Scholar OneSearch is unique among our databases because it provides access to the Library catalog. To search the catalog for books, e-books, digital media, archival materials, and other local resources, select the Library Catalogs option in Scholar OneSearch. To include peer-reviewed, newspaper, and other kinds of articles in your search, select the Library Catalog and Articles option.
Academic Search Complete is a multidisciplinary database useful for searching a broad range of topics in the fields of public policy and related disciplines. Many full-text articles are available; click the PDF or the check for full-text link to locate them!
The American Economic Association's electronic database and the foremost source of references to economic literature. Includes citations, abstracts, and selected full text from scholarly and professional literature from 1969 to the present.
JSTOR archives full-text scholarly articles in a number of disciplines, including public policy and public administration, labor and employment, urban studies, and transportation studies. As noted below, the NU Library also purchase JSTOR ebooks.
Most journals include extended historic backfiles and not current issues. The Northeastern Library also purchases individual e-book titles from JSTOR. The books are available chapter-by-chapter as PDFs.
Arts and Sciences IV content is available courtesy of the Northeastern School of Law Library.
Reports, working papers, policy briefs, data sources, and media drawn from a directory of more than 24,500 IGOs, NGOs, think tanks, non-profits, advocacy groups, and research centers.
U.S. foreign and domestic policy papers and gray literature, PolicyFile is updated weekly with abstracts and links to the latest reports, papers, and documents from think tanks, research institutes, and agencies. A unique feature of the database is its categorization of think tanks by political orientation.
A comprehensive source of journal literature in the life sciences and biomedicine from the National Library of Medicine. Includes selected full text from PubMed Central, and NCBI Bookshelf. PubMed is a free web resource, however this version contains links to Northeastern-subscribed journals that require a login.
An AI-powered research platform that analyzes and provides citation context for scientific papers, helping researchers evaluate the credibility and impact of scholarly articles. Account registration is necessary for some features.
Access to Elsevier ebooks and select scholarly journals covering biomedical science and medicine, pharmacology, neuroscience, psychology, social sciences and more.
Scholarly and professional citations and abstracts with full text links in politics and public policy, sociology, social services, anthropology, criminology, linguistics, information sciences and education. Includes PAIS and Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. Professional society databases are also included.
Social Sciences Premium includes:
Sociology Database
Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts
Sociological Abstracts
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
PAIS Index
Political Science Database
PolicyFile
Criminal Justice Database
National Criminal Justice Reference Service Abstracts
Library Science Database
Library & Information Science Abstracts
Education Database
ERIC
Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts
Linguistics Database
Social Science Database
International Bibliography of the Social Sciences
Use for citation tracking, finding seminal literature, data visualizations, author alerts, institutional affiliations, and impact factors. LInks to full text for Northeastern-subscribed journals.
Includes:
Arts and Humanities Citation Index
Science Citation Index
Social Science Citation Index
Book Citation Index (2005-present)
Conference Citation Index
Emerging Sources Citation Index
Current Chemical Reactions Index
Index Chemicus
Northeastern offers current and archival access to the New York Times. Please use the link above to register with a Northeastern email address. Once registered, users can log in directly at https://www.nytimes.com or use the New York Times app on a smartphone or device. Our subscription does not include access to the Cooking, Games, or Athletic sections of nytimes.com.
If you have an existing paid subscription to NYtimes.com, you will need to first cancel it by contacting customercare@nytimes.com or calling 800-591-9233. Archives go back to 1980. For prior years, there may only be partial access. Please use Proquest New York Times (1851-2014) (Opens in new window) for archival searching and retrieval.
Washington D.C.'s newspaper, with coverage of the city and region, national events, and coverage of federal government "inside-the-beltway" news. For off-campus access, please create an account and then follow these instructions (PPT)(Opens in new window) to link our university subscription. Once registered, users can log in directly at www.washingtonpost.com.
Leading economic, business, finance, and political news, information, commentary and analysis. For historic WSJ content dating back to 1985, please use Factiva (Opens in new window). Individual registration using a Northeastern email address is required.
London-based and international in scope, with extensive business, marketing, economic, political, news and trends worldwide. Northeastern's subscription includes both the International and UK editions, along with subject-focused newsletters, podcasts, and live conferences. Access to the Financial Times requires registration with a Northeastern or NU London email address.
Coverage of Asia's economic, political, business and technology news in English. Established with a goal to change the way the Asia is covered internationally and to enhance the world’s understanding of pan-Asian affairs.
Also includes data on financial markets and top companies in the region.
The Globe and Mail, founded in 1844, is a daily newspaper published in Toronto and one of the most prestigious and influential newspapers in Canada. Account creation with an @northeastern.edu email address is required.
The Atlantic covers a broad range of topics including politics, society, the arts, and culture. The site includes content from 1857 to the present and includes audio, video and podcast extras.
Weekly international news and business publication based in London and offering clear reporting, commentary and analysis on world current affairs, business, finance, science and technology, culture, society, media and the arts. Founded in 1843; the online edition features content from 1997 to the present. Audio and apps are not included in Northeastern's library subscription.
Features articles and current news covering the political, historical and economic impacts of American foreign policy and global affairs; includes the full archive of Foreign Affairs Magazine 1922-present plus online-only content. Published by the Council on Foreign Relations.
A unique source of opinion pages from news outlets around the world. Good for debate and argument essays or to research a range of views on current events.
News about the biotech, pharmaceutical and life sciences industries, and public policy issues and analysis related to the life sciences and health. US focus, but global in scope. Access requires additional registration on the STAT+ site with a Northeastern email address.
ICPSR is a membership based, non-profit data archive located at the University of Michigan; it is one of the world's largest social science archives. Access to datasets and related studies on a wide variety of topics. NU students must set up a myData account to download datasets and supporting documentation.
PolicyMap is a mapping tool for accessing data on demographics, real estate, health, jobs, and more. Supports research about communities across the U.S.
Search opinion polls using this database from Cornell University. Poll results from news organizations, governments, private foundations, academic institutions, and more. The scope of topics spans politics, culture, workplaces, and social life. Some international coverage, though US-based polls predominate. 1930s to the present.
Geographic resource that brings together a vast and growing amount of quantitative data with an intuitive visual interface to make demographic research, the analysis of social trends, and comparison of neighborhoods, communities, counties, and other areas accessible and interactive. Access is limited to 5 users at a time.
Covers a broad range of topics and, as such, is an excellent first place to look for statistics. Provides infographics, charts, and statistical reports.
Academic Video Online Premium (AVON) provides video content to a broad range of subject areas, including documentaries and journalistic content on topics in business, politics, history, music, public health, education and more. Watch complete videos or create playlists and film clips in AVON.
Many films include closed captions, searchable transcripts and clipping functionality for accessibility and teaching support. Limited public performance rights include classroom showings and extracurricular viewing as long as no admission is charged.
A curated collection of films for the Northeastern community, including feature films as well as high-interest documentaries. You may use Scholar OneSearch to find out if Northeastern has a particular film. Closed captions and transcripts included. Films provided by HBO and Neon Films cannot be viewed outside of the U.S.
Instructors may request access via the request form in Kanopy.
Many public libraries offer Kanopy and other streaming services for free use with a library card, so check with your local library if you wish to use Kanopy outside of academic use.
A summary of a research article that appears at the beginning of the document. Reading the abstract may help you decide if you want to read the full article.
A geographic information system (GIS) software developed by Esri. ArcGIS enables you to analyze, visualize, and interpret spatial data for better decision-making.
Written content on a narrow subject and published in a periodical or website. In some contexts, academics may use article as a shortened form of journal article.
A group of libraries in New England that work together to share resources with students, faculty, and staff of member libraries. Northeastern University is a member of this group. Requesting a consortium library card is free to Northeastern students.
A free library available to people who work, live or attend school in Massachusetts. Boston Public Library's collection includes physical and digital access to books, journals, and films.
A label of letters and/or numbers that tell you where the resource can be found in the library. Call numbers are displayed on print books and physical resources and correspond with a topic or subject area.
Catalog
A list of all the items in a library's physical collection. Modern catalogs are searchable databases. Catalogs include information about the item's:
title
creator
publication
subject
availability
location in the library
Also called a catalogue, OPAC. Historically a card catalog.
Software that can help you collect, organize, and cite sources. The library provides training on five specific citation managers: BibTeX, EndNote, Mendeley, RefWorks, and Zotero. Also called citation management software, citation management tool or reference manager.
Physical materials assigned by an instructor and held at the library. These materials are generally restricted to in-building use for a limited period. At faculty discretion, some materials may be checked out overnight or for a few days.
A searchable collection of similar items. Library databases include resources for research. Examples include: a newspaper database, such as Access World News, or a humanities scholarly journal database, such as JSTOR.
A searchable online storage space for video files, images, and documents. Specialized digital repositories collect materials related to a theme or institution.
Northeastern University Library manages the Digital Repository Service (DRS). The DRS collects digital material related to Northeastern University's history and academic work.
A unique number assigned to some digital content. DOIs do not change even if the online location or ownership of the resource changes.
Electronic Thesis or Dissertation (ETD)
A digital version of a thesis or dissertation produced by a master's or Ph.D. student. Most theses and dissertations written by Northeastern University students are ETDs. Interested researchers can find Northeastern ETDs in the Digital Repository Service. Theses and dissertations written before 2007 are only available in print format in the Northeastern University Archives.
A broad category of research in which existing research is reviewed to clarify what is known. Evidence synthesis uses explicit and reproducible methods. Common types of evidence synthesis include systematic reviews, scoping reviews, integrative reviews, and umbrella reviews.
The entirety of an article or book, as opposed to a summary or description. Libraries often provide access to the full text as an attached file or in a web reader.
A computer-based means of storing, analyzing, and displaying geographic data. Researchers use Geographic Information Systems to create maps and charts.
A way of examining and interpreting data about geographic locations, or spatial data. Geospatial analysis examines spatial data to gain insights and identify patterns or trends. Also called geospacial analysis.
A library service that allows you to request resources your library does not have. At Northeastern University, this service is free. Materials are delivered electronically when possible.
A meaningful word or phrase in a source’s database or catalog record. Keywords are often used as search terms to retrieve records that contain the word or phrase.
A search setting that removes search results based on source attributes. Limiters vary by database but often include publication date, material type, and language. Also called: filter or facet.
Marginalia
Notes, comments, annotations, sketches, added to the margins of a text. These can be typed or hand-written. Marginalia can include headers, footnotes, and sidenotes. In some cases, marginalia are written by the author of a text, but is often notes made by a reader.
Metadata
Information associated with a resource, usually organized in a specific way. The word metadata means "data about data".
Metadata varies but often includes title, creator, and format. Descriptive metadata makes it possible to find and identify resources in a collection. When the metadata in a collection is standardized, the predefined structure is called a metadata schema.
Research or data available for free. Open access resources are sometimes labeled with an unlocked padlock symbol. These resources often have permissive licenses that support re-use and sharing.
Words used to connect multiple search terms to bring back targeted results. Operators can be used to reduce or expand the number of search results. Operators include:
Well-regarded review process used by some academic journals. Relevant experts review articles for quality and originality before publication. Articles reviewed using this process are called peer reviewed articles. Less often, these articles are called refereed articles.
A free and open-source Geographic Information System (GIS) application. This tool set enables you to capture, analyze, visualize, and share geographic data. QGIS is a Mac-friendly alternative to ArcGIS.
To transfer information from one format to another. Example: Scanning a paper newspaper to create an online or PDF version. Reformatting includes digitization.
A webpage or pages created by librarians to guide your research in a field or course. Research guides include links to resources, tutorials, and other information.
The removal of a published article from a journal. A journal’s editors or editorial board can decide to retract an article when it has serious errors. Errors that can result in retraction include:
A book or article written by academic researchers and published by an academic press or journal. Scholarly sources contain original research and commentary.
Scholarly articles are published in journals focused on a field of study. also called academic articles.
Scholarly books are in-depth investigations of a topic. They are often written by a single author or group. Alternatively in anthologies, chapters are contributed by different authors.
Common filetype (.shp) for points, lines, or polygons. This filetype is widely used in Geographic Information Systems, specifically ArcGIS. Various free shapefiles are available online.
A library database that searches a broad range of resources. Material in Scholar OneSearch includes:
Scholarly, newspaper and other articles
books & eBooks
streaming music and video
board games
archival material
Scholar OneSearch also includes information about material held at Northeastern’s libraries. Researchers can use ScholarOne Search to organize their research and manage borrowed items. To best serve Northeastern University's widespread community, ScholarOne Search has different views:
The Online / Global network view shows all online material.
The Boston view shows all online material and items held at Snell Library.
The Oakland view shows all online material and items held at the F. W. Olin Library.
Appropriate views for each global campus are included on their Global Campus Portal.
A source focused on sharing news and information of interest to an industry. Trade publications are often published by industry associations. Periodicals related to an industry are called trade journals.
An unrepeated string of numbers and letters used to recognize and differentiate material. Also called an identification number. Examples include American citizen's’ social security numbers or published books' ISBNs. A persistent identifier (PID) is a long-lasting type of unique identifier. Persistent identifiers allow you to locate a resource with a URL. Examples include electronic articles' Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) and digital materials' handles.