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10. Databases > Bibliographic vs. Full-Text

A bibliographic database contains brief records, or citations, of those items in the database. The citation provides all the necessary information to find the book, book chapter, journal article, government document, technical report, newspaper article, or other item (example). It does not include the full-text. It is only a tool that helps you locate the item in the library. Some examples of bibliographic databases are:

  • Anthropological Literature
  • Criminal Justice Abstracts
  • First Search
  • Proceedings First

Full-text databases are particularly helpful to the student who is off-campus and is trying to do research from home. Full-text databases are similar to bibliographic databases except that the full-text of the item, as well as the citation, is available.

Many databases are partially full-text. The amount of full-text depends on the publisher, individual journal, and year of publication. In some databases recent items may be full-text while only the citation is available for older items. Some examples of full-text and partially full-text databases are:

Full-text databases Partially full-text databases
Electronic Journal Center Academic Search Complete
JSTOR Business Source Complete
LexisNexis Academic CINAHL
Literature Resource Center ERIC

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