The FRANCIS database is created by the Institut de l'Information Scientifique et Technique of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (INIST-CNRS) in Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy (France). It is an invaluable resource for research libraries. FRANCIS is a multilingual, multidisciplinary database covering the humanities and social sciences. Its broad subject areas and international scope make it an ideal stand-alone social science database, as well as a suitable complement for more specialised databases. FRANCIS is strong in areas such as archaeology, geography, linguistics, philosophy, religion, and sociology. The database contains more than 1.8 million records, with abstracts in French or English, and descriptors in both languages, and includes coverage of journals, books, conference papers and other documents.

Subject Coverage
Areas of coverage include:

• Philosophy (1984 - today)
• Education (1984 - today)
• Sociology (1984 - today)
• History of Science (1984 - today)
• Literature (1984 - today)
• Linguistics (1984 - today)
• Prehistory (1984 - today)
• Archaeology (1984 - today)
• Religion (1984 - today)
• Administrative Sciences (1984 - 1997)
• Ethnology (1984 - today)
• RAA - History of Art (1984 ‚Äì 1989)
• Geography (1984 - today)
• Latin America (1984 ‚Äì 1997)
• Employment and Training (1984 ‚Äì 1984)
• Data Processing and Law (1984 ‚Äì 1994)
• RESHUS, Public Health (1984 ‚Äì 1994)
• DOGE, Company Management (1984 - today)
• ECODOC, Economics (1984 ‚Äì 1994)
• Energy Economics (1984 - 1996)