What is a Database?

Research databases are an organized collection of resources, such as scholarly journals, periodicals, peer-reviewed articles, newspapers, eBooks, or media, available to users online. They are a powerful tool providing students the ability to craft, modify, and limit search results to find credible information.

Archer Library, as a member of OhioLINK, provides students with access to database collections from vendors such as EBSCO, Gale, and JStor. These proprietary resources are restricted to select users. Off campus use requires login with AU credentials.

Gale in Context • Opposing Viewpoint

Multidisciplinary research starter database.

• Comprehensive coverage of a wide range of topics; includes over 20,000 viewpoints, approximately 19,000 articles, interactive maps, and infographics.
   
• Explore all sides of an issue. Content includes evidence-based viewpoints and curated information covering frequently studied and discussed issues.
   
• Viewpoints cover issues from many perspectives, beyond pro and con. Article commentaries provide supported context within viewpoints and feature opinion pieces from published sources.
   
• Topic Finder takes the titles, subjects, and approximately the first 100 words from a subset of your top results and feeds them into an algorithm. Keywords shown in the graphics are those found most often in the text with your search term.