LibGuides: Human Geography: Megacities: Databases

Keyword Searching

As you brainstorm about your topic, make a short list of nouns that relate to your subject. These are the keywords you will use to search for information from the databases. Use the following terms in combination with your keywords to improve your research results:

Use quotation marks around keywords that are phrases
- "buenos aires"
Use truncation (*) to expand a keyword search to anything with the word stem
- scien* --> science, scientific, scientists
AND combines two keywords to narrow search results
- beijing AND "air pollution"

Suggested Keywords

When searching for specific aspects of your megacity, combine your city's name with the following keywords:

geography
history
maps
demographics
migration
government
transportation
culture
environment
economics

Sample keyword search:

Beijing and environment

All Databases at Bullis Library

ALL BULLIS LIBRARY DATABASES
Access the full list of databases to which Bullis Library subscribes.

World Book Student

World Book Student This link opens in a new window
A general encyclopedia that contains numerous tools to engage users. Topics are supported by images, audio, and websites to expand comprehension.

Britannica Academic

Britannica Academic This link opens in a new window
In most cases, this REFERENCE SOURCE has an encyclopedia article about your megacity.

Articles include history, major statistics, images and maps.

Also locate vetted websites that are recommended by Britannica editors. Although found in a database, cite these as WEBSITE > WEBPAGE.

Scholastic GO!

Scholastic GO! This link opens in a new window
This REFERENCE SOURCE, in most cases, has an article about your megacity.

Although you may find a few details about your city in an article about your city or country, look for the WEBSITES tab to find recommended sites about your city. If you use a website that the database suggests, cite the source as a WEBSITE.

Global Issues in Context

Global Issues in Context This link opens in a new window
This database offers international viewpoints on a broad spectrum of global events. Find a variety of articles about your megacity from REFERENCE SOURCES, NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES and multimedia from both American and non-American sources.

Search tip: Do a search for your CITY NAME, then click on the results on the right under EVERYTHING. Once you see a full list of results by type, find articles on related subjects by clicking on any of the links under LIMIT SEARCH BY SUBJECT.

Do a search for your MEGACITY to find articles that explore aspects that make your city a megacity.

Gale World History in Context

World History in Context This link opens in a new window
This database focuses on global history. Look up the non-American megacities and find articles about their history.

There are many different kinds of articles in this database, so when citing, make sure you note the SOURCE TYPE you select (REFERENCE, MAGAZINE, NEWS, ACADEMIC JOURNAL).

Gale U.S. History in Context

U.S. History in Context This link opens in a new window
This database focuses on American history. Look up American megacities and find articles about their history.

There are many different kinds of articles in this database, so when citing, make sure you note the SOURCE TYPE you select (REFERENCE, MAGAZINE, NEWS, ACADEMIC JOURNAL).

Academic Search Elite

Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
This is the largest database in Bullis Library and covers all topics from a variety of sources.

Find out what topics are associated with your city by doing a search for its name. On the left, click on FULL TEXT and MAGAZINES to get popular articles on subjects.

Human Geography: Megacities: Databases

Using Databases for this Project