Full Text Articles in Gale’s OneFile and Ebsco’s MasterFile
I am a fan of databases that provide full text coverage of journal articles. When helping patrons locate articles on a given topic, it is always a relief to access a full text article rather than an abstract citation.
Two good databases that offer access to full text journal articles are, Gale’s General OneFile and Ebsco’s MasterFile Premier. The state provides funding for Allegheny County’s access to General OneFile. Access to MasterFile Premier expired on December 31, 2018. Both databases provide access to full text articles from general interest periodicals. Although, a few minor differences exist between them. In some cases, MasterFile offers more comprehensive full text coverage than OneFile- if only by a few years.
Full Text Coverage Gale’s OneFile Ebsco’s MasterFile Premier
American History 1998 to present 1994 to present
Autoweek 2002 to present 1996 to present
Wilson Quarterly 1993 to present 1990 to present
And in other cases, MasterFile offers full text coverage of titles that OneFile does not.
Gale’s OneFile Ebsco’s MasterFile Premier
Rolling Stone no full text coverage 1990 to present
Sports Illustrated no full text coverage 1992 to present
Time no full text coverage 1990 to present
Conversely, OneFile provides access to information in different formats that MasterFile does not. These formats include transcripts and video of news programs from the BBC, NPR, and CNN.
Over time, it will be interesting to watch these databases and see how their holdings evolve, and the types of options each database offers.