EES1134: Climate Change Policy

Once you've identified what information you want to look for (via your research topic), your next step is to decide where to search for it. Research databases are an excellent place to look for scholarly information on a topic.

Why Use Research Databases?

• They are often specialized by subject area (e.g. Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences)
• They contain information not available through public resources like Google
• They are designed with scholars and researchers in mind - that's you!

There are a variety of subject-specific and interdisciplinary databases available to you through U of T, with some of the key ones highlighted here. Not sure where to start or want to see the full scope of resources available for each discipline? Check out the Subjects A-Z list on our website.

While doing your research, it's a good idea to look in more than one place for your articles. Why, you may ask?

• Databases contain different content: You may notice some overlap between the search results of different databases (for example, Web of Science and Scopus); however, each database also contains unique results. By searching one and not the other, you a) risk missing out on valuable information, and b) bias your search by excluding relevant materials.
   
• Databases operate differently: Not all databases search the same way, and so you may need to tweak your search strategy to match the requirements of a specific database. Check out "Building a Search Strategy" in the guide menu for general tips and tricks when designing a search.