What You Want To Find
A comprehensive literature review seeks to find and synthesize as much existing information as possible on a topic. To do this effectively, you will want to find:
- All the keywords and concepts experts are using in relation to your topic.
- All the databases that are relevant in your research area.
- All the citations related to the scholarly conversations around your topic.
- All the dissertations by graduate students who have researched your topic.
While this page compiles great resources for finding literature about students in higher ed, be sure to also check out our Subject Guides for other recommendations more specific to your subculture.
Recommended Databases
The following databases are recommended for finding scholarly articles on higher education in general and on specific student sub-cultures.
- America: History & LifeLimited to 6 users at a time. Citations and abstracts for journal articles related to US and Canadian history. 1954 - present.
- APA PsycArticlesAPA PsycArticles is a database of full-text articles from journals published by the American Psychological Association, the APA Educational Publishing Foundation, the Canadian Psychological Association, and Hogrefe & Huber. The database includes all material from the print journals and dates back to 1984.
- APA PsycInfoFull-text articles, book chapters, books, dissertations, and abstracts of peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health. 1800s - present.
- EBSCO Academic Search CompleteMulti-disciplinary database with over 8,500 full journals, indexing/abstracts for over 12,500 periodicals as well as books, reports, and conference proceedings.
- Educational Administration AbstractsCovers areas related to educational administration, including educational leadership, educational management, educational research and other areas of key relevance to the discipline. 1966 - present.
- Education Full TextFeatures content on a wide array of subject areas including adult education, comparative education, government funding, higher education, school administration, teacher evaluation, and more. Some full text back to 1996. 1983 - present.
- ERIC (EBSCO)Education Resource Information Center provides access to educational literature and resources. 1966 - present. (Mobile version of ERIC via EBSCO)
- Ethnic NewsWatchCurrent resource of full-text newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic and minority press. Also includes scholarly, full-text articles for area and ethnic studies, such as Jewish studies, African American studies, and Hispanic American studies. 1959 - present.
- GenderWatchSubject coverage includes gender, family, ethnic, and societal studies from an array of academic, radical, community and independent presses. 1970 - present.
- Google ScholarSearches scholarly literature in many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions.
- Index to Jewish PeriodicalsA comprehensive guide to English-language articles, book reviews and feature stories devoted to Jewish affairs published throughout the world particularly covering culture, history, literature, religion and other areas of related study. 1988 - present.
- JSTOR
Full-text journal articles relating to African-American studies, anthropology, Asian studies, botany, ecology, economics, education, finance, history, literature, mathematics, philosophy, political science, sociology and statistics. Provides access to millions of high-quality images of artistic works, cultural objects, and the built environment previously available on Artstor Digital Library. 1600s - present.
- ProQuest Dissertations & Theses GlobalCitations and abstracts of dissertations and theses UofL graduate students have published through ProQuest Dissertation Publishing. Free access to 24 page previews and the full text in PDF format, when available. 1997 - present.
- ProQuest Women's & Gender StudiesIncludes primary and secondary sources that combine women’s studies, men’s and masculinity studies, and LGBTQ+ studies content.
- Race Relations AbstractsBibliographic records on areas including ethnic studies, discrimination, immigration studies. 1975 - present
- StatistaAccess to studies, statistical dossiers and industry reports, digital marketing data, and insight into international consumer goods markets, trends, and developments.
- Web of ScienceCover-to-cover indexing of journals, books, data, and conference proceedings in all disciplines, including the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities. 1950 - present.
Literature Searching
Frustrated with your literature search? Not sure how to find everything you need? Check out these tips and tools for a more productive and less stressful search process! All the keywords: Try out a wide variety of keywords to make sure you've got the right jargon for your topic. What words are the experts using? You should use them, too! All the databases: Search all the relevant databases in your research area. There are probably databases in your field you've never even heard of. Use the library's Subject Guides to find the databases you're missing. All the search tools: Use database features to make your searches more efficient, focused, and comprehensive. Limit your search by Subject, Article Type, Time Period, and more. All the citations: Scholarship is a conversation, and scholars talk to each other through citations. Look to see who's citing whom. Use Google Scholar and Web of Science to track down citations. All the dissertations: Follow in the footsteps of the grad students who came before for useful ideas and perhaps even more useful bibliographies. Use ProQuest Dissertations and Theses and UofL's ThinkIR to find dissertations. All the librarians: Meet with a subject librarian for expert guidance on finding sources. We love research, and we're friendly, too! Schedule a research appointment online at uofl. me/lib-appt2. Finding everything? Keep track of it! Endnote citation management software is a must for research productivity! It's freely available in the iTech Xpress store and allows you to create a personalized database of all your sources and generate in-text citations and bibliographies in any style.