Published on 30 January 2025
Federal Administration licences
As an employee of the Federal Administration, you have access to numerous e-resources such as journals, newspapers, e-books and reference works from your work PC or laptop.
Federal Administration employees can freely access the e-resources listed below. Please note that access to these resources is enabled for the IP address of your work laptop or mobile device. You do not need an additional login.
Most of these e-resources are available via the BiG’s www.alexandria.ch search portal (except Swissdox Essentials).
The Annual Reviews Economics Collection offers access to three journals (Economics, Financial Economics, Resource Economics), which cover important developments in economics. The journals contain current research results in the fields of economics, financial economics and resource economics.
Here you can find the terms of use.
Biographische Handbücher der deutschsprachigen Emigration nach 1933
The Biographische Handbücher der deutschsprachigen Emigration nach 1933 biographical database consists of six reference works, including the one of the same name, created by the Institut für Zeitgeschichte and the Research Foundation for Jewish Immigration.
The database contains more than 8,000 articles about people from the German-speaking cultural circles of central Europe who emigrated beginning in 1933. The database allows comprehensive research on the history of migration, persecution and the influence of emigrants in the countries in which they settled.
The publications that the database content draws on are also accessible using the links below or via the Alexandria research portal:
- Biographisches Handbuch der deutschsprachigen Emigration nach 1933
- Die Ausbürgerung deutscher Staatsangehöriger 1933–45 nach den im Reichsanzeiger veröffentlichten Listen
- Wendland, Ulrike: Biographisches Handbuch deutschsprachiger Kunsthistoriker im Exil
- Biographisches Handbuch der deutschsprachigen wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Emigration nach 1933
- Quellen zur deutschen politischen Emigration 1933–1945
Here you can find the terms of use (in German).
The online dictionaries «Die deutsche Rechtschreibung» and the «Synonymwörterbuch» are licensed from Brockhaus. «Die deutsche Rechtschreibung» from Brockhaus is a dictionary with around 140,000 keywords and spellings. The «Synonymwörterbuch» contains related words, including many new Anglicisms.
Here you can find the terms of use (in German).
The Brockhaus Encyclopaedia is a neutral and trustworthy source for finding reliable information on a specific topic. The database allows in-depth research with the help of internal links and literature references.
Here you can find the terms of use (in German).
The CAIRN journal database contains more than 500 French-language journals. Almost half of them concern economic and social science disciplines. Use the filter function to find the list of freely available content.
Under the heading Chercher you will find research tips.
Here you can find the terms of use (in French).
Cambridge Histories is a reference collection spanning over 400 volumes in 15 subject areas across the humanities and social sciences, with a concentration on political and cultural history, literature, philosophy, religion, music and the arts.
Here you can find the terms of use.
The DACH Information database contains 800 full-text German-language journals, magazines and specialist publications on a wide range of subject areas including business and economics, management, marketing, communication, psychology and social sciences.
You can find the list of journals here.
Information on creating search alerts is available here.
You can search by using natural language in EBSCOhost. This feature, based on artificial intelligence, interprets your queries formulated in daily language. It can be activated by clicking on the Natural Language Search button located below the search bar. For more information, see this page.
Here you can find the terms of use.
eBooks German Collection (EBSCO)
The eBooks German Collection contains over 9,100 e-books, mainly in German. The collection covers a wide range of subjects, including the humanities, social sciences, business, education, economics and technology.
The collection contains e-books from specialised and academic publishers such as Brill Academic Publishers, Frank & Timme, Franz Steiner Verlag, Mohr Siebeck GmbH & Co. KG and Transcript Verlag.
The collection is available via the BiG’s Alexandria search portal. You can also access and search it on the EBSCOhost platform eBooks German Collection (EBSCO).
The user interface automatically searches the four EBSCO databases licensed by the BiG. To select only the content of the eBooks German Collection, click on Search: All databases (4) and select the desired database.
This page contains a wealth of information and advice on searching and using the EBSCOhost platform. Under MyEBSCO, you can create a personal profile that will allow you to save content and create alerts. Information on creating search alerts is available here.
You can search by using natural language in EBSCOhost. This feature, based on artificial intelligence, interprets your queries formulated in daily language. It can be activated by clicking on the Natural Language Search button located below the search bar. For more information, see this page.
You can find the Terms of Use here.
The EC Tax Review and Intertax journals from Wolters Kluwer publishing house contain articles in the field of European and international taxation. EC Tax Review is a journal focusing on the development and harmonization of taxation within the EU, covering direct and indirect taxation and social security (legal and economic aspects), with analysis of Court of Justice cases. The journal Intertax offers a critical analysis of transnational tax issues (legal and economic) with articles on international taxation and regional tax trends influenced by organizations such as the OECD, the EU, the WTO and the United Nations.
You have online access to articles published from 2016 onwards from both journals:
The articles are available in PDF format.
Here you will find advice on how to subscribe to the tables of contents.
Here you will find the terms of use.
The Emerald Journals database provides access to economic topics (management, accounting, finance, knowledge management). The following four collections are accessible:
- Accounting, Finance & Economics ejournal Collection contains 30780 contents (43 journals)
- Emerald Business, Management and Strategy eJournal Collection has 46506 contents (59 journals)
- Emerald Engineering eJournal Collection contains 59434 contents (26 journals)
- Information & Knowledge Management eJournal Collection contains 14066 contents (12 journals)
Here you can find the terms of use.
Gotham City is an online magazine specialising in economic crime. It covers court cases affecting Switzerland as a business and financial centre.
Here you can find the terms of use (in French).
The International Security & Counter-Terrorism Reference Center database contains articles, news feeds, reports, books and summaries on regional conflicts, terrorism, domestic security and risk management options, providing an up-to-date overview of the latest developments in the international political, military, economic, social and technical fields.
The database contains 2,400 full-text resources. You can find the list here.
Information on creating search alerts is available here.
You can search by using natural language in EBSCOhost. This feature, based on artificial intelligence, interprets your queries formulated in daily language. It can be activated by clicking on the Natural Language Search button located below the search bar. For more information, see this page.
Here you can find the terms of use.
JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, an US American not-for-profit organization. JSTOR Security Studies collection gathers academic and open policy research on international and national security problems and foreign policy issues from a global perspective. The collection includes more than 80 journals and over 50,000 open research reports from more than 100 institutes.
Here you can find the terms of use.
The database Kluwer Arbitration Classic of the Wolters Kluwer Company offers full-text access to 24 journals and 445 e-books about investment arbitration and contains cases and awards.
Here you can find the terms of use.
The Max Planck Encyclopedia of Comparative Constitutional Law (MPECCoL) comprises a wide range of entries dealing with constitutional law issues. The articles focus on the nature, character, development and history of constitutional law from a comparative and global perspective.
Under the heading Help you will find, among other things, research tips for the MPECCOL database.
Here you can find the terms of use.
The Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law (MPIL) is a database that combines the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law (MPEPIL) and the Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Procedural Law (MPEiPro). MPEPIL is considered the standard reference work on international law. MPEiPro deals with procedural law issues beforehand.
Under the heading Help you will find, among other things, research tips for the MPIL database.
Here you can find the terms of use.
The BiG licence includes full-text access to all daily news articles and to the archives of the NZZ (from 1993), the NZZ-Folio (from 1993) and the NZZ am Sonntag (from 2002).
Further functions, such as the creation of a monitoring, are available after registration. Articles updated on a daily basis can be accessed via the advanced search (period: today). Further information can be found under FAQ or under Help.
Here you can find the terms of use (in German).
The Nexis Uni database contains articles from more than 11,000 media from all over the world in over 40 languages. These are international newspapers, news portals, specialist journals, legal publications and company data. The articles are available in text format or, in some cases, as PDF files in the view of the printed version.
Information and search tips are available in English: Welcome to Nexis Uni® Help. Initial information is available in English and German: Nexis Uni Support & Training page.
After registration you can also set up thematic notification services. Here you can find the terms of use (in German).
Nexis Uni is not available for use on mobile devices.
New user interface
Alternatively, you can use a new search mask since 10 July 2024: Nexis Uni. After clicking on the link, you can access the search screen by clicking on ‹Access via IP› and continue your search.
Hier finden Sie die Nutzungsbedingungen (auf Englisch).
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) collects its publications (e-books, articles, working papers, statistics) in its iLibrary. The database also offers full-text access to the publications of the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the International Transport Forum (ITF).
The documents can be searched by topic as well as by country. You can also subscribe to a personalised newsletter. You will find further information under the heading Help.
Here you can find the terms of use.
Oxford Dictionaries Premium – English (ODO)
Oxford Dictionaries Online (ODO) is an authoritative reference work for the modern English language. According to the publisher, it contains more than 350,000 words and phrases as well as over 1.9 million example sentences in English.
Here you can find the terms of use.
The Oxford Research Encyclopedias (ORE) are digital encyclopedias published by Oxford University Press. They provide expert-written, peer-reviewed, and constantly updated review articles. Each article integrates bibliographic sources and links to related content. The ORE cover a wide range of topics, from history and literature to political science and neuroscience. The collection currently includes 26 thematic modules, three of which are licensed by the Library Am Guisanplatz BiG:
- Criminology and Criminal Justice contains 435 articles
- International Studies contains 708 articles
- Politics contains 1509 articles
This page contains a tutorial video and tips for searching and using ORE. You can create a personal profile that allows you to save content and searches.
Here you can find the terms of use.
Due to technical problems, ORE is not yet available for use on mobile devices.
Oxford Scholarship Online provides access to ebooks published by Oxford University Press. The Business and Management (578 titles) and Political Science (2,644 titles) collections are currently available, offering access to over 3,000 ebooks on economics, management, political science and international relations.
The ebooks can be accessed directly via Oxford Academic and are available in PDF format.
This page contains a wealth of advice on using the Oxford Academic platform.
You can create a personal Oxford Academic profile, which enables you to sign up for alerts.
The conditions of use and access can be found here.
Project MUSE, founded by the Johns Hopkins University Press, is a database created through non-profit cooperation between libraries and publishers. It offers online access to a wide range of high-quality, peer-reviewed texts from the fields of the humanities and social sciences. You can access over 360 journals from the following two collections:
- Humanities Collection (231 journals)
- Social Sciences Collection (46 journals)
You can find the list of titles here. You also have access to over 5900 ebooks.
You can create a personal MyMUSE account and subscribe to various content alerts. You have the option of having alerts pushed to you by email, or you can simply view your content alerts in the MyMUSE dashboard. Only the first option requires an email address. The User Guides page provides a good introduction to using the database.
You can find the Terms of Use here.
Due to technical problems, Project MUSE is not yet available for use on mobile devices.
The renowned Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) provides information in its yearbooks on topics such as armaments, arms control, disarmament and security policy worldwide. For each state, a brief description of the armed forces and the most important armament data is written from open sources.
Under the heading Help you will find, among other things, research tips for searching the SIPRI Yearbook.
Here you can find the terms of use.
The Swissdox database provides its users with the current and past contents of most major Swiss newspapers and magazines as well as numerous online media. Also included is the archive of the German magazine "Der Spiegel". In addition, the content of Swiss television SRF is also indexed. These can subsequently be streamed on its website.
The media list provides detailed information on content and availability data.
For a targeted full-text search, filter options are available by title, author, source, publication date or language. The articles are available in PDF format in their original layout for reading or downloading. Alternatively, only the texts or images (page extracts) can be selected.
Here you can find the terms of use (in German).
Due to a system change, access to Swissdox Essentials via mobile service devices is currently not working.
Taylor & Francis Europa World is an English-language database providing geographical, political, statistical and economic information on more than 250 countries and regions of the world. It also contains information on more than 2,000 international organisations.
Here you can find the terms of use.
- Taylor & Francis SSH Library: 1'490 journals on social science and humanities
- Taylor & Francis S+T Library: 508 journals on sience and technology
The database of the Taylor & Francis publishing group provides access to over 1490 journal titles (from 1997) in the field of social sciences and humanities (Social Science and Humanities SSH) and over 508 journal titles in the field of science and technology (Science and Technology S&T). A wide range of scientific disciplines and topics are covered - from agriculture to geography, information sciences and economics, biology, chemistry, technology, mathematics, statistics, physics, sports sciences, medicine, politics, law, tourism or environmental sciences.
Publications can be searched by free entry and predefined subject areas. See Taylor & Francis Online Help Center for additional information.
Here you can find the terms of use.
Taylor & Francis World Who’s Who is a database in English containing a wealth of regularly updated bibliographic information on more than 70,000 important figures of the 21st century. It includes information on the lives, careers, personal achievements and publications of people from all over the world and in all fields.
Here you can find the terms of use.
In the WISO database of the GBI-Genios, employees of the Federal Administration and the Armed Forces have free access to more than 550 economic and social science journals, most of which are in German (list of activated contents sorted by topic via the menu journals or alphabetically via the list of sources).
In addition to a simple input mask, the database offers numerous differentiated search and filter functions. On the homepage you will find video tutorials as well as a reference to the printed research tips under the heading Help. With your e-mail address you can create a personal account and thus be informed about new publications.
Here you can find the terms of use (in German).
The WTO iLibrary provides full-text access to the publications of the World Trade Organization (WTO). These cover a wide range of trade-related topics. In addition to the approximately 700 e-book titles, a large number of individual chapters, working papers and statistics are also available.
The documents can be searched by topic as well as by country, among other things. The user manual, which can be found under the Help heading, provides an introduction.
Here you can find the terms of use.
The Yearbook of International Organizations online is an information resource from the Union of International Associations (UIA) and the Brill publishing house. It contains detailed information on more than 77,000 international non-profit organisations and associations worldwide, in all fields of human endeavour. The database covers 300 countries and territories, adding approximately 1,200 new organisations every year. Each profile contains information about the organisation's structure, personnel, languages, finances, objectives, activities, events, publications, statistical information and analyses.
A user guide is available here.
You can find the Terms and Conditions here.