Why Use Them?
Research projects often require you to look close up at a body of research produced by scholars in a particular field.
This research is typically collected, codified, and made 
findable in a tool called a subject database.
Every academic discipline has at least one subject database that's considered the disciplinary gold standard -- a reliable, (relatively) comprehensive, and accurate record of the books that scholars are publishing, and the ideas they're debating and discussing in important and influential journals.
Databases are like lenses: they change what you see and how you see it -- and they offer you easy and efficient ways to bring your questions into sharper focus.
Three To Try If You're Looking Wide
ACADEMIC SEARCH PREMIER (EBSCOHOST) Harvard Key
Why: The advantages of Academic Search Premier are 1) its multidisciplinary; 2) its inclusion of very recent content; 3) its mix of scholarly, news, and magazine content.
GOOGLE SCHOLAR
Why: GS searches differently from most library databases, including HOLLIS. In addition to searching "metadata" (lots of descriptive info about a book or article, it also searches full-text . This can be an additional advantage when you've got a very narrow topic or are seeking a "nugget" that traditional database searching can't surface easily.
Google Scholar is also an excellent way to follow citation trails. Enter the title of a book or journal article and then click on Cited by when the item appears.
Social Science Premium Collection (ProQuest) Harvard Key
Why: This database draws from across the social sciences: politics, sociology, psychology, criminology, and media studies are among its strengths. You can expect research conversations about conspiracy theories to be well-represented here.
Four More, If You Want to Go Deep
- APA PsycInfo HARVARD KEY
- Communication Abstracts HARVARD KEY
- America: History and Life HARVARD KEY
- Worldwide Political Science Abstracts HARVARD KEY
