Department of Earth Sciences

Literature databases are search engines for scientific publications. They help you to find the information you need for your dissertation or research.

Here is a list of databases that are particularly relevant for geography students.

BASE (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine)
One of the largest databases for scientific publications. The coverage is somewhat less broad than Google Scholar, but the search refinement options and data quality are significantly better. Around 60% of the indexed documents are available in open access.

Google Scholar
Popular scientific search engine with a simple user interface and very broad coverage. Caution: limited search refinement options and poorly maintained data (e.g. duplicates, irrelevant and non-scientific documents, incorrect metadata, etc.).

Web of Science Core Collection
Large scientific literature database with well-maintained data and diverse search functions. The search results can be very precise, i.e. contain few irrelevant publications. However, books and conference papers are often not indexed and the general coverage is less comprehensive than BASE or Google Scholar. Very good tool for Citation Tracking. Very good indexing - use the clickable keywords under a relevant publication to find more relevant literature!

>> We also recommend publisher databases such as Wiley Online Library (Wiley), Springer Link (Springer) or Science Direct (Elsevier). However, these literature databases are limited to the publications of the respective publisher!

GEODOK
Database for geographical literature. Reflects the holdings of the library of the Institute of Geography at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. Approximately 180,000 entries.

GEO-LEO
Database for geographical and geoscientific publications (books, journals, specialised articles, maps, websites, etc.). In addition to the literature database, the website also contains GEO-LEOe-docs, the publication server of the Specialised Information Service for Geosciences (FID GEO).

GreenFILE
Interdisciplinary database focussing on the environment. Contains both scientific and non-scientific publications.

JSTOR
Medium-sized scientific literature database focussing on the humanities and social sciences. Journal articles from the last 3 to 5 years are generally not available, and coverage is generally patchy. In contrast to other databases, JSTOR not only indexes articles and books, but also offers access to full texts.

ProQuest Social Sciences
Large database package for social science publications. Includes the important databases Sociological Abstracts and PAIS Index.

SocINDEX with Full Text
Important sociological literature database. Provides direct access to the full texts.

>> More databases (in German)

>> Database Information System (DBIS) of the Freie Universität Berlin