Newspapers, magazines and other news sources
Current newspapers and news sources
The databases on this page will let you search for and access current newspaper and magazine content, that the Library has access to. However, many of these databases will also provide some archival content as well.
Note that current newspaper databases often do not retain formatting and layout from the original newspaper. And some content may not be available e.g. photographs, illustrations, freelance articles, advertisements, etc.
If you want to view an A-Z list of all newspaper and magazine databases you can: Newspapers & Magazines A-Z.
Key databases
These databases allow you to cross-search through a vast range of newspapers and news sources, both from the UK and globally. National and regional, broadsheet and tabloid papers are covered, as well as many news websites and news agencies. A number of titles included have full text available from the 1980s/90s onwards.
Primarily a business news and information service it contains more than 35,000 authoritative sources including a large range of UK and overseas newspapers, both broadsheet and tabloid, national and regional. As well as news websites and news agencies. Content by freelance writers, some features and supplements may not be available. Click on the info icon next to each publication for coverage information and update schedules.
Access to over 23,000 UK and international news and business sources, financial and market reports, biographical data and thousands of legal and regulatory services. Includes a large range of UK and overseas newspapers, both broadsheet and tabloid, national and regional. As well as some news websites and news agencies.
Once you've accessed Nexis, click on "News" to be able to search the newspapers. Alternatively, you can use the "Power Search" option.
If you're interested in just UK titles then you can access Lexis+ UK instead. From the same providers it focuses on UK newspapers. Once you access Lexis+ UK make sure you choose "Newspapers" under Content (if you choose "News" this will just search legal news sources).
- Lexis+ UKOnce you've accessed the database make sure you choose the option "Newspapers" under Content. If you choose "News" this will just search legal news sources.
Gale OneFile: News (formerly known as Infotrac Newsstand) provides full-text access to more than 2,300 world national and regional newspapers. Includes information about the contents of other titles. Also, sources of images, radio and TV broadcasts and transcripts are included.
Europresse provides access to over 61,000 sources including journals, newspapers, blogs, and magazines. Coverage is international with many of the publications included available in their original language and layout. The database includes numerous European national newspapers such as Le Monde, Libération and Le Figaro, along with regional newspapers. English language titles such as The Guardian and The New York Times are also available. Thematically, Europresse titles cover the Humanities and Social Sciences, Politics, Law, Economics, Finance, Science, Environment, IT, Transports, Industry, Energy, Agriculture, Arts and culture (Lire, Le Magazine littéraire, World Literature Today, Télérama, Rock and Folk…), Health, and event Sports (L’Équipe, France Football, Sport 24…). It also includes some TV and radio transcripts, biographies and reports, images, audio and video content.
Note that while vast amounts of content is available through these databases, some content is missing. Due to copyright reasons these databases usually don't include photographs, illustrations, etc, and some freelance material. Sections such as classifieds, obituaries, etc., are generally not included as well.
Some more useful databases for current news
- allAfrica This link opens in a new window allAfrica's news and information archive is a distinctive large and growing collection containing over 3.6 million articles and documents from 1996 onwards. AllAfrica collects and aggregates articles from African news organisations, as well as documents and releases from several hundred governmental, nongovernmental and international institutions.
- Asahi Shimbun Kikuzo This link opens in a new window Access to the current issues as well as the complete archive of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun. Also available are two weekly magazines, Aera and Shūkan Asahi, and an annual new-word dictionary Chiezō, Who’s Who Database, and Historical Photo Archive. For Asahi Shimbun, issues from 1985 to the present are available as full text; Pre-1985 issues back to 1879 when the newspaper was first published (as Osaka Asahi Shimbun) are available in facsimile format. The Historical Photo Archive contains more than 10,000 photographs, the majority ranging from before and after the Manchurian Incident to the period after the defeat in war.
- Current Digest of the Russian Press This link opens in a new window Founded in 1949, The Current Digest was first published as The Current Digest of the Soviet Press (1949-1991), followed by The Current Digest of the Post-Soviet Press (1992-2010), and now The Current Digest of the Russian Press since January 2011 (from issue No. 3, Vol. 63). Each week the Current Digest presents a selection of Russian-language press materials, translated into English. The translations are intended for use in teaching and research. They are therefore presented as documentary materials without elaboration or comment, and state the opinions and views of the original authors, not of the publisher of the journal.
- The Economist This link opens in a new window Full text of the weekly publication which covers international politics and business news and opinion. Covers 19th July 1997 onwards. The Library also has access to The Economist Historical Archive.
- Financial Times (FT.com) This link opens in a new window First time users will be asked to register for an individual account. Subscription also provides access to a range of additional tools and resources including: Exclusive FT News and Comment (including Lex) Industry-specific insight and analysis Surveys/in-depth reports Access is available online or via an app on your phone. Download the FT app and use the email address and password you created on first time login.
- The GQ Archive This link opens in a new window The Library's subscription to this resource expires 31 July 2024. The GQ Archive spans the full run of the US edition of GQ magazine, from the first issue in 1931 to the present (with new issues added on an ongoing basis). Launched as a men’s fashion trade title (Apparel Arts), GQ subsequently became a consumer magazine before expanding its coverage to encompass wider men’s-interest and popular culture content, including celebrity interviews, health, arts/entertainment, politics, and sports.
- The Harper's Bazaar Archive This link opens in a new window A comprehensive, searchable archive of every page, advertisement, and cover of every issue of Harper's Bazaar from its first appearance in 1867 to the current month (note last 12 months is not available). This resource provides access to a chronicle of 20th century American and international fashion, culture, and society, offering a cultural lens into the modern era. Click on link to "ProQuest Central" to access.
- Irish Newspaper Archive This link opens in a new window The largest online database of Irish newspapers in the world, Irish Newspaper Archive contains electronic versions of Irish newspapers from the 1700's to current day.
This link opens in a new window
- Japan Times Online This link opens in a new window Founded in 1897, The Japan Times is the oldest English-language newspaper in Japan. It has been published to promote mutual understandings between Japan and other countries. This newspaper Includes unique articles which cannot be read in Japanese-language newspapers. The Japan Times Online includes articles from 1999 to present. For access to archive content see Japan Times Archive.
- Mideastwire This link opens in a new window An online service of translated news briefs covering key political, cultural, economic, and opinion pieces appearing in the Arab media, covering 2005 onwards.
- The New Republic Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window The New Republic Magazine Archive is a digital collection of the prominent political and cultural opinion magazine, covering issues from 1914 to the present. Providing full-text, indexing and abstracting, the archive is an essential tool for researchers of American politics, foreign policy, culture and arts.
- New York Times (1980 onwards) This link opens in a new window The New York Times is considered the official U.S. newspaper because it publishes the complete text of important documents, speeches and presidential press conferences. The paper's reporters have won scores of Pulitzer Prizes throughout the publication's 150-year history. Access is via ProQuest and covers the period 1st June 1980 to date. Full text articles from New York Times can also be accessed via Factiva or Nexis UK from the 1980s onwards. See the entry for Historical New York Times for access to the archive pre-1980.
- El Pais This link opens in a new window Full text of El Pais newspaper from 17/09/2018 onwards. For pre-current digital content, scroll to bottom of the newspaper homepage and click “Comprar Ejemplar” in the newspaper cover image. The full-text archive between the first issue 04/05/1976 until 07/02/2012 is available at https://elpais.com/diario/
- Pravda (2010 onwards) This link opens in a new window This is the complete full-text and full-image archive of the most important newspaper of the Soviet era. Pravda (or "Truth") was the official voice of Soviet communism and the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1918 and 1991. The database is in Russian. For pre-2010 material click on link to 'East View Available from 1912-2009'.
- Rock's Backpages This link opens in a new window Rock's Backpages is the world’s most comprehensive online database of music writing and journalism, sourced from the pages of the music and mainstream press, it is a library of primary source, full-text articles (reviews, interviews, features and more) from the early 1950s to the present day. There are over 40,000 on the site as of July 2019, with over 60 new text articles and one new audio interview added weekly. These feature over six thousand artists and range from 500-word album (or concert) reviews to 10,000-word interviews and features. There are also over 650 (as of July 2019) exclusive, and previously unpublished, audio interviews with major music artists.
- Rolling Stone Archive This link opens in a new window The Library's subscription to this resource expires 31 July 2024. From the first issue in 1967 to the present, The Rolling Stone magazine has served as a critical source of news, entertainment and cultural information. For generations, students and young adults have turned to this iconic publication for fashion, society, music news, criticism and more. This digital archive will allow scholars to find articles, images and adverts that support their research. The collection provides coverage of cultural and countercultural movements from the 1960’s forward, highlighting key figures and events such as Woodstock, or the Iraq War. It allows for cross-disciplinary teaching and research in music, popular culture, arts, entertainment, politics, and 20th century history.
- Times Higher Education This link opens in a new window Available on and off-campus via registration for an individual account using your @ed.ac.uk address. Full text from 2013 onwards. Online articles and digital editions from the THE website, with the option of a weekly email alert when the new edition is available. THE app is available to download.
- UK Press Online This link opens in a new window Database includes 3 million pages of 19th to 21st century British popular newspapers, from 1835 to current (updated daily). Titles include: Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily Star, Church Times, The Watchman, Daily Worker, Morning Star and collections covering World Wars I & II by means of Fascist and Communist Political Press and a number of Regional Newspapers. *Please note as of summer 2023 The Daily Mirror is no longer included in UK Press Online. This can now be accessed via The Mirror Historical Archive.*
- The Vogue Archive This link opens in a new window A searchable archive of American Vogue, from the first issue in 1892 to the current month, reproduced in high-resolution color page images. Pages, advertisements, covers and fold-outs have been included, with rich indexing enabling researchers to find images by garment type, designer and brand names. The Vogue Archive preserves the work of the world's greatest fashion designers, stylists and photographers and is a unique record of American and international fashion, culture and society from the dawn of the modern era to the present day.
- Yomidas Rekishikan (1874 onwards) This link opens in a new window 5 concurrent users only, please logout when finished. Full text database of Yomiuri Shimbun, one of the most influential daily newspapers in Japan, from the first issue in 1874 to the present. The database also includes the English edition, The Daily Yomiuri, from 1989 to the present (by selecting ‘English’ on the upper right side of the homepage), as well as biographical information on some 26,000 people.
- Youth and Popular Culture Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window The Library's subscription to this resource expires 31 July 2024. Full-text periodicals from 1940-present, highlighting topics and trends of youth culture such as fashion, rock and roll, sports, sexuality, dating, as well as youth portrayal in the media. At completion, this collection will have 200,000 pages from periodicals published in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Content includes Fabulous 208, Clarity Magazine, Flip Magazine and Petticoat.
Print and microfilm newspapers
Recent editions of some daily UK and overseas newspapers are kept on the 4th floor, Main Library. You can read these in the Library.
| UK titles | The Guardian, The Herald, The Scotsman, The Times |
|---|---|
| Overseas titles | Frankfurter Allegemeine, International New York Times, Le Monde, Die Zeit |
| Also available |
Times Education Supplement, Times Higher Education Supplement, Times Literary Supplement |
The Library also holds The Scotsman on microfilm from 1962-present (some older editions are also available on microfilm).
The Scotsman on microfilm is held at the University Collections Facility (UCF). You can request the microfilm from the UCF via DiscoverEd and there are microfilm readers you can use in the Centre for Research Collections (CRC) on 6th floor, Main Library.