When you carry out an in-depth literature review, it is necessary to search a much wider range of databases than you might otherwise use. This list covers a range of useful databases provided by the three Universities at Medway and the NHS as well as various free online databases.
AMED - the Allied and Complementary Medicine database (Greenwich/NHS) - useful for a wide range of health professions, for areas including complementary medicine, palliative care and herbal medicine.
ASSIA (CCCU) - a social sciences database which is useful for finding information on topics such as public health and health promotion. [CCCU database guide for ASSIA]
British Nursing Index (CCCU/NHS) - this has a focus on UK practice, and is useful for midwives and other professions as well as nurses. [CCCU database guide for BNI]
Business Source Premier/Business Source Ultimate (Greenwich/Kent/CCCU) - useful for essays on leadership and management in all fields, including healthcare. [CCCU database guide for Business Source Premier]
The Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (free) provides access to three important databases, which are no longer updated:
Child Development and Adolescent Studies (CCCU/Kent) - can be useful for any paediatric topic, but particularly those with a social, rather than medical, focus. [CCCU database guide for Child Development and Adolescent Studies]
Childlink (CCCU) - a new resource providing UK-based information about children and families. This does NOT search for journal articles, but covers news, legislation, guidelines, research by national bodies etc. [CCCU database guide for Childlink]
CINAHL (CCCU/Greenwich/Kent/NHS) - a database covering journals in nursing and allied health, with information for almost every possible health, medical and social care profession. [CCCU database guide for CINAHL]
The Cochrane Library (free) - this includes databases of systematic reviews and clinical trials. Cochrane are viewed as world leaders on evidence-based information. [CCCU database guide for the Cochrane Library]
Community Care Inform (Greenwich/Kent) - a reference tool for those working with children and families in community settings. This does NOT search for journal articles, but covers legislation, policies, case law etc.
Coronavirus Research Database - a resource searching published articles and other research on COVID-19.
DORIS - Database of Research Into Stroke (free) - for guidelines, systematic reviews, clinical trials and related evidence concerning treatments for stroke.
Education databases - each University has one or more of British Education Index, Education Abstracts, Education Research Complete or ERIC. These are useful for any topic covering education, including university and clinical education. School Nurses and other paediatric specialists may find these databases useful as well.
EMBASE (CCCU/NHS) - a large medical database with particular strengths in pharmacology and medical technology. [CCCU database guide for Embase]
EMCARE (NHS) - useful for nursing and allied health. If you have access NHS resources, it can be really useful to search this as well as CINAHL.
The EPPI Centre provides access to two databases for health promotion - the Database of Promoting Health Effectiveness Reviews and the Trials Register of Promoting Health Interventions.
Global Index Medicus (free) - hosted by the World Health Organization, this database allows you to search "literature produced by and within low-middle income countries". It often includes a link to the full version of the paper.
HMIC (NHS) - covers healthcare management, including grey literature as well as journal articles.
IBSS, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (Kent) - a social sciences database which covers many relevant topics.
International Health Technology Assessment Database (free) - searchable information about completed and ongoing assessments of technologies used in health.
Knowsy (free) brings together a large number of systematic reviews with an LGBTQ+ focus.
Maternity and Infant Care (CCCU) - a key database for midwifery and neonatal care. Provided by MIDIRS. [CCCU database guide for MIC]
Medline (CCCU/Greenwich/Kent/NHS), also available via Pubmed - one of the biggest biomedical databases in the world, searching the contents of medical journals. [CCCU database guide for Medline via EBSCO / CCCU database guide for Medline via Ovid / Pubmed intro video]
NeuroBITE (free) - a database of "studies of cognitive, behavioural and other treatments for psychological problems and issues occurring as a consequence of acquired brain impairment (ABI)". Formerly known as PsycBITE.
OT Seeker (free) - a database for occupational therapists containing references to systematic reviews and clinical trials.
Pedro (free) - Physiotherapy Evidence Database. Australian database of evidence-based physiotherapy information from around the world.
PTSDpubs (formerly known as PILOTS - Published International Literature On Traumatic Stress) (CCCU) - focussed on PTSD and other mental health issues relating to traumatic events.
PsycArticles (Kent/Greenwich/CCCU) - contains the full text of many journals published by the American Psychological Association.
PsycInfo - (Kent/Greenwich/CCCU/NHS) - large database with a focus on peer-reviewed information in mental health and behavioural science. Often the best starting place for mental health and psychology topics. [CCCU database guide for PsycInfo]
Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection (Greenwich) - provides access to articles from over 500 useful psychology journals.
Pubmed - one of the biggest biomedical databases in the world, searching the contents of medical journals. This covers everything found in Medline, plus some additional content. [Pubmed intro video]
REHABDATA (free) - for research on disability and rehabilitation.
Scopus (CCCU/Greenwich/Kent) covers the sciences and the social sciences and has useful citation tracking features. Probably searches the greatest number of different journals
Social Policy and Practice - (CCCU/Kent/NHS) - a database of evidence-based social science research which can be useful for topics including social care, social work, public health, homelessness and community care. [CCCU database guide to Social Policy and Practice]
SpeechBITE (free) - a database for speech and language therapists, speech pathologists and other related professions. It covers systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials and other forms of evidence.
SportDiscus (Greenwich/Kent/CCCU) - useful for topics relating to exercise and fitness, rehabilitation from sports injuries, physiotherapy, musculoskeletal imaging and orthopaedic care. [CCCU database guide for SportDiscus]
Stem Cell Evidence (free) - search through around 10,000 articles relating to stem cell transplantation, with a focus on guidelines, systematic reviews and RCTs.
Transfusion Evidence Library (free) - search through evidence-based information about transfusion medicine - systematic reviews, RCTs, economic evaluations and expert commentaries.
TRIP database (free - CCCU also has access to an enhanced version) - a tool for discovering clinical evidence, including systematic reviews, guidance, primary research and much more. Based in South Wales.
Web of Science (Greenwich/Kent/CCCU) - an interdisciplinary database, this can be particularly useful for in-depth literature reviews or for topics which cross boundaries between different disciplines. [CCCU database guide for Web of Science]
Each university maintains a list of databases which can be accessed by students and staff. The links on these pages are checked and updated regularly.
For more information on searching databases, see the Structured literature searching information on the Skills and Workshops page.
You may also find this video on using Pubmed, one of the best-known biomedical databases, useful.