This service will help you decide which of the UCSD Libraries' 30+ social science and humanities databases available on the Internet may be useful for locating the articles and other materials you need.   Also be aware that  major databases in some subject categories are not yet included (such as Anthropology or History), either because Database Advisor's search engine cannot reach them, or in some cases because they exist only in print.  Be sure to consult the Guide to Indexes and Abstracts in the Social Sciences and Humanities and the Guide to Catalogs and Indexes at UCSD.

Enter the terms you would like to search for:

SEARCH HELP

Database Advisor (DBA) will take the terms you specify and automatically perform a keyword search in up to 30 or more different databases; a smaller number if you have limited to one or more subject categories. Your results indicate the number of hits that would be found in each one, ranked from the most to least hits. You can then link directly to the database of your choice to perform your search. Here are some tips to help you use Database Advisor most effectively:

Tip DO DON'T Keep it simple limit to one or two main concepts don't use multiple synonyms; use only one word for each concept. bosnia refugees bosnia refugees servs nato sanctions Boolean searches AND is implied between each word. Do not use AND, OR, or NOT. psychoanalysis literary (psychoanalysis OR freudian) AND (literary OR literature)

The following are not available in Database Advisor, but may be available in one or more individual databases when searched directly:

• author searching

• phrase searching / word adjacency

• single letters and special characters - e.g.,

• wild card characters / truncation symbols - e.g., * ? #

• case sensitivity - e.g., MIT vs mit

For more help
For personalized help with database searching, call the Social Sciences and Humanities Library Reference Desk: 534-3336 or if you don't need an immediate replay go to the Virtual Reference Desk

For reference assistance with science databases, try Database Advisor for the Sciences, or contact the science reference desk you use most:

Biomedical Library: 534-1201
Medical Center Library: 543-6520
Science & Engineering Library: 534-3258
Scripps Institution of Oceanography Library: 534-4817

Technical details about DBA's search strategies are available.

Feedback is appreciated!

For technical difficulties, please contact techies@scilib.ucsd.edu
For comments, suggestions, and questions, mail scilib@ucsd.edu