Research Guides: MHS 1940: Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Finding Scholarly Articles: Databases & More

Scholarly Sources

Databases
Library Search Tool: In-Depth

Library Search
Check out the Library Search which finds print and electronic items, including journal and newspaper articles, book chapters, books, reviews, legal documents, and much more. Note: Due to licensing restrictions, some content is only available to current students, faculty, and staff.
Search help: https://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/searchhelp/
PubMed
International journals in medicine, public health, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and the preclinical sciences. Information from allied health, biological and physical sciences, humanities and information science as they relate to medicine and health care.
Web of Science
Citation database from journals and international conference proceedings. Cross-search of the Web of Science Core Collection, BIOSIS Previews, and the SciELO Citation Index (Latin America, Spain, Portugal, the Caribbean and South Africa).
CINAHL Ultimate
Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature: authoritative coverage of literature related to nursing and allied health professionals.
ProQuest
Search all ProQuest databases simultaneously. Includes arts, humanities, social sciences, news, and science and technology.

What is ?

FindIt@VU provides direct links from a database citation to the fulltext of the article (if available) and other supporting resources.

An FAQ for FindIt@VU is also available.

Vanderbilt University Library Search

Selecting the best search scope for your research needs:

Everything vs. Library Catalog vs. Articles

Search Scope	What is included?	When should I use it?
Everything	Broadest search scope Results will include books and ebooks, articles, and media like DVDs	A great option when you are just beginning your research process. Use Everything when you want to survey the research landscape for your topic
Library Catalog	Focuses on VU owned items, physical and digital Results will include books and ebooks, and media like DVDs Digital collections like the TV News Archive will also be included in your results	You have defined your information needs Use Library Catalog when you are ready to create a tailored search for your topic
Articles	Content from selected VU databases Popular and scholarly articles	Use Articles to find popular and scholarly articles on your topic. The Articles scope does not search across all databases accessible to the Vanderbilt community. Not finding the articles you need or want more database options? Consult the Database A-Z

For a more detailed explanation of your search scope options consult What am I searching?

Keyword vs. Subject Searching

Step 1: Start your search process by brainstorming a list of keywords that describe the main concepts of your topic or question.

Step 2: Use these keywords for your initial searches.

Step 3: Use the Subject Heading links in the Library Catalog record to refine your search. A subject heading is a specific word or phrase used to find and organize books and articles by topic.