Product Overview of ProQuest
ProQuest is a comprehensive and multidisciplinary research platform designed to support a wide range of users, including students, researchers, and librarians, by providing access to a vast array of scholarly content and advanced search tools.
Content and Databases
ProQuest hosts an extensive collection of content, including scholarly journals, books, video and audio materials, dissertations and theses, newspapers, and more. This content is aggregated from thousands of publishers and is accessible through various databases such as:
- ProQuest Central: A multiformat, multidisciplinary collection of journals, news sources, dissertations, magazines, grey literature, and books.
- ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global: The largest editorially curated collection of graduate works, with over 5 million dissertations and theses, including more than 3.6 million full-text documents.
- ProQuest One Academic: A unified experience offering journals, ebooks, videos, and dissertations across multiple disciplines.
- Academic Video Online: A comprehensive streaming video subscription with 85,000 titles curated for educational use.
Key Features and Functionality
Advanced Search and Discovery Tools
- Thesaurus: ProQuest databases utilize a thesaurus to classify and organize information, allowing users to broaden or narrow their searches using synonyms, related terms, and hierarchical arrangements.
- Look Ups and Browsable Indexes: Users can easily find spelling or format variations of authors, journal titles, subjects, companies, and locations through browsable indexes available in the advanced search page.
- Citation Connections: This feature combines dissertation citation databases with knowledge graph technology to deliver highly relevant sources, including newspapers, journal articles, and dissertations. It also provides tools like “Foundational Research” and “Similar Dissertations” to help build a credible source list and identify related research.
Information Management and Workflow Tools
- Citation Management: Users can cite results in numerous citation styles, save documents as PDFs or other formats, save searches, and export documents to reference management tools like RefWorks.
- Advanced Search Options: The platform offers advanced search capabilities, including the use of Boolean operators, manuscript types, and language features to refine searches.
User-Friendly Interface
- Single Point of Access: ProQuest provides a user-friendly interface that allows users to access content from multiple publishers through a single platform, simplifying the search and discovery process.
Additional Resources
- Dissertations Bootcamp eLearning Modules: Free resources available to support graduate students in planning, writing, and researching their dissertations.
- Administrative Capabilities: The platform offers tools and resources for librarians to manage and administer the databases effectively, including predictable and affordable annual subscriptions.
Benefits
ProQuest enhances research, teaching, and learning outcomes by providing:
- Comprehensive Content: Access to a wide range of multidisciplinary content from renowned publishers.
- Efficient Search Tools: Advanced search features and discovery tools to streamline the research process.
- User-Friendly Interface: A single, easy-to-use platform that simplifies access to diverse content.
- Budget-Friendly Solutions: Predictable and affordable annual subscriptions to help libraries meet their budget goals.
Overall, ProQuest is a powerful research platform that supports diverse user needs by offering a rich array of content, advanced search tools, and efficient information management capabilities.