Open-source Databases & Search Engines
A list of open-source and free-to-use databases as well as search engines for scholars.
In here, you can find various search engines for (click on the subjects to jump to their page):
General Purpose; Maths & Technology; Business & Economics
Books & Journals; Social Science; Reference
General Purpose
iSeek is an excellent targeted search engine, designed especially for students, teachers, administrators, and caregivers. Find authoritative, intelligent, and time-saving resources in a safe, editor-reviewed environment with iSEEK.
With more than 1 billion documents, web pages, books, journals, newspapers, and more, RefSeek offers authoritative resources in just about any subject, without all of the mess of sponsored links and commercial results.
The Virtual Learning Resources Center has created a custom Google search, featuring only the best of academic information websites. This search is curated by teachers and library professionals around the world to share great resources for academic projects.
Microsoft’s academic search engine offers access to more than 38 million different publications, with features including maps, graphing, trends, and paths that show how authors are connected.
Google’s very reliable search tool will allow you to find searches that correlate with real-world data.
Using expert-level knowledge, this search engine doesn’t just find links; it answers questions, does analysis, and generates reports.
Databases & Archives
In this incredible library, you’ll get access to searchable source documents, historical photos, and amazing digital collections.
Find the best of what Britain has to offer in the Archives Hub. You’ll be able to search archives from almost 200 institutions from England, Scotland, and Wales.
Smithsonian Institution Research Information System
Get access to the considerable resources of the Smithsonian Institution through the Research Information System, a great way to search more than 7.4 million records from the Smithsonian’s museums, archives, and libraries.
The British Library Catalogues & Collections
Explore the British Library catalogues, printed materials, digital collections, and even collection blogs for a wealth of resources.
As the centre of intelligence, the CIA has certainly done its job with The World Factbook, offering information on major reference information around the world. History, people, government, economy, and more are all covered in this online publication.
Books & Journals
Find the world’s classic literature, open e-books, and other excellent open and free resources in the Open Library. You can even contribute to the library with information, corrections to the catalog, and curated lists.
In this curated academic search engine, you’ll get results from over 4,000 free scholarly e-journals in the arts and humanities.
Directory of Open Access Journals
When you need top-quality journal writings for free, the Directory of Open Access Journals is a great place to check out. You’ll get access to a searchable journal of full-text quality controlled scientific and scholarly journals.
