Academic Research
Free research databases.
Google Scholar
- Free Google search for academic papers.
- scholar.google.com.
- Many papers free PDF.
- Search any topic.
- Citation tracking.
- Best free academic tool.
JSTOR
- Free 100 articles/month.
- Sign up at JSTOR.org.
- Humanities + social sciences focus.
- Decades of journals.
- Often through library card.
- Quality scholarly content.
Library access
- Public library cards = free database access.
- Often EBSCO, ProQuest.
- Worth $hundreds in subscriptions.
- Ask reference librarian.
- Online access from home.
- Best library benefit unknown to most.
PubMed
- Free medical research database.
- Search any health topic.
- Clinical trials + meta-analyses.
- Helpful before doctor visits.
- NIH-maintained.
- Senior health-research go-to.
Wikipedia caveats
- Free + comprehensive.
- Quality varies.
- Check footnotes for sources.
- Peer-reviewed cited articles best.
- Starting point not endpoint.
- Verify across multiple sources.
Newspapers archives
- Newspapers.com — historical newspapers.
- Often via library subscription.
- Genealogy research.
- Historical events research.
- Read what people read 50+ years ago.
- Time machine experience.
Library card unlocks scholarship
If you have intellectual curiosity, your library card is gold. Free access to academic databases worth $hundreds. JSTOR, EBSCO, ProQuest, often Newspapers.com. Ask reference librarian for tour. Many seniors discover lifelong learning via these databases. Free, plentiful, accurate.