Searching Subscription Databases

Many bibliographic databases are restricted to subscribers. Colleges, universities, companies and other organizations buy subscriptions to provide their users access to subscription databases. User authentication is used to verify that you are entitled to access the databases.

Finding Subscribed Databases

If you're connected to a corporate or university network, Citavi can automatically detect many subscription databases your organization has subscribed to. If you're away from the campus network, you can often connect to the network remotely using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Ask your network administrator if VPN access is available.

1. In the Reference Editor on the toolbar, click Online search.
2. Click Autodetect subscribed databases.
3. Citavi checks to see which of the databases from these major information providers are available in your network: Clarivate Analytics (previously Thomson Reuters), Ovid, OCLC, ProQuest.

Accessing databases at home

You can use subscription databases at home as long as you have a VPN connection (Virtual Private Network) to your university or organization's network. Check with your IT department to see if there is a VPN connection and how you can use it.

Searching a Subscription Database

1. In the Reference Editor on the toolbar, click Online search.
2. Add additional catalogs or databases (see Selecting Information Providers).
3. Select a subscription database (for example, PsycINFO) and enter your search query.
4. The first time you search a subscription database, you will be asked to authenticate yourself:

• IP address: If you are a member of an organization that has subscribed to the database you are accessing, and you are connected to the organization's network, first see if you can authenticate by IP address. Click Test to try.
• User name and password: In other cases, a database requires a user name and password (and sometimes organization) login to authenticate. Ask the appropriate person — typically a librarian — at your organization for the login information and enter it here.

5. You can save your entries by selecting the Remember checkbox.

Please note:

Web searches of research databases are generally limited to IP address authentication. Citavi uses an alternative method, the Z39.50 protocol. The Z39.50 protocol supports two authentication methods: IP address verification and username and password authentication. Some providers only use IP address verification, others use a password, and still others combine both IP address and username and password.
Which information providers use which authentication method?
Clarivate (formerly Thomson-Reuters): IP address verification, sometimes additionally username and password authentication.
EBSCO: IP address verification, sometimes additionally username and password authentication.
Elsevier (Sciencedirect, Scopus): IP address verification.
OCLC: IP address verification or username and password authentication.
OvidSP: IP address verification or username and password authentication.
ProQuest: IP address verification, sometimes additionally username and password authentication.
Silver Platter: IP address verification or username and password authentication.

Removing Saved Login Credentials

If you made a typo in a username or password, you can enter the credentials again or delete them:

1. In the Reference Editor on the Tools menu, click Options.
2. Switch to the Search tab, and then click Edit credentials for subscription databases.
3. Select the database credentials you want to remove.
4. Click Remove.