Research Starting Points
Cornell University Library provides access to research databases for general use and subject specific databases. These general resources don't have everything but think of these as a little bit on every subject. If you aren't sure where to start, start here!
As you find articles on your subject, you may notice that all of the publications are business focused or psychology or education. This information will point you towards the subject specific databases appropriate for your research. The subject specific databases will enable you to delve deeper into your subject.
As you get started, keep in mind that your first search may return 0 results or a million results. The key is to adjust your search - change your search term from 'usability testing' to 'UX' or 'user experience', change your date range to the most recent 5-10 years, select only scholarly and trade publications, etc. Find an article that covers your topic and use the keywords or subject terms from the database in your next search. Adapt your search based on your results.
- Academic Search PremierThis multi-disciplinary database provides full text for more than 8,500 journals, including full text for more than 4,600 peer-reviewed titles. PDF backfiles to 1975 or further are available for well over one hundred journals, and searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,000 titles.
- JSTORJSTOR is a fully-searchable database containing the back issues of several hundred scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, mathematics, music, science, ecology and botany, business, and other fields.
Engineering and Business Databases
Are you researching methods for usability testing? Do you need information on the impact of a well designed, usable website on a business?
This research is being done in the fields of business and engineering. Search these databases to find articles specific to those fields.
- Business Source CompleteBusiness Source Complete provides full text (PDF) for top scholarly journals, including the Harvard Business Review.
- Engineering Village 2Engineering Village offers a wide range of publications covering applied science and engineering.
- IEEE Xplore (IEEE/IET Electronic Library) This link opens in a new windowProvides full-text access to IEEE transactions, journals, and other sources. IEEE also offers career information for electrical engineers, computer sciences and related fields.
- ABI/InformABI/Inform, an extensive international business and management database, contains bibliographic citations, abstracts, and full text of articles appearing in professional publications, academic journals, and trade magazines published worldwide. ABI/Inform covers the areas of accounting, banking, computers, economics, engineering management, communications, finance, health care, human resources, insurance, international trends, law, management, marketing, public administration, real estate, taxation, transportation.
- ScopusScopus is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature: scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Delivers a comprehensive overview of the world's research output in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities.