Index New Zealand and Expanded Academic Index are examples of these . Most index journal articles. Other publications included may be chapters from books, dissertations, book reviews, conference papers, reports, newspaper articles and audiovisual material. Because this is a new technology most databases cover material published from the 1960 s or 1970 s onwards Two exceptions are PsycINFO which covers psychology publications back to 1887 and Index New Zealand which started in 1987. For material published before a database starts there was often a printed version which you can refer to.
Currency is also a consideration.
Some databases include not only references to publications but also the full text. Expanded Academic Index has the full text for about half the references on its database. Newspaper databases, such as Newztext , usually provide the full text of the articles. Each database provides access to this information about itself. On the Library s Database site and on some of the Subject Portals you will find a brief summary of the information about relevant databases to assist you in making the best choice for your search.