EconLit
EconLit: A focused economics index with broad source coverage and library-dependent full text. Ranked #19 of 35 in Academic Research Databases by our editors (7.6/10); pricing: Pricing on request; best for economics literature research.
At a glance
- Editor score7.6 / 10
- PricingPricing on request
- Best forEconomics literature research
- Free planNo
- Full-text accessYes
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Indexes journals, books, dissertations, working papers, and proceedings
- Weekly updates with professionally classified records
- Detailed searching across fields, types, keywords, and classifications
Where it doesn't
- Full-text access depends on library holdings or optional subscriptions
- Pricing is handled through providers rather than a public plan
- Available through the web only
Our verdict on EconLit
EconLit is the American Economic Association’s bibliographic database for economics literature. It is designed for scholars, academic libraries, and research institutions that need structured discovery across peer-reviewed journal articles, books, book reviews, PhD dissertations, working papers, collective-volume articles, and conference proceedings. Coverage spans more than 140 years, while records are updated weekly and linked to full text through library holdings or optional subscriptions.
Its strongest fit is detailed economics literature searching. Users can search by bibliographic fields, document type, keywords, classifications, and geographic descriptors, making it suitable for literature reviews, subject research, and institutionally supported academic workflows. The breadth of indexed content also helps researchers look beyond journal articles to dissertations, working papers, books, reviews, and proceedings. EconLit is delivered through EBSCO, ProQuest, and Ovid, so its practical fit depends on which provider and access package a library or research institution uses.
The main trade-off is the separation between discovery and full-text access. EconLit records can link to full text through library holdings or optional full-text subscriptions, but access depends on the participating provider and subscription arrangement. Pricing is supplied through EBSCO, ProQuest, and Ovid, with a contact-sales model rather than a public self-serve plan. Choose EconLit for focused, fielded research across economics literature; consider another database when freely available access or direct full-text coverage is the primary requirement.
Your product? Our editors can test EconLit in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
EconLit pricing
EconLit fact sheet
| Free plan | No |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Not verified |
| Full-text access | Yes |
| Advanced search | Yes |
| Subject coverage | Social_sciences |
| Content types | journal articles, books, collective volume articles, dissertations, working papers, book reviews |
| Theses and dissertations | Yes |
| Conference proceedings | Yes |
| Institutional access | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Email, Docs |
| Built for | Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Pricing | Pricing on request (source) |
| Website | aeaweb.org |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
Alternatives to EconLit
- Web of ScienceA broad citation index for institutions that need structured scholarly discovery and tracking.9.4
- ProQuest CentralBroad institutional access to scholarly, professional, and research content.9.3
- OpenAlexA strong open-data foundation for multidisciplinary scholarly discovery and analysis.9.2
See all EconLit alternatives →
Used EconLit? Be the first to review it
The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used EconLit for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.
Write a reviewTwo minutes · verified accounts only · read by an editor before it appears
Featured on iTechGuides
EconLit is listed in our Academic Research Databases directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.
<a href="https://www.itechguides.com/products/econlit/"><img src="https://www.itechguides.com/best/badge/econlit.svg" alt="Featured on iTechGuides" width="230" height="46"></a>
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update