Library Catalog Search Information Resources Database A-Z Subject Guides Book a Workshop
What is a Database?
Library databases provide online access to scholarly journals, articles, magazines, and more.
Some focus on one subject, while others cover multiple areas.
They are the best tools for finding journal articles in your field.
When to use the Databases
Use databases when:
You know your search terms.
You can quickly identify relevant results.
Multidisciplinary Databases
Academic Search Ultimate (OpenAthens)This link opens in a new windowJournals, magazines covering Astronomy, anthropology, biomedicine, engineering, health, law and literacy to mathematics, pharmacology, women’s studies, zoology.
Business Source Ultimate (EBSCOhost) (OpenAthens)This link opens in a new windowA scholarly business database, providing the leading collection of bibliographic and full text content for journals in all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance and economics.
Cambridge Books Online (OpenAthens)This link opens in a new windowProvides access to over 5,000 Cambridge University Press e-books. Disciplines include science, technology and medicine, as well as humanities and social sciences.
Includes titles published from 2005 to 2013, but does not cover all CUP titles published during that period.
Cambridge Journals (OpenAthens)This link opens in a new windowOver 250 peer-reviewed academic journals, free content and e-books from a broad spectrum of subject areas
Coverage: 1700 to the present
Bibliographic and abstracts
Mostly full text (no full text for e-books)
EBSCOhost (OpenAthens)This link opens in a new windowA collection of scholarly works covering a wide variety of topics. Content include literature on Africa and South Africa.
Format: Mostly full text. Coverage varies according to content
JSTOR (OpenAthens)This link opens in a new windowArchive of scholarly journals in Arts and Sciences and Business and Life sciences
Coverage for most journals begins at volume 1, issue 1, and continues up to the most recent 3-5 years of publication
ProQuest Central (OpenAthens)This link opens in a new windowA collection of databases that provides information on all subject areas.
Format: Full text
Coverage varies according to content
ProQuest EBook Central (OpenAthens)This link opens in a new windowA collection of online full text books and of other materials and content, e.g. maps, journals, and reports from highly rated academic publishers.
UJ has access to the Academic Complete collection which covers academic disciplines such as business and economics, computer science, technology, engineering, humanities, life and physical sciences, and social and behavioural sciences. UJ has also access to CHOICE Outstanding Academic Titles and Free Open Access Collections. Full text.
ScienceDirect (OpenAthens)This link opens in a new windowScientific journal articles and book chapters across four subject areas:
- Physical Sciences & Engineering
- Life Sciences
- Health Sciences
- Social Sciences & Humanities
Coverage: 1823 to presentAbstracts from 1823 to present
Full text available from 1995 to present
No full text available to e-book chapters
Mobile application
Scopus (OpenAthens)This link opens in a new windowA database of peer-reviewed literature including scientific journals, books, and conference proceedings. It offers smart tools to track, analyse, and visualize research.
Mostly full-text
SpringerLink (OpenAthens)This link opens in a new windowCovers books, journals, reference works, protocols and databases within the fields of science, technology, and medicine. UJs journal subscription includes:
Journal Online Archives Collection : V1 (1) to 1996 - Full text
Journal Current Collection: 1996 to the present - Full text
SpringerOpen Collection - Full text access to journals
Featured Library Databases:
Chinese Library of Science - Bibliographic;
Russian Library of Science - Bibliographic
No full text access to e-Book chapters or Protocols
Taylor & Francis Online (OpenAthens)This link opens in a new windowFull text access to over 1750 high quality academic journals published by companies in the Taylor & Francis Group. Subject coverage includes the sciences, health sciences, social sciences and humanities.
15 Open access journal titles are available on this database.
Interface language can be viewed in 66 languages incl. Afrikaans (via Google translation)
Coverage: Vol. 1 no. 1+
Abstracts and full text to UJ subscribed titles
Wiley Digital Archives (OpenAthens)This link opens in a new windowAn ongoing initiative to digitize unique and rare primary sources; a huge range of photos, maps, sketches, tables, letters, books and journals. Access to three of the collections: The New York Academy of Sciences – covering a wide range of original sources; The Royal Anthropological Institute – historical research into topics from Archaeology to geographic and religious studies; The Royal College of Physicians – with documents from astronomy to neurology going back over 500 years.
Wiley Online Library (OpenAthens)This link opens in a new windowA broad multidisciplinary collection of online resources covering life, health and physical sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.
No full text access to e-Books and Lab Protocols
