There is a difference between using a search engine like Google and using electronic databases.

While a search engine browses the web for any pages related to your search terms, databases search through organized collections of information and data. This can be far more useful for research projects as search results tend to be a little more reliable and easy to sort through. Check out this handout from the Hennepin County Library. Here is a ProQuest Reference Guide from them as well.

Try out some of the resources below to find information on your topic. If you use the information you find in any of the following resources, do not forget to cite your work! Click for more help on research writing.

The Electronic Library of MN. You can search databases by subject area or by sorting them alphabetically. Options include Encyclopedia Britannica, ERIC, InfoTrac, ProQuest and many others. To access the databases on this site you may need a MN Library Card Barcode Number. There are many more support resources and games relating to finding information.



U.S. Census Bureau - If you require information on demographics in the United States, this would be a great place to start.


U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics - This is the fact finding agency for the federal government in the field of the economy and labor. Comprehensive listing of government statistical data.

National Center for Education Statistics (Federal Statistics) - Do not let the plain layout of the site fool you, this page has all kinds of statistical information you might find useful.


The CIA World Factbook - "Provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 266 world entities. Reference tab includes: maps of the major world regions, as well as Flags of the World, a Physical Map of the World, a Political Map of the World, and a Standard Time Zones of the World map."


Hennepin Co. Library - List of databases for those of you with a Hennepin Co. Library card. Many county libraries in MN provide the same services if you are unable to access these. Visit this site for a list of and links to other libraries in MN. HCLIB Online Resources.


Google Scholar-From the Google Scholar site:

What is Google Scholar? Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites. Google Scholar helps you find relevant work across the world of scholarly research. If the Electronic Library of MN is not working for you, then this is a good alternative.


Wolfram Alpha - A computational knowledge engine. This site can be navigated by subject area, or just by entering a query. This is not a search engine; this site takes data related to your key terms and gives you available data on that subject. You can view some examples by topic here or see a tour of it. There is more information on WolframAlpha in the Math section of the Virtual Media Center.

Last modified: Monday, April 6, 2020, 10:40 AM