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Best Academic Search Engines – A Complete Guide To The Top 100!

Date published July 11 2020 by Barbara Neil

best-academic-search-engines

Internet is the place where you can find anything, right? That’s been told.
But what if you don’t; what if you googled your query and nothing related came up? What to do now? Moreover, when 94% of the students use google for their searches [ 1 ] and they can’t find anything related
to their academia, this is a real problem. They struggle to find adequate information related to their dissertations when they are

i. finalizing their topics

ii. conducting research for literature review

Just because they do not know what “Academic Search Engines” are.

Academic search engines can be stated as research websites or as search engines for research purposes specifically. Where you can find all types of authentic and peer reviewed academic publications e.g.

i. Research papers

ii. Research articles

iii. Academic journals

iv. Books

v. Reports

And all other types of publications.

To make sure that no one goes through the same problems ever again. We have compiled a list of 100 top academic search engines that will redirect you to the best research sites and resources out there.

How “Dissertation Proposal” Can Help You!

Our top dissertation writing experts are waiting 24/7 to assist you with your university project, from critical literature reviews to a complete masters dissertation.

Table of Contents

Web Of Knowledge Search Engines – The Best On The Internet

If you are looking for general or broader search engines, then these will be a great resource for you.

1. iSeek Education

It is one of the best targeted search engines, where all the resources are authentic and editor reviewed. This search engine is a one-stop-solution for all your problems, whether you are

  • students
  • teachers
  • administrators

https://searchengineland.com/teachers-say-students-equate-research-with-using-google-138542

2. RefSeek
This is one of the richest sites in terms of resources. With over 1 billion documents, you will find
every resource like

  • web pages
  • books
  • journals
  • newspapers

3. Virtual LRC

A search engine with custom google search, curated by teachers and professionals from all around the world. Their aim is to provide you with the best academic information websites.

4. Academic Index
An academic search engine specifically made for college students. You will find research guides for topics like

  • health
  • history
  • criminal justice

and many more.

5. BUBL Link

An internet research catalogue based on Dewey decimal system. You can use your own keywords to browse or use Dewey subject menus to find the perfect match.

6. DLC

Digital library of Commons repositories, giving you free access to

  • Full research articles
  • Dissertations
  • Papers

7. OAIster

This is one of the best sites for you to browse, with millions of open access resources.

8. Internet Public Library

A search engine where you will find all the resources sorted according to subjects.

academic search engines stats
You will have more than 238 million publications to choose from. With features like
  • maps
  • graphs
  • trends
  • paths
  • to show how the authors are connected

    11. Google Correlate

    A search tool that you can use to find researches that are correlated with real-world data.

    12. Wolfram Alpha

    This search engine does not only find useful links for you but also

    • answers questions
    • analyses data
    • generate reports

    Meta Search Engines For Results From Multiple Sites

    13. Dogpile

    An engine that return results from the best search engines. It also includes categories like

    • web
    • images
    • videos
    • even white pages

    15. Mamma

    The mother of all your searches. The results are so extensive that it includes search results even from twitter and job postings.

    Where To Find The Best Collection Of Archives And Documents?

    16. Library of Congress An engine where you will find
  • source documents
  • historical photos
  • digital collection
  • to name a few

    17. Archives Hub

    Britain’s best academic search engine. Which gives you access to archives from over 200 institutions like

    • England
    • Whales
    • Scotland

    18. National Archives

    This is the perfect search engine that will give you access to topics e.g.

    • historic documents
    • government information
    • research

    etc.

    19. arXiv Archive

    You get access to more than 750000 documents of Cornell University for subjects like

    • math
    • science
    • related subjects

    20. Archivenet

    A search engine with collaboration with ‘Historical Center Overjissel’, you will find Dutch archives here.

    21. NASA Archive

    A search engine for all of NASA’s space history and manned missions.

    22. National Agricultural Library

    An initiative of ‘US Department of Agriculture’. You will find all the information related to agriculture.

    Best Academic Search Engine Stats
    With more than 9.2 million records, this engine gives you access to Smithsonian’s vast resources related to
  • museums
  • archives
  • libraries
  • 24. British Library Catalogues and Collections

    A great way for you to explore the digitalized contents of British Library, that also includes

    • digital collections
    • printed materials
    • collection blogs

    25. CIA World Factbook

    Allegedly one of the top intelligence agencies, you will find detailed information about things like

    • history
    • people
    • government
    • economy

    and many more.

    26. State Legislative Website Directory

    A database where you can find information from legislatures of all of US. Providing information about things like

    • bills
    • statues
    • legislators

    etc.

    27. OpenDOAR

    Directory of Open Access Repositories gives you free access to scholarly research information.

    28. Catalog of US Government Publications

    An engine that provides you descriptive records of historical and current publications.

    List Of Journal Search Engine And Book Search Engine

    29. WorldCat

    An engine to help you find your nearest library. Along with resources from libraries around the world like

    • books
    • DVDs
    • articles

    30. Google Books

    A database with millions of free books, which you can

    • download
    • read
    • preview

    31. Elsevier

    A hub for scientific information. You will find more than 460 million scientific research e.g.

    • journals
    • patents
    • educational websites

    and many more.

    32. High Beam Research

    Although a paid search engine, but it comes with a lot of features. For example, it gives you the additional options of choosing from featured research topics and articles.

    33. Valdo

    A life science search engine offering resources for research like

    • protocols
    • tools
    • powerpoints

    etc

    34. Open Library

    An open source library, where you can find things e.g.

    • classic literature
    • e-books
    • open resources

    etc

    35. Online Journals Search Engine

    One of the most powerful scientific search engines, where you can discover

    • research publications
    • books
    • reports
    • journals

    to name a few.

    36. Google Scholar

    A very popular scholarly engine, which gives you access to different resources like

    • articles
    • research documents
    • and can even gather your citations

    to name a few.

    37. Bioline International

    A search engine to connect you to variety of scientific journals and is managed by renowned scientists and librarians.

    38. SpringerLinkGoogle Scholar

    It gives you the access to resources on almost any subject e.g.

    • e-journals
    • books
    • protocols

    and many more.

    39. Directory of Open Access Journals

    An engine with the highest quality of research and scientific journals. Here you can find scholarly journals that are

    • full text
    • quality controlled by professionals

    40. Jurn

    A search engine that is heaven for resources and digital journals for the subjects related to art and humanities.

    Check Out The Most Prominent Science Search Engines

    41. SciSeek

    In this directory you will find the best of what the internet has to offer. It gives you the advantage of browsing, using either category or keyword.

    42. Chem BioFinder

    Registered with PerkinElmer, a life science research corporation. You can find information about all the chemicals including their properties and reactions.

    43. Biology Browser

    If you are related to the field of biology, then this is the perfect research engine for you to find

    • research
    • resource
    • information

    related to the field.

    44. Athenus

    A database for research, related to fields of science and engineering, with fully featured web search.

    45. SciCentral

    A great directory for you to find resources in the field of science like

    • science literature
    • journals
    • databases

    etc.

    46. Strategian

    An engine for all the fields of science. You can explore free and full resources e.g.

    • journals
    • books
    • reports
    • vintage articles

    etc.

    Best Academic Search Engine Websites

    A database by US government, giving you access to millions of resources from 12 federal agencies of US.

    48. CERN Document Server A center of research excellence, you get access to the directory of
    • experiments
    • articles
    • books
    from the archives of CERN.

    49. Analytical Science Digital Library

    A user hosted search engine, you will find the best resources related to analytical science that are peer-reviewed.

    50. WorldWideScience

    A gateway to global resources on science. You can even find resources in your own language.

    Get Free Customize Topics Now

      The Pioneers Of Math And Technology

      51. MathGuide

      A database for the top resources related to the field of mathematics.

      52. ZMATH Online Database

      One of the biggest search engines, with millions of resources for you. Some even dating as far as 1826.

      53. Math WebSearch

      This versatile search engine allows you to search with formulas and numbers instead of texts.

      54. Current Index To Statistics

      A bibliographical engine, giving you the access to publications and journals for subjects like

      • statistics
      • probability
      • economics

      to name a few.

       

      55. Inspec

      A database for scientists and engineers by Institute of Engineering and Technology. You will find over 13 million abstracts and literature related to fields of physics and engineering.

      56. CiteSeerX

      Your pathway for ‘Scientific Research Digital Library’ and all its resources.

      57. Collection of Computer Science Bibliographies

      Search engine with more than 3 million bibliography and reference collection for

      • conference papers
      • journal articles
      • technical reports

      in the field of computer science.

      58. Citebase

      Although it is still in experimental phase, but it is still a great search engine for finding research
      abstracts in math and technology.

       

      Your Best Guide To Social Science Search Engines

      59. Behavioral Brain Science Archive

      A searchable archive for psychology and brain science articles and publications.

      60. Social Science Research Network

      This engine gives you the best results from specialized networks that include

      • cognitive science
      • leadership
      • management science

      etc

       

      61. Psycline

      Embedded with special journal and article locator. You can access more than 2000 psychology journals online.

      Best Academic Search Engine Sites

      Affiliated with Reuters, this search engine gives access to wealth of articles and thorough resources.

      63. Ethnologue

      An engine for linguistic studies. It provides you with encyclopedic references to all the known languages of the world.

      64. SocioSite

      Search engine of University of Amsterdam. You can easily browse information on subjects like

      • activism
      • culture
      • peace
      • racism

      65. The SocioWeb

      The best catalogue for sociological resources on the internet. It offers you link to range of materials e.g.

      • articles
      • essays
      • journals
      • blogs

      etc

      66. WikiArt

      A custom google search engine for you to access all the related information about archeology.

      67. Encyclopedia of Psychology

      This engine is known for providing translated resources from other languages. Giving you information about

      • psychology
      • publications
      • history

      etc

      68. Anthropology Review Database

      A database that gives you the access to

      • anthropology reviews
      • publishers
      • resources

      69. Anthropological Index Online

      An engine that has digitalized versions of all 4000 periodicals held at

      • British Museum of Anthropology Library
      • Royal Anthropological Institute

      70. Political Information

      A database comprising of top 5000 websites. So, you can browse for topics like

      • political news
      • policy
      • world politics

      to name a few.

      The Gateway To The Best Historical Resources

      71. David Rumsey Historical Map Collection

      A search engine devoted to historical images. You can find more than 30000 images using related keywords.

      72. Genesis

      The search engine dedicated solely to women’s history and related articles.

      73. Fold3

      An engine devoted to historical military records. Giving you access to original records and memorials.

      74. Internet Modern History Sourcebook

      The best source, providing thousands of resources on modern history. It gives you the access to

      • full text publications
      • multimedia
      • books

      and many more resources.

      75. Library of Anglo-American Culture and History

      A complete search engine that gives you a digitalized guide from ‘Library of Anglo-American Culture and History’. It gives you resources from almost 11000 websites that are recommended by historians.

      76. HistoryBuff

      A database comprising of free research material on

      • newspaper archives
      • reference library
      • historical panoramas

      etc

      77. Digital History

      A database of University of Houston. It holds wealth of knowledge for students and teachers alike. Providing you resources like

      • books
      • interactive timeline
      • active learning

      etc

      78. Internet Ancient History Sourcebook

      A search engine for finding everything about human origins. You get access to vast information ranging from

      • Mesopotamia
      • Rome
      • Late antiquity
      • Christen origins

      79. History and Politics Out Loud

      It is a catalogue where you can find all the important events in political history.

      80. History Engine

      An engine for US history, which is open for all. It is also a tool for collaborative education and research.

      81. American History Online

      A catalogue with digital collection of events throughout the history. You can find access to primary sources here.

      Search Engines To Aid You In Business And Economics Research

      82. BPubs

      A business publication search engine, with option of focused browsing for your convenience.

      83. Virtual Library Labor History

      A database of International Institute of Social History Amsterdam. It is known for providing historical events in business and economics.

      84. EconLit

      One of the biggest search engines of economics. Giving you access to almost 120 years of economics literature from around the world. In the form of

      • historical journals
      • working paper
      • dissertations
      • articles

      to name a few.

      85. National Bureau of Economic Research

      A gateway to best resources in economic research.

      86. Research Papers in Economics

      A volunteer-maintained bibliographical database in economic research. Over here you can find more than 1.2 million research pieces on

      • working paper
      • article
      • books

      87. Corporate Information\

      A database of all the major corporate companies of the world. You can easily get access to corporate financial records using this engine.

      88. Inmoics

      An all-under-one-roof engine, where you can find a variety of resources and even things like

      • online courses
      • jobs
      • economics conferences

      89. DailyStock

      A search engine dedicated to stock market. Where you can monitor stock market and even your portfolio.

      90. EDGAR Search

      A database for electronic investment documents. If you are an investor, then you can access SEC approved disclosures here.

      Miscellaneous Search Engines To Cater Your Niche

      91. PubMed

      Affiliated with US National Library of Medicine, it is a great search engine for you to find resources like

      • full text medical journals
      • articles
      • books
      • publications

      that sum up to more than 19 million.

      92. Lexis

      A search engine for legal purposes. You can easily find authoritative information on legal standings.

      93. Circumpolar Health Bibliographical Database

      A database that consists of more than 6300 medical records and citations related to human medical condition in circumpolar region of the world.

      94. Education Resources Information Center

      A search engine that provides you with educational literature. You can find

      • bibliographic records
      • full text journals
      • full text articles

      etc

      95. Medline Plus

      Affiliated with US National Library of Medicine. it is a powerful search tool for information and research related to medicine. Also, it comes with a dictionary for medical terms.

      96. Artcyclopedia

      One of the widest search engines in the field of art. You will find

      • more than 160000 links to research sites
      • 9000 famous artists
      • 2900 art sites

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      The Most Renowned Databases For Referencing

      97. Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus

      The most famous online search engine where you can find definition and synonyms of words.

      98. References.net

      A vast search engine to get you connected to every available reference tool. Ranging from patents to even almanacs.

      99. Quotes.net

      An extensive database, that helps you in referencing famous words from famous people.

      100. Literary Encyclopedia

      One of the largest referencing search engines on the internet. You can easily get access to reference material for culture

      • culture
      • literature
      • history

      Summing Up

      i. Science

      ii. Education

      iii. Archives and documents

      iv. Academic journals and books

      v. Mathematics and science

      vi. Social sciences

      vii. History

      viii. Business and economics

      ix. Medicine

      x. Referencing

      That you can use for gathering information related to your dissertations.

      You can find all the sources like

      i. Scientific papers

      ii. Dissertations

      iii. Research journals

      iv. Peer reviewed articles and papers

      v. Books

      And other types of academic publications.

      So, do share this blog with your friends, colleagues, peers in order to help them with their education. And for more informative and educational articles, do read other blogs on our website.