Searching for and reading relevant literature is a major part of the time involved in preparing a scientific text or an academic essay. The more up-to-date and relevant information we can find, and the better we know how to convey it, the better we can research the topic and write a more interesting and valuable paper. But in many cases, it will not be enough to search the shelves of a reading room or the resources openly available on the Internet. Electronic databases offer a wealth of new and relevant information.
Large databases such as EBSCO Academic Search Ultimate, Taylor & Francis, Sience Direct, and JSTOR are widely used by students and researchers because of their versatility. They offer research in a wide range of scientific fields. However, we would like to remind you of a few specialised databases that are sometimes unjustly overlooked. Here is a list of databases for the social sciences* divided by field. Important! All databases can only be accessed on the VU network or from home by activating a VPN service.
Pedagogy
Education Source (EBSCO) database may be useful for students, practitioners and professionals in the field of education. The collection includes journals, books, monographs, conference proceedings. The collection covers a very wide range of topics from early childhood education to university education.
ERIC is a database on education developed by the U.S. Department of Education's Education Resource Centre. Includes articles, research reports, curricula, conference proceedings, dissertations and books since 1966. A thesaurus containing terms related with education is integrated in the database.
Psychology
PsycARTICLES (EBSCO) is a source of full-text, peer-reviewed scientific articles in the field of psychology. Specialised information on general, special, applied and clinical psychology. Important! The database is only available in the reading rooms of the Central Library and the Scientific Communication and Information Centre (SCIC), and in the premises of the Faculty of Philosophy.
PsycInfo (EBSCO) is a bibliographic database in the field of psychology developed by the American Psychological Association. Important! The database is only available in the reading rooms of the Central Library and the Scientific Communication and Information Centre (SCIC), and in the premises of the Faculty of Philosophy.
Politics
European Council Studies is an e-journal compiled from the proceedings of European Council meetings. Pre-Summits Briefings stand for briefings produced before a summit. On the eve of each European Council or Eurozone summit, preparatory briefings provide an overview and explanation of the agenda and the expected outcomes. Post-Summit Briefings stand for briefings after a summit. These briefings, which appear seven days after each Heads of State and Government meeting, provide a detailed analysis of the discussions and their outcome. Drawing on oral and documentary sources that are not normally available, they provide authoritative insights into decision-making at the heart of the EU. Annual Reviews are yearly reviews, and each volume provides an overview of the previous year's events, drawing on Post-Summit Briefings and Monthly Commentaries.
Law
BeckOnline Premium is a specialised database of legal resources providing access to full-text resources on German law. The database includes commentaries, journals and their archives, detailed case law, legislation, model contracts, monographs and other documents.
HeinOnline is a database of legal journals. Subscription collections include the HeinOnline Core collection database and the HeinOnline Foreign and International Law Resources database.
Infolex: legal acts and case law is a database of legal acts adopted by the institutions of the Republic of Lithuania (Seimas, Government, President, Ministries, etc.). Laws and regulations of national courts from the lowest to the highest instance. The practice of pre-trial dispute resolution bodies (Seimas Ombudsmen's Office, Tax Disputes Commission, etc.). Important! The database can only be accessed from the computers of the Scientific Communication and Information Centre. The login name and password can be found in the description of the database on the Library’s website.
Kluwer Law Online: Journals. The collection contains peer-reviewed law journals on international law issues in various practice areas.
Business, Economy
Bussiness Source Ultimate is a bibliographic and full-text database of business journals. Covers topics such as marketing, management, finance, accounting, and economics. Includes statistical information and revenues for large, internationally active companies. The database collection includes journals such as Harward Business Review, Fortune, and MIS Quarterly.
Passport (Euromonitor International) is a statistical database. It is an international market research tool that monitors global industry trends and provides data and forecasts on markets, consumers, product analysis, both in the context of a specific country and the global industry.
* Database recommendations for the humanities, natural sciences, exact sciences and medicine will be published in other Library articles.
Information prepared by Urtė Milkintaitė