Guides: Communication sciences and disorders: Finding articles

Core databases

Need help choosing which database to search? This table shows you the differences between the four core databases in communication sciences. The most useful database will depend greatly on your question.

Database	Subject coverage	Publication types included	Dates covered
PubMed	Largest biomedical database essential for health care research	Journal articles, editorials	1946 to present
CINAHL	Extensive coverage of nursing and allied health, including communication sciences journals not covered by MEDLINE	Journal articles, editorials, trade magazines	1937 to present
ERIC	Major education database based in the US	Journal articles, theses conferences, books	1966 to present
PsycInfo	Excellent resource for research on psychological, social, behavioural and mental health questions	Journal articles, books, book chapters	1806 to present

PubMed (McGill)
Contains 37 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full text content from PubMed Central, publisher web sites and to the McGill Find Full Text linkresolver.
CINAHL Plus with Full Text (EBSCO)
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Full text database in the areas of nursing and allied health journals. Contains approximately 770 journals from the CINAHL index with coverage back to 1937.
ERIC (EBSCO)
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ERIC - Education Resources Information Center (USDE)
PsycINFO 1987-present (Ovid)
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Index database for psychology. Covers the professional and academic literature in psychology and related disciplines, including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, pharmacology, physiology and linguistics.
* Quick reference guide - How to search PsycINFO

Using PubMed effectively

Sometimes when you search PubMed, you find far more articles than you need or expected, or the search results are not as relevant as you'd like. There are a few tips and tricks that can help you harness the power of PubMed and search more effectively.

To create more effective keyword searches, try these 2 minute tutorials:

More information about subject headings and keywords can be found on this page of the guide.

Other online resources (freely accessed)

Below are specialized resources that you may find useful. They are all freely accessible, so you will have access to them after you graduate. They will only provide abstract information; in order to find the full text of an article, you will have to use the library catalogue.

There is also free access to Medline through PubMed and ERIC through the US Department of Education (see links above).

PubMed Clinical Queries
REHABDATA
Covers over 80,000 documents covering physical, mental, and psychiatric disabilities, independent living, vocational rehabilitation, special education, assistive technology, law, employment, and other issues as they relate to people with disabilities. The collection spans 1956 to the present. CIRRIE is now included in this collection.
Speechbite
Speech pathology treatment evidence
PsycBITE
Covers studies of cognitive, behavioural and other treatments for psychological issues occurring as a consequence of acquired brain impairment.
Evidence Maps (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)
Evidence-based practice resources for SLPs and audiologists
AbleData (discontinued)
Objective information on assistive technology products; see link for information about it being discontinued in September 2020.
Health Technology Assessment Database
Covers Canadian and International Health Technology Assessments