There are two types of periodical databases: multidisciplinary databases and subject-specific databases.

Multidisciplinary databases cover many subjects (disciplines), and often contain popular and scholarly periodicals, along with trade publications and newspapers.

Often, multidisciplinary databases are used at the beginning of the research process because they help you narrow a topic. They are also used when your topic doesn't fit into a specific subject, or if you want information that isn't too technical.

Examples of general, multidisciplinary periodical databases are:

Academic Search Premier (EBSCO)	is a good general database that includes not only academic journals, but magazines and newspapers
NewsBank	indexes newspapers from around the world, including The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News
ProQuest Research Library (ProQuest)	indexes articles from magazines and journals on a wide range of topics