Databases

The NSU HPD Library offers many Database Indexes to search for Journal Articles.

Each one is different.

This presentation is an attempt to highlight the differences in content between some of our most popular database indexes.

• PUBMED• EMBASE• ISI Web of Knowledge• CINAHL

Database CoverageMedical Literature

Multi-Disciplinary Non-Medical Literature – Education, Psychology, Social Sciences, Pure Sciences, Business,

Humanities, etc.

For our demonstration, this white box represents all of the Periodical Medical Literature published in the world in all languages.

Including Journals, Magazines, White Papers, Association Bulletins, etc.

The following examples are merely illustrations

they are not accurate as to percentile or ratios

This white box below represents the whole of non-medical literature

Index Databases “index” or “cover” a limited amount of all the periodical literature out there

No one Database will cover all of it. Many things are not covered by an index at all, anywhere.

This light blue box will represent database “coverage” of the periodical literature

At anytime Press the

Space bar or Page Down to continue the presentation

Medical Literature

Multi-Disciplinary Non-Medical Literature – Education, Psychology, Social Sciences, Pure Sciences, Business,

Humanities, etc.

Old

-Med

lin

e

Medline

Pre

-Med

lin

e

PubMed.gov includes:• Old-Medline• Medline• Pre-Medline

PubMed.gov has 3 database collections

• Old-Medline – ( non indexed articles from the 50’s & 60’s)

• Pre-Medline – (brief entries for very recent articles without full indexing)

• Medline – (fully indexed articles from 1949 present)

You will see that these 3 cover a great deal of the Medical Literature but not all of it. While these collections index mostly Medical journals they also index some cross disciplinary Journals.

EMBASE.com coverageMedical Literature

Multi-Disciplinary Non-Medical Literature

Medline Unique to EMBASE

EMBASE.com includes both:• Medlineand• Unique EMBASE titles

EMBASE is known for its advanced indexing and searching for pharmaceutical related articles as well as better coverage of European journals than Medline alone.

Medical Literature

Multi-Disciplinary Non-Medical Literature

Medline

Science Citation Index

ISI Web of Knowledge Includes 4 database collections:• Medline• Science Citation Index• Social Sciences Citation Index• Arts & Humanities Citation Index

Social Sciences Citation Index & Humanities Citation Index

The ISI Web of Knowledge search engine and platform is not as sophisticated as others.

However, it includes the citation tracking tool for articles and authors.

It also covers a wide area of journals in many subject areas.

CINAHL coverage

Medical Literature

Multi-Disciplinary Non-Medical Literature – Education, Psychology, Social Sciences, Pure Sciences, Business,

Humanities, etc.

CINAHL

Covers Nursing and Allied Health journals.

There is a large focus on “patient care issues” Medline

CINAHL( Cummulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature )

You will notice that some of the coverage is over the Medline area.

CINAHL does index many of the same journals as Medline, thus there may be overlapping results.

Databases

If you have more questions about these or any of the other databases please contact an

HPD Librarian

(954) 262-3106