Background reading:
Gale Virtual Reference Library gives access to hundreds of academic encyclopedias and reference sources covering all academic disciplines.
All purpure database:
One Search is the default search box on the library homepage. It retrieves journal and newspaper articles, books, videos, and more. A drawback is that it can swamp you with results.
Other databases:
EBSCO (All Databases): Includes the more specific databases listed below
Academic Search Complete is multi-disciplinary database containing a mix of scholarly and popular literature. Most recent articles have the full text. Academic Search Complete enables you to restrict your search to magazines.
Anthropology Plus indexes peer reviewed literature in anthropology and related fields; can be combined with Academic Search Complete, Philosopher’s Index, and Socindex
Econlit: database for peer reviewed articles in economics and related fields
Georef: database for peer reviewed articles in geography and related fields
Humanities Source: Comprehensive database for all disciplines in the humanities
Philosopher’s Index indexes peer reviewed literature in philosophy and related fields
Socindex indexes peer reviewed literature in sociology and related fields
Jstor: Has high quality journals from all disciplines. Two drawbacks: (1) the most recent issues are generally not available; (2) the search engine is weak.
Also: Proquest Social Sciences Premium Collection indexes peer reviewed literature in the social sciences, with a particular focus on politics, public policy, and sociology.