The top list of computer science research databases

The best research databases for computer science

Besides the interdisciplinary research databases Web of Science and Scopus there are also academic databases specifically dedicated to computer science. We have compiled a list of the top 4 research databases with a special focus on computer science to help you find research papers, scholarly articles, and conference papers fast.

1. ACM Digital Library

ACM Digital Library is the clear number one when it comes to academic databases for computer science. The ACM Full-Text Collection currently has 540,000+ articles, while the ACM Guide to Computing Literature holds more than 2.8+ million bibliographic entries.

  • Coverage: 2.8+ million articles
  • Abstracts: ✔
  • Related articles: ✘
  • References: ✔
  • Cited by: ✔
  • Full text: ✔ (requires institutional subscription)
  • Export formats: BibTeX, EndNote
Search interface of the ACM Digital Library
ACM Digital Library: more than 2.8 million articles covering computing and information technology

Pro tip: Use a reference manager like Paperpile to keep track of all your sources. Paperpile integrates with ACM Digital Library and many popular databases, so you can save references and PDFs directly to your library using the Paperpile buttons and later cite them in thousands of citation styles:

2. IEEE Xplore Digital Library

IEEE Xplore holds more than 4.7 million research articles from the fields of electrical engineering, computer science, and electronics. It not only covers articles published in scholarly journals, but also conference papers, technical standards, as well as some books.

  • Coverage: 4.7+ million articles
  • Abstracts: ✔
  • Related articles: ✘
  • References: ✔
  • Cited by: ✔
  • Full text: ✔ (requires institutional subscription)
  • Export formats: BibTeX, RIS
Search interface of IEEE Xplore
IEEE Xplore: more than 4.7 million articles in computer science and related fields

3. dblp computer science bibliography

Hosted at the University of Trier, Germany, dbpl has become an indispensable resource in the field of computer science. Its index covers journal articles, conference and workshop proceedings, as well as monographs.

  • Coverage: 4.3 million articles
  • Abstracts: ✘
  • Related articles: ✘
  • References: ✘
  • Cited by: ✘
  • Full text: ✘ (Links to publisher websites available)
  • Export formats: RIS, BibTeX
Search interface of dbpl
dbpl: bibliographic information for more than 4.3 million entries in the field of computer science

4. Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS)

Springer's Lecture Notes in Computer Science is the number one publishing source for conference proceedings covering all areas of computer science.

  • Coverage: 415,000+ articles
  • Abstracts: ✔
  • Related articles: ✘
  • References: ✔
  • Cited by: ✘
  • Full text: ✔ (requires institutional subscription)
  • Export formats: RIS, EndNote, BibTeX
Search interface of Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science
Springer LNCS: access to more than 500,000 conference papers

Frequently Asked Questions about computer science research databases

❤️ What is ACM Digital Library?

ACM Digital Library is the clear number one when it comes to academic databases for computer science. The ACM Full-Text Collection currently has 540,000+ articles, while the ACM Guide to Computing Literature holds more than 2.8+ million bibliographic entries.

🧡 What is dblp computer science bibliography?

Hosted at the University of Trier, Germany, dbpl has become an indispensable resource in the field of computer science. It's index covers journal articles, conference and workshop proceedings, as well as monographs.

💛 What is Microsoft Academic?

Microsoft Academic was a free academic search engine developed by Microsoft Research. It had more than 13.9 million articles indexed. It was shut down in 2022.

💚 What is Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LCNCS)?

Springer's Lecture Notes in Computer Science is the number one publishing source for conference proceedings covering all areas of computer science.

💙 What is IEEE Xplore Digital Library?

EEE Xplore holds more than 4.7 million research articles from the fields of electrical engineering, computer science, and electronics. It not only covers articles published in scholarly journals, but also conference papers, technical standards, as well as some books.