Text and Data Mining

It is important to note that because the libraries subscribe to a database, this does not mean that our users have rights to text and data mining (TDM). Always check the terms and conditions before you start your research. Most of the libraries' databases do not allow text and data mining research due to license agreements with publishers. Often, publishers offer text and data mining platforms as an additional subscription. If text and data mining is allowed, it is generally restricted to non-commercial, research or educational purposes.

This page lists abbreviated terms and conditions related to TDM for several databases ODU Libraries' subscribes to, in alphabetical order. If you do not see a resource listed here, please contact us.

You can access all of our databases on the Databases A-Z page.

Restrictions are in place for text and data mining.

Currently, TDM requests are handled one at a time on a case-by-case basis. Access World News uses a "walled garden" approach, meaning that content to be mined is accessed through a secure server with a username and password specific to the researcher. Results from analysis can be downloaded but content itself cannot be downloaded from the server. There is a cost associated on a per project basis and project set up time can be lengthy.

For more information, please contact the libraries and we will provide additional contact information.

ODU Libraries subscribes to 4 AM databases (shown below). AM would need to be contacted and grant permission for text mining.

• Slavery, Abolition & Social Justice
• Eighteenth Century Journals v.1-5
• Confidential Print: Africa
• Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America (alternate name: American Indian Histories and Cultures)

The EBSCOhost databases account for 80+ of the ODU Libraries' subscribed databases, including Academic Search Complete, APA PsycInfo, Business Source Complete, CINAHL, and ERIC. 

Text and data mining is not allowed per the limitations outlined in the EBSCO License Agreement, which prohibits:

• The use of "artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies with any of the content included in the Databases or Services"
• "Downloading all of parts of the Databases or Services in a systematic or regular manner so as to create a collection of materials comprising all or part of the Databases or Services..."

Elsevier (of which Engineering Village and ScienceDirect are a part) allows text and data mining with a couple restrictions:

• Academic subscribers can perform TDM on subscribed content for non-commercial, research purposes.
• Users need to register for an API key via the developers portal.
• The API must be used to access content.

Refer to the Elsevier Text and Data Mining (TDM) policy for additional information.

Text and data mining (or trend analysis) is not allowed. The Dow Jones Terms of Use (Dow Jones are the owners of Factiva) states that users may not:

• "...use the Information or the attached Codes in conjunction with any systems or applications that enable any program trading (including without limitation algorithmic trading programs), data mining, text mining, or trend analysis function..."

Also see ‘A very unfortunate event’: Paper on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy retracted," Retraction Watch, July 30, 2021.

ODU Libraries subscribes to 20+ Gale databases, including British Library Newspapers, Indigenous Peoples of North America, and Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive.

Text and data mining is not allowed per the Gale Terms of Use, which states that users will not:

• "...use any content, data, or text in any form in the Services to text or data mine, or to develop or train any application, software, code, or data models such as ChatGPT or other similar tools."

However, Gale offers two tools for many resources: 

• Topic Finder - analyze results from a search in order to help find or refine keywords or research topic
• Term Frequency - users can view search results over time by entering a word or phrase

Note that ODU Libraries does not subscribe to the Gale Digital Scholar Lab, but Gale has offered fellowships in the past that provided the access to this suite of tools.

Text and data mining is not permitted without a prior written agreement with the HistoryMakers. An additional fee might be required.

JSTOR has a Data for Research (DfR) program to accommodate text analysis and digital humanities research. Currently data are requested through the Constellate dataset builder, which will sunset on July 1, 2025. JSTOR will provide information on an alternative method for requesting data.

ODU has access to 35 ProQuest databases, including ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global and SciTech Premium Collection.

ProQuest is part of Clarivate and text and data mining is not allowed, as per the Clarivate Terms:

• "...you may use the Products for your internal use only and shall not...perform any text or data mining or indexing of the Products or any underlying data..."

The ODU Libraries do not subscribe to the separate TDM Studio product.

Readex is a division of NewsBank and text and data mining is not permitted without written permission of NewsBank.

The Terms of Use state that:

• "Customer and Customer's Authorized Users will not store or use, or allow to be stored or used, any portion of the Products in a searchable database without written permission of NewsBank and (if applicable) its respective content providers or data/text mine or permit data/text mining of the Product." 

However, Readex offers a Text Explorer tool that is integrated into most collections to allow for visualizing data using term clustering, frequencies, etc. Please see the below for additional information:

• Readex Blog: From Reading to Exploring: The Future of Textual Analysis with Readex Text Explorer
• Readex Text Explorer video

Sage permits downloading articles within the Libraries' subscription for non-commercial text and data mining using the CrossRef API. You must adhere to the policies listed on their TDM page and accept the terms of their TDM license.

• Sage TDM Policies
• Sage TDM License

Wiley allows text and data mining with a couple restrictions:

• Academic subscribers can perform TDM only on subscribed content for non-commercial, scholarly research purposes
• An API must be obtained and used to access content
• Adequate security should be in place to safeguard downloaded content

Refer to Wiley Online Library Terms of Use and Wiley's Text and Data Mining Agreement for complete details.

This guide is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

For more in-depth legal information: contact the Office of University Counsel.