When you are ready to conduct your own research, it's important to complete a thorough literature review. You want to make sure you find all the prior, relevant research so that can conduct a well-informed study. 

Stanford Libraries subscribes to several article databases that you can use to search for relevant research across many journals. The database you choose will depend on the nature of your research. 

If your topic is new or broad-ranging, we recommend using a multidisciplinary database to find research publications from across different disciplines. When you work in a new area, there may not be enough research in your field to help guide you. A multidisciplinary database will allow you to find relevant research publications from other fields.

If your topic is well-researched or specialized, we recommend using a discipline-specific database. When you work in an area that is well established, there will be a plethora of relevant research available. A discipline-specific database will allow you to focus in on that research and not become overwhelmed or distracted by other content.