Databases are specifically organised and curated collections of electronic information, such as scholarly journal articles, magazines & newspapers, eBooks, and other academic reference resources. 
They act as refined and focused search engines allowing users to search academic content through keywords or a number of other methods, such as author, title, or year, and will provide full-text electronic access to this content.

Databases are extremely useful and reliable when you are searching for credible resources and information for your coursework, focusing on high quality and relevant material.
Some databases are subject-specific and will have a definite focus on your subject area, while others can be multi-discipline covering a wider range of subjects.

Many of our Databases are now available to us through  IReL (Irish Research eLibrary), a nationally funded resource providing access to a growing number of online resources and expanding the range of full-text availability.
 

Why use Databases?

• As databases focus mainly on subject areas, we know that they are specifically organised and targeted at research and information on direct subjects and disciplines, allowing you to concentrate and focus on only relevant material to your coursework and research.
   
• Databases also allow you to constantly refine your searches through a number of filter options. You can filter by full-text only, or can limit to peer-reviewed articles to make sure you get what you are looking for.
  Each database offers its own unique filters and options too, so take a minute to look over new databases you come across to see what they offer, such as filtering by publication year, geographic area, etc.
   
• Many database resources are not available directly on the open web (i.e. through a regular Google search), so using a database will save time by directing straight to the resources you need.


• Your coursework and lecturers will require you to find reliable scholarly and academic resources and references, and to ensure that these are peer-reviewed and of the highest quality. Databases contain these scholarly resources and references whilst also providing the direct access routes to them.

Our Full range of Databases can be found on our A to Z of Library Databases page on the library homepage or by using the link on Library Search