If you’ve visited the IU East Campus Library or searched for online library resources, you have probably seen or heard the word “ProQuest.”  If you have searched for peer-reviewed articles for a research paper, you have likely used a ProQuest database. Have you ever wondered what ProQuest is and what it does?

ProQuest is one of a few large vendors that compile academic material for libraries to purchase as database subscriptions. ProQuest offers general and specialized databases. To begin a search of one of the ProQuest databases, you click on the Research tab on the library webpage: http://iue.edu/library/research  Click on “Find Articles and Journals” A list of available databases will appear, and you can specify search terms, or browse the list for a database that looks useful or interesting.  You can search local newspapers, including the Richmond Palladium-Item and the Indianapolis Star, or national newspapers, such as the New York Times. You can click on “Film Index International” to learn more about movies and those who make them, or you can learn about “African American Poetry” by browsing full-text works from a variety of poets.  There are also databases with journals on topics that include criminal justice, early American fiction, gender issues, and more!

A guide to searching ProQuest, using screenshots with Education examples, is in this libguide: http://iue.libguides.com/content.php?pid=185634&sid=1559049   

The link to a list of the ProQuest databases you can access with an IU East user id:  http://proxy.library.iue.edu:2114/pqdweb?RQT=573&LASTSRCHMODE=1

If you have any questions about databases or library research, stop by the library or email your reference question to iueref@iue.edu