Compare different literature searching databases available through the Drexel University Libraries to find the best database to meet the research needs or question. While Google Scholar can be a useful starting point for research, it should not be the only resource to consult. Google Scholar is not specific to health sciences resources, so choosing the appropriate health science database can make a world of difference in the results. Also, scholarly databases through the library can provide full-text PDF access or interlibrary loan options for material searched.
When starting research, it's important to select the most appropriate databases for the subject or discipline, and to be aware of the unique functionalities of each individual database or platform. For example, you can search MEDLINE through PubMed or through Ovid.
Databases A to Z covers all disciplines can be found here.
All Health Science related databases can be found here.
All Medicine and Biological Sciences databases can be found here.
See a selection of health science related databases below to compare and contrast their coverage.
| Database | Platform | Coverage and scope | Publication types included | Controlled Vocabulary |
| Medline PubMed | United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) | The primary biomedical database for health care research. US-government funded resource through the NCBI and the NLM that provides access to search and retrieval of biomedical and life sciences literature. Contains approximately 36 million citations. | Journal articles, books, editorials | Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) |
| Database | Platform | Coverage and scope | Publication types included | Controlled Vocabulary |
| Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL) | EBSCOhost | Extensive coverage of nursing and allied health, including alternative & complementary medicine and consumer health. Also includes nursing and rehabilitation journals not covered by MEDLINE. | Journal articles, editorials, trade magazines, conference proceedings, dissertations, books, educational audiovisual | CINAHL Subject Headings |
| Database | Platform | Coverage and scope | Publication types included | Controlled Vocabulary |
| Embase | Elsevier | A biomedical and pharmacological bibliographic database with European coverage in biomedicine, rehabilitation, and pharmacology. Embase indexes all MEDLINE records as well as an additional nearly 4,000 unique journal titles with over 12 million citations. | Journal articles, editorials, conferences | Emtree |
| Database | Platform | Coverage and scope | Publication types included | Controlled Vocabulary |
| Scopus | Elsevier | A multidisciplinary citation database considered to be one of the largest databases of peer-reviewed article records covering the arts, medicine, science, social sciences, and technology. | Journal articles, books, conference proceedings | None |
| Database | Platform | Scope and coverage | Publication types included | Controlled Vocabulary |
| CENTRAL | Cochrane Library | CENTRAL is a sub-database (Trials) in the Cochrane Library. It is a database of bibliographic reports of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The majority of the records come from MEDLINE and Embase but records from CINAHL are also included, along with trial records from ClinicalTrials.gov, ICTRP, and additional records from handsearching and those flagged in the Cochrane Review Groups' Specialized Registers. | Journal articles, records from clinical trial registries | Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) |
| Database | Platform | Coverage and scope | Publication types included | Controlled Vocabulary |
| Web of Science Core Collection | Clarivate | A multidisciplinary resource platform with a variety of databases, including abstract and citation indices for the sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities. | Journal articles, conference proceedings, preprints, dissertations | None |
| Database | Platform | Coverage and scope | Publication types included | Controlled Vocabulary |
| APA PsycINFO | EBSCOhost | A bibliographic database providing abstracts and citations to the scholarly literature in the psychological, social, behavioral, and health sciences. The database includes material of relevance to psychologists and professionals in related fields such as psychiatry, management, business, education, social science, neuroscience, law, medicine, and social work. | Journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations | APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms |