database title to search. You can select one database, or multiple databases with some limitations:

Non-Historical Databases: You can select multiple non-historical databases, but cannot search these databases with historical databases or standalone databases.

Historical Databases: You can select multiple historical databases, but cannot search these databases with non-historical databases or standalone databases.

Standalone Databases: Standalone databases cannot be searched with other databases. These databases do not have a box to check. Instead, click the database title to search in these databases.

Custom Interface Databases: Some databases, such as ProQuest Entrepreneurship, offer special search and browse features for their content when searched alone. These databases may be searched with other databases, but may not offer the same interface features as they do when searched alone. Click the database title to search databases with custom interfaces.

Learn More about a Database

Each ProQuest database covers a specific area of interest or type of publication. For example the ABI/INFORM Global database contains top US and international publications dealing with business.

The Databases page provides you with a brief description of the database, including the areas of data, coverage dates, and what types of resources are included. For more information, you can click more info...

Get a List of Publications in a Database

You can view a list of the titles in a specific database by clicking View Titles. You see the View Titles page, listing the titles in the selected database.

To download the list for use:

1. Click Download title list at the top of the page.
   You see the Select Title List Format page for the selected Database Product.
2. In the Statistics area, select the statistics you want to see for the Title List.
   Most of the statistics are self evident, but two may need more explanation:
   • peer reviewed peer reviewed documents have been recommended for publication by an independent scholar. However, many journals with serious and even scholarly content do not use the peer-review process.
   • Changes Select changes to limit your results to information that has changed since the title list was last updated.
3. In the Format area, click the output format for your Title List:

• HTML You see an HTML formatted table of the requested information on your screen. Click Print on your browser bar to print the information, or select Save As from the File menu to save the information to an HTML file.
• Microsoft Excel You see a spreadsheet in the browser window. Save the file as a comma delimited text file and import the information into Excel.
• Text-only ASCII You see the information on your screen. Click Print on your browser bar to print the information or select Save As from the File menu to save the information to a text file.
• Tab-Delimited You see the information on your screen. Click Print on your browser bar to print the information or select Save As from the File menu to save the information to a text file.
• Comma-delimited You see the information on your screen. Click Print on your browser bar to print the information or select Save As from the File menu to save the information to a text file.
• PDF You will be prompted to download a PDF file which you can open and print with Acrobat Reader.

About Databases

ProQuest is organized into databases of related newspapers, magazines, and academic journals that you can use to find documents. The information in each database varies, depending on its focus. Some databases contain child databases, covering specific subject areas. For example, the ProQuest Newspapers database contains two child databases: Detroit News, and The New York Times.

There are three types of ProQuest databases: Non-historical databases, historical databases, and standalone databases.

Non-Historical Databases: Non-historical databases, such as ABI/INFORM contain general reference information. These databases are cross-searchable, meaning you can search across multiple non-historical databases at the same time.

Historical Databases: Historical databases, such as ProQuest Historical Newspapers, contain historical information. You can search multiple historical databases, but you cannot search historical and non-historical databases together.

Standalone Databases: Some databases, such as CINAHL® and ERIC are only available as standalone databases. These databases will not have a box to check. Instead, to search in these databases, simply click on the database title. A new window will open, and you will be able to search within that database.

Custom Interface Databases: Some databases, such as ProQuest Entrepreneurship, offer special search and browse features for their content when searched alone. These databases may be searched with other databases, but may not offer the same interface features as they do when searched alone. Click the database title to search databases with custom interfaces.