Libraries: Criminal Justice: Relevant Databases

Eagle Library Search (ELS)

Eagle Library Search, or ELS, is a discovery tool used to comb through many of our databases simultaneously rather than individually. It does a good job of casting a wide net, but cannot capture every item we own or may access. It's a great starting point, but we recommend that students also explore individual databases in their research journey. Students can always find the ELS box on the library's homepage.

Relevant HCC Library Databases for Criminal Justice Research

This database list is not exhaustive, but it is relevant and reliable.

American National Biography Online
Reference biographies of men and women from all eras and walks of life whose lives have shaped the United States, with illustrations, hyperlinked cross-references, links to select web sites, and search and browse capabilities. (Full text)
Federal Bureau of Investigation-Uniform Crime Reports
The basic source for United States crime statistics
Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints
Find overviews, news, and opinions on hundreds of today's important social issues. Viewpoint articles cover issues from many perspectives, beyond pro and con. Users can dive deeper with periodical content that covers current events, news and commentary, economics, environmental issues, political science, and more. Viewpoints are collected from the opinion sections of a variety of published sources, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The American Conservative, and National Review.

Want to learn more about Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints? The video below covers the basics -

And this video introduces you to the database's topic pages, where resources on specific subjects are collected together, making searching easier -
Gale LegalForms
Access a wide selection of state-specific (and multi-state) legal forms and resources across the most popular legal areas.
Gale OneFile: Criminal Justice
Comprehensive periodical content for researchers studying law, law enforcement, forensic science, terrorism, and more.
Gale OneFile: Vocations and Careers
Research a vocation, find an appropriate institution of learning, and get assistance on job searches and maintaining a career.

Legal Collection
Provides full text for nearly 250 scholarly law journals. (Full-text)
Mometrix eLibrary
If you see a Bad Gateway error from on-campus, try this alternative link to Mometrix:

* Access study materials and practice tests for over 1800 different standardized exams.
* Prepare for aptitude tests, licensing, and professional certification in a variety of fields such as military, healthcare, insurance, and more
* Improve workplace skills such as business, finance, and computer skills.
* Prepare for college and graduate school admission tests including the GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, MAT, CLEP, and SAT, as well as Advanced Placement testing.
* Improve or refresh basic skills in English, Language Arts, and Math.

Learn to Use Mometrix eLibrary with this helpful video.
NewsBank
NewsBank consolidates current and archived information from thousands of national, Texas, and Houston-area newspaper titles, blogs, television broadcast transcripts and more. The digital edition of the Houston Chronicle is available from 10/24/2017-present and the text format is available for issues as far back as 1985. Local weekly publications in digital format from around the Houston area that are usually folded into the Houston Chronicle are included with available dates ranging from 10/31/2018-present.
ProQuest Ebook Central
Find credible content from authoritative, scholarly sources, to support every program at HCC. Be sure to click the facet for HCC-owned and subscribed items. Many chapters can be downloaded DRM-free. (Full-text)
Note - if the above link does not work for you, try this link.
On Wednesday, 10/15/2025, when the library switched to a new authentication method, your personal eBook Central account login changed and the contents (information about checked-out ebooks, notes, etc.) did NOT automatically transfer. You can merge your old account with your new one in order to preserve saved items by following the instructions in this ProQuest FAQ on merging bookshelf accounts. Please email jennifer.stidham@hccs.edu and provide your previous and current Ebook Central usernames as noted in the FAQ and we can submit a case on your behalf.

Learn more about searching for ebooks in the video below -
ProQuest Research Library
A general purpose database that includes the full text of many magazines and journals from a number of fields and disciplines. Good for popular, current event, opinion-oriented, practical, and how-to topics. (Some full-text). Learn to Use ProQuest Research Library

Learn the basics of searching in ProQuest databases with the video below. You can also follow along with HCC Librarian Sandy Farmer with this helpful video.

Need to learn more about ProQuest's advanced features? Try the video below -
Vocational and Career Collection
Provides the contents of more than 350 trade and industry-related periodicals. (Some full-text)

Academic OneFile
Quickly access articles from a database of scholarly journals and other trusted periodicals. Best for academic research.

Gale Academic OneFile provides millions of articles from over 17,000 scholarly journals and other authoritative sources—including thousands of podcasts, news source transcripts and videos. Key subject areas include biology, chemistry, criminal justice, economics, environmental science, history, marketing, political science, and psychology. Articles are presented in both PDF and HTML formats. There are more than 11,000 peer-reviewed journals and 8,000 in full text included.

Learn more about effective searching techniques in the short video below -
Academic Search Complete
This scholarly collection offers full text coverage of information in many areas of academic study including: animal science, anthropology, astronomy, chemistry, engineering, ethnic & multicultural studies, food science & technology, science, geography, law, mathematics, music, health sciences, physics, psychology, religion & theology, women's studies, and many other fields.
EBSCO eBook Collection
This multidisciplinary collection includes thousands of e-books covering a large selection of academic subjects and features e-books from leading publishers and university presses. Removes access barriers with hundreds of thousands of DRM-free options that can easily be read on any device.

Watch a Video Tutorial or view the EBSCO eBook Guide.
JSTOR
Includes articles from hundreds of scholarly research journals covering a wide range of academic fields. Coverage is always from volume 1, issue 1, but usually does not include the most recent three years. (Full-text)

Learn more about searching in JSTOR with the video playlist below or check out these JSTOR tutorials -
Project Muse
This multi-purpose database offers the full text of thousands of scholarly journals and ebooks covering the humanities, arts, and social sciences. (Full-text)

Basic Library Searching
This is a pre-recorded video on how to perform Boolean searches in Eagle Library Search and navigate topical databases like Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints to find popular, scholarly, and multimedia sources for research. The interfaces are explained with common filters and helpful tools for downloading, sharing, linking, and citing.

HCC Library Database Searching Quick Guide
This document helps students understand the basics of building simple or intermediate search strings to perform research in the library's databases.

Featured Website

Crime Gun Intelligence Centers
The National Crime Gun Intelligence Center Initiative supports local multidisciplinary teams in their efforts to prevent violent crime by identifying perpetrators, linking criminal activities, and identifying sources of crime guns for immediate disruption, investigation, and prosecution.

These efforts and others are all components of Crime Gun Intelligence Centers (CGICs), an innovative and collaborative concept developed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).