The core of great academic writing is research. Often, research can be a lengthy process. It can take weeks, months, or even years before the right materials emerge. There are times when a topic is so innovative that very little literature is available on the subject. This makes research just a little harder.
Additionally, conducting research can be complicated, particularly when access to materials is limited. For instance, during stay-at-home orders, going to a local library may be extremely difficult. Hence, using the internet is the best option. Nevertheless, the internet doesn’t offer the easiest access to the right type of information. In this article, we are going to look at three great research databases for academic writing.
- Google Scholar
Google is the world’s premier search engine. As such, it houses links to practically the entire world’s repository of information. Other search engines like Bing provide similar access. Nevertheless, Google is the place to start. Google Scholar focuses specifically on academic and research materials. These are sources based academic publications such as journals and peer-reviewed studies. Moreover, Google Scholar provides direct links to these publications. Many times, users can directly access the original publications.
- JSTOR
JSTOR is one of the most reputable academic databases. It houses a vast number of reference publications. This database catalogs and indexes publications as journals, publishers, and authors subscribe to it. While it isn’t quite as expansive as Google Scholar, it offers a robust collection of articles and papers.
Access to JSTOR is mainly free. It offers links to publications and external sites. However, all of the in-depth research tools and repositories are paid. Therefore, you must acquire a subscription if you wish to get the full range of features. It works on various plans, so you can choose the one that best fits your needs.
- Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is a great place to look for older publications. The digital collections housed on its website enable the user to access the variety of publications contained within. Best of all, it’s completely free. The only drawback with the Library of Congress is that it doesn’t necessarily have access to the most current publications. Nevertheless, the sheer volume of publications contained in it makes it worthwhile. Researchers of all disciplines can find useful publications to boost their overall knowledge. For medical research, PubMed is the go-to source. Like Google Scholar and JSTOR, you can get access to the sites on which the original papers are posted. In some cases, you can access the paper for free. In other cases, you might have to pay for access to a specific one. Also, some publishers allow you to purchase print copies if you wish. Nevertheless, digital downloads work perfectly well. Thus, looking into any of these databases will enable you to get your hands on current and trusted sources of information. Please bear in mind that utilizing credible sources is the best way to get your work acknowledged by the general public and peers.
