Introduction to database searching
If you are searching for a topic or subject rather than a specific article you might like to browse one of our databases. You can find them listed here: A-Z Databases. These often focus on a particular subject area or discipline, and reduce the amount of results you receive from irrelevant subjects.
Databases are collections of resources such as journal articles and conference papers, and also sometimes book chapters and reports. If you are doing a literature search or systematic review they are a key resource to use.
There are two main kinds of database:
- Bibliographic - they won't show you the full paper straight away, but you can often read an abstract and see the author details. You'll need to check with Get it @ King's if the Library has access to the journal article
- Full text - will let you open and read the article directly from the list of results
Databases and journal collections for health sciences
Below are a small selection of databases for getting started with medical and health topics. For a more complete list of databases related to health subjects, visit the A-Z list of databases for Medicine:
- Embase (Ovid) - King's This link opens in a new window Embase contains over 22 million records spanning 1947-present, with over 1 million records added annually. Each record contains the full bibliographic citation, indexing terms, and codes; and 80% of all citations in Embase include author-written abstracts. The Embase journal collection is international with over 7,500 active peer-reviewed journals more than 90 countries. Updated daily and weekly. Broad biomedical scope covering the following areas:• Drug therapy and research, including pharmaceutics, pharmacology and toxicology• Clinical and experimental (human) medicine• Basic biological science relevant to human medicine• Biotechnology and biomedical engineering, including medical devices• Health policy and management, including pharmacoeconomics• Public, occupational and environmental health, including pollution control• Veterinary science, dentistry, and nursing You can access databases on the Ovid platform on campus without logging in at: https://ovidsp.ovid.com/autologin.cgi Note: For help with logging in see Login instructions for popular resources for more details.
- Medline (Ovid) - King's (On Campus) This link opens in a new window Bibliographic database of references to journal articles, with an emphasis on clinical medicine, dentistry and biomedical research. Also covers nursing, chemistry and pharmacology, biological and physical sciences, microbiology, nutrition, health care delivery and social sciences. 1946 to date. Note: For help with logging in see Login instructions for popular resources for more details.
- Medline (Ovid) - King's (Off campus) This link opens in a new window Bibliographic database of references to journal articles, with an emphasis on clinical medicine, dentistry and biomedical research. Also covers nursing, chemistry and pharmacology, biological and physical sciences, microbiology, nutrition, health care delivery and social sciences. 1946 to date. Note: For help with logging in see Login instructions for popular resources for more details.
- PubMed for King's staff & students This link opens in a new window PubMed comprises more than 28 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites. It is free for anyone to use. This link is for King's users and red "Get it @ King's" links will automatically appear in PubMed if you access PubMed from here and will link directly to the full text if King's has a subscription.
- Web of Science Core Collection This link opens in a new window Web of Science provides access to the world’s leading scholarly literature in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities and examines proceedings of international conferences, symposia, seminars, colloquia, workshops, and conventions. The Core collection is a gateway to: Science Citation Index Expanded (1900-present)Social Sciences Citation Index (1956-present)Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1975-present)Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Science (1990-present)Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Social Science & Humanities (1990-present)Emerging Sources Citation Index (2015-present)Specific log-in instructions for Web of Science can be found here.
New to using online databases?
Find interactive tutorials and put them into practice with the Finding Academic Information for Health modules in KLaSS:
- KLaSS Module (KEATS)
Online tutorials and forums available 24/7; to help you find academic materials for your topics and choose your referencing style
Below are a small selection of databases for getting started with anatomy topics and resources. For a more complete list of databases related to health subjects, visit the A-Z list of databases for Medicine:
- Acland's Video Atlas of Human Anatomy This link opens in a new window Acland's Video Atlas of Human Anatomy is an accessible source of anatomical knowledge. With simple language and realistic, 3D visuals, it may be used as an adjunct to dissection as well as for students who need to re-learn clinically relevant anatomy for their surgical rotations or who are taking anatomy modules.
New to using online databases?
Complete interactive tutorials on literature searching and earn badges in the Finding and Evaluating Information for Health sections of KLaSS:
- KLaSS Module (KEATS)Online tutorials and forums available 24/7; to help you find academic materials for your topics and choose your referencing style
Below are a small selection of journals for browsing Bioscience topics. For a more complete list of databases and resources related to health subjects, visit the A-Z list of databases for Medicine:
- Annals of Anatomy
- British Journal of Pharmacology
- Cell
- Forensic Science International
- Genome Research
- Immunity
- Journal of Physiology
- Journal of Molecular Biology
- Nutrition reviews
- Pharmacology & Therapeutics
- Physiotherapy
- Trends in Neurosciences
Find these journals, and more on Library Search:
- Library Search @ King's
Find books and full text journal articles on your subject online!
New to using Library Search?
You can find online tutorials on using Library Search to find books and journals around your subject. Find them in the Getting Started With Your Studies section of KLaSS:
- KLaSS Module (KEATS)Online tutorials and forums available 24/7; to help you find academic materials for your topics and choose your referencing style
Below are a small selection of databases for getting started with Global Health topics. For a more complete list of databases, visit the A-Z list of databases for Global Health:
- ASSIA Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window ASSIA: Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts on the Web covers health, social services, psychology, sociology, economics, politics, race relations and education. Updated monthly, ASSIA provides a comprehensive source of social science and health information for the practical and academic professional. ASSIA currently contains from over 500 journals published in 16 different countries, including the UK and US.
- Global Health (Ovid) This link opens in a new window GLOBAL HEALTH brings together the resources of two internationally renowned databases - the Public Health and Tropical Medicine (PHTM) database, previously produced by the Bureau of Hygiene and Tropical Diseases (BHTD), and the human health and diseases information extracted from CAB ABSTRACTS. Dating back to 1973, together they provide a unique resource which offers a substantially deeper subject coverage of information related to human health and communicable diseases than many other sources currently available.Global Health provides an alternative, complementary point of reference with a broad analysis of foreign language journals, books, research reports, patents and standards, dissertations, conference proceedings, annual reports, public health, developing country information, and other difficult to obtain material. Note: For help with logging in see Login instructions for popular resources for more details
- Social Policy and Practice (Ovid) - King's This link opens in a new window Social Policy and Practice represents an important source for applied social science policy-makers and practitioners working within human resources, public safety, social services, social administration, economic and social development, social work, social work education and care management. Coverage is broad and includes: -Public & social policy -Public health -Social care -Community development -Mental and community health -Homelessness -Housing -Crime -Equalities -Law and order -Children and families -Older People The database comprises over 320,000 bibliographic records to reports, surveys and statistics.Note: For help with logging in see Login instructions for popular resources for more details.
New to using online databases?
Complete interactive tutorials on literature searching and earn badges in the Finding and Evaluating Information for Arts & Sciences and Health sections of KLaSS:
- KLaSS Module (KEATS)Online tutorials and forums available 24/7; to help you find academic materials for your topics and choose your referencing style
Below are a small selection of databases for getting started with nursing & midwifery topics. For a more complete list of databases related to health subjects, visit the A-Z list of databases for Medicine:
- CINAHL - King's This link opens in a new window CINAHL (The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) is a bibliographic database for the fields of nursing and allied health literature indexing over 5,000 journals. This database is available via the EBSCO Host service. Journals from many professional areas including therapy, rehabilitation, pharmacy and social care are also included. Useful if you study:Dental careHealth managementHealth sciencesMedicinePharmacySocial workSport and exercise sciences
- Maternity and Infant Care Database (MIDIRS) (Ovid) This link opens in a new window Maternity and Infant Care is the world’s largest midwifery-specific database, and a key information resource used by maternity health care professionals and student midwives worldwide to support their research, practice and study requirements. Maternity and Infant Care indexes not only academic journals and book chapters, but a range of grey literature drawn from information sources not typically well represented in indexing databases, but vital for staying appraised of the latest developments in maternity and infant care, such as government publications, clinical guidelines, and parliamentary proceedings, as well as news items. Details of correspondence and commentary written in response to articles are also included.Maternity and Infant Care - key facts•Type: Bibliographic with abstracts•Number of records: 300,000 +•Update frequency: Approximately 100 records are added each day•Coverage: earliest record is dated 1857, with comprehensive coverage from 1988 onwards•Subjects covered: Maternity services, midwifery profession and practice worldwide, pregnancy, labour and birth, postnatal health, and care of the infant up to six weeks, infant feeding, and more.•Journal coverage: Over 400 English-language journals and other sources are indexed, including a range of grey literature. Note: For help with logging in see Login instructions for popular resources for more details.
New to using online databases?
Complete interactive tutorials on literature searching and earn badges in the Finding and Evaluating Information for Health sections of KLaSS:
- KLaSS Module (KEATS)Online tutorials and forums available 24/7; to help you find academic materials for your topics and choose your referencing style
Below are a small selection of databases for getting started with psychology, psychiatry & neuroscience topics. For a more complete list of databases related to health subjects, visit the A-Z list of databases for Medicine:
- PsychiatryOnline This link opens in a new window PsychiatryOnline provides access to 4 journals and over 20 ebooks, which include psychiatric textbooks, manuals and guidelines as well as patient information and self-assessment tools. The full list of ebooks can be found using this link books
- PsycInfo APA via (Ovid) - King's This link opens in a new window You can access databases on the Ovid platform on campus without logging in at: Ovid PsycINFO covers the behavioural sciences and mental health, with references to papers, chapters and dissertations, relevant to psychiatry, medicine, management, social science, neuroscience, law and social work. Note: For help with logging in see Login instructions for popular resources for more details.
New to using online databases?
Complete interactive tutorials on literature searching and earn badges in the Finding and Evaluating Information for Health sections of KLaSS:
- KLaSS Module (KEATS)Online tutorials and forums available 24/7; to help you find academic materials for your topics and choose your referencing style
Get help online with our Forums
- KLaSS: Support Forums for Finding Academic Information
How do I get support for finding literature for my systematic review / literature review?
How do I choose the best source of information on Arts & Sciences / Law / Health topics for my work?
My tutor says I need to find high quality journal articles, how do I do this?
New to using KLaSS forums?
Make sure you're enrolled on KLaSS by using the link below:
- KLaSS Module (KEATS)Online tutorials and forums available 24/7; to help you find academic materials for your topics and choose your referencing style
Getting the full text
If a database lists something you want to read, look for a button that says 'Get it at King's' 
This will take you to Library Search and to the full text, if the library subscribes to the journal, or prompting you to request the item via Inter Library Loan.
I can't see the 'Get it @ King's'
If the 'Get it @ King's' button is not available then you should use Library Search to see if the article or book is available through another database.
- Library Search @ King'sFind books and full text journal articles on your subject online!
New to using Library Search?
Find out how to use Library Search to find the books and items you need in the Getting Started With the Library - Undergraduates and Taught Postgraduates section of this guide - look for the navigation button in the top left corner!