Need help choosing which database to search? This table shows you the differences between the core databases used in health sciences knowledge syntheses.
| Database (Platform) | Subject coverage | Publication types included | Dates covered |
| MEDLINE (Ovid) / PubMed | Primary biomedical database for health care research; we recommend searching MEDLINE on the Ovid platform (enhanced options for searching) or via PubMed (free platform) | Journal articles, editorials | 1946 to present |
| CINAHL (EBSCOhost) | Extensive coverage of nursing and allied health, including nursing and rehabilitation journals not covered by MEDLINE | Journal articles, editorials, trade magazines | 1937 to present |
| CENTRAL (Cochrane Library) | CENTRAL is a sub-database (identified as Trials) in the Cochrane Library and contains records of randomized and quasi-randomized studies. The majority of the records come from MEDLINE and Embase but additional records from handsearching as well as those flagged in the Cochrane Review Groups' Specialized Registers are also included. | Journal articles | |
| EMBASE (Ovid) | European coverage in biomedicine, rehabilitation, pharmacology | Journal articles, editorials, conferences | 1947 to present |
| PsycINFO (Ovid) | Excellent resource for research on psychological, social, behavioural and mental health questions | Journal articles, books, book chapters, & dissertations | 1806 to present |
| Scopus | Multidisciplinary; "largest database" of peer-reviewed article records covering the arts, medicine, science, social sciences, and technology | Journal articles, books, conference proceedings | 1823 to present |
| Web of Science Core Collection | Multidisciplinary; McGill coverage includes the Science Citation Index Expanded 1900- (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index 1956- (SSCI), Arts & Humanities Citation Index 1975- (A&HCI), Conference Proceedings Citation Index-Science 1900-(CPCI-S), Conference Proceedings Citation Index-Social Science & Humanities 1900- (CPCI-SSH), and the Emerging Sources Citation Index 2015- (ESCI) | Journal articles, conference proceedings | 1900 to present |
If your question spans multiple disciplines and you would like more information on databases outside of this list, we suggest consulting the subject guides (also known as LibGuides) produced by McGill librarians.
Other high-quality knowledge syntheses published in the area of your research question can also be used for guidance. Cross-reference the methods sections of published syntheses performed in the field of your synthesis topic, and consider consulting topic experts for further guidance.
Preliminary/exploratory searches in databases you are considering including can also give you a sense of how useful the database will be.
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