Databases collect, organise and index information from journals, books, book chapters, theses and dissertations, magazines, newspapers and other sources.
Search for articles using databases by typing in keywords that describe your topic - remember to define the topic and think about the key concepts involved. Ask your subject librarian, Awot Gebregziabher, for help if needs be.
The databases will show lists of journal articles and other materials on your topic, but not all these articles will be available in UCT Libraries. If we do not subscribe to the journal you need, ask our Interlibrary Loans Department to obtain the article for you from another library.
Look at the Help tab for online tutorials.
When using the internet you should be cautious as most websites don't undergo peer review. You need to evaluate the website: is it reliable? is it up to date? is it credible?
The following links will help you find out more about evaluating websites:
Information fluency: a students' resource to learn how to master information challenges
UC Berkeley Library. Evaluating web pages: techniques to apply & questions to ask
Sheridan Libraries. Evaluating information found on the internet
Cornell University Library. Evaluating web sites: criteria and tools
To access electronic collections of scholarly publications (databases) choose the Databases A-Z at the UCT Libraries home page (www.lib.uct.ac.za).
As you access each database, you will be prompted to sign in via the UCT Single-Sign-On. This will provide you full text access.