The databases you choose will depend on your research question and the disciplines in which relevant research may be conducted. Below is some guidance for choosing scholarly databases in a number of research areas. Every database works differently. See Devise and Translate Your Search Strategy for more guidance.
Note that these databases largely focus on the published, peer-reviewed literature. For guidance and resources for searching other types of information (i.e., grey literature), see Grey Literature.
This is not an exhaustive list, but attempts to capture the most prevalent databases used to search for evidence in the social sciences. See the full list of databases available to Rutgers affiliates.