Guides and databases: Pharmacy : Databases

What are databases? And why use them?

Databases are subject-focussed collections of searchable references. They bring together the entries of carefully selected academic journals and provide a platform that allows you to search all of those entries simultaneously. Databases themselves rarely contain the full-text of an item, but UCL's comprehensive journal subscriptions mean you will often have the option to read the full text anyway.

Databases are important tools for ensuring you can systematically and comprehensively survey the literature on a topic area.
Find a database by title or subject matter.

Key databases for Pharmacy

CINAHL
Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature
6 million records from 5492 journals, 78 with full-text access. Covering topics on nursing; biomedicine; health sciences librarianship; alternative/complementary medicine; consumer health and 17 allied health disciplines
Content from 1937 to present, updated weekly.
EMBASE
More than 30 million records from over 8,500 journals, covering topics on pharmacology, toxicology, clinical medicine, microbiology, biochemistry and health.
Content coverage from 1947 to present, updated daily.
IPA
International Pharmaceutical Abstracts
682,900 records from over 800 journals, including all US state pharmacy journals, covering topics on biopharmaceuticals and pharmacokinetics; legal, political and ethical issues; new drug delivery systems; pharmacist liability.
Content coverage from 1970 to present, updated monthly.
MEDLINE
Tens of millions of records from 5200 worldwide journals, covering topics in life sciences with a concentration biomedicine: behavioural sciences; chemical sciences and bioengineering.
Content coverage mostly from 1966 to present, but selectively back to 1800s, updated daily.
Web of Science
Tens of millions of items from more than 20,000 journals covering over 250 scientific and scholarly disciplines, covering topics in life sciences, biomedical sciences, engineering, social sciences, arts & humanities.
Content coverage from 1900 to present, updated daily.

What is a database?

Did you know about... the BNF app?

Did you know you can download the British National Formulary (BNF) as an app on your phone within the UK? Doing so allows you to access and use this key resource wherever you go.

Simply go to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store (Android users) and search BNF.