Search Everything at IVC

Searching with Primo (Library Catalog):

screenshot of the Onesearch box on the IVC library homepage

Library Databases

A library database is an online searchable collection of information. Libraries purchase subscriptions to databases so you can find research and information on a variety of topics.

The types of information you can find are:

scholarly peer-reviewed articles
newspaper articles
trade publications
book reviews
magazine articles
dissertations/theses

Background Information Databases:

Use reference sources, such as encyclopedias, to get a general understanding of you topic. These sources are only meant to give you quick background information on a topic and should not be used to obtain a comprehensive overview.

World Book Online *Popular* - The World Book web site offers an encyclopedia, dictionary, atlas, homework help, study aids, and curriculum guides. World Book is publisher of the World Book Encyclopedia.
Encyclopedia Britannica *Popular* - Encyclopedia Britannica plus Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus, magazines and periodicals, and other research tools provides the variety of reliable sources that students need to consult when conducting research.

Professional and Scholarly Sources on all Topics

General databases are a helpful start to your research as they give you information about articles from many disciplines

Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost) *Popular*- Academic Search Complete contains full text for nearly 9,000 journals and magazines. This multi-disciplinary database covers virtually every area of academic study and is a great starting point for all research.
ProQuest Central *Popular* - Contains thousands of journal and magazine articles across all major subject areas, including Business, Health and Medical, Social Sciences, Education, Science and Technology, and Humanities.

Psychology Databases

Psychology & Behavioral Science Collection (EBSCOhost)Links to an external site. *Popular* - This contains articles from over 530 scholarly and peer-reviewed journals covering topics in the behavioral sciences, including psychiatry and psychology, observational and experimental methods, anthropology, emotional and behavioral characteristics, mental processes, and more.
Psychology & Sociology (ProQuest)Links to an external site. - Contains scholarly articles covering all areas of psychology and sociology.

EBOOKS and FILMS

eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - This is a combination of the Academic and the Community College e-book collections. The Academic collection offers the e-books students depend on for their research. This multidisciplinary collection includes thousands of e-books covering a large selection of academic subjects and features e-books from leading publishers and university presses.
Docuseek Collection- Provides streaming to independent, social-issue and environmental films to colleges and universities, providing access to content from renowned leaders in documentary film distribution including Bullfrog Films, Clarity Films, Collective Eye Films, dGenerate Films, Distrib Films, The Fanlight Collection, Film Movement, First Hand Films, First Run Features, GOOD DOCS, Icarus Films, Kartemquin Films, KimStim Films, MediaStorm, National Film Board of Canada, Scorpion TV, Terra Nova Films, Viewpoint Films, and Women Make Movies.
Swank Digital Campus - Provides streaming access to hundreds of feature-length films, from Hollywood productions to internationally acclaimed classics. PLEASE NOTE: Films available in Swank may only be used for course-related instruction and assignments. Licensed use DOES NOT include public performance rights. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS: "Swank Media Player" mobile app available for IOS and Android devices in iTunes AppStore and Google Play.

All Library Databases

screenshot of the library website navigation with an arrow pointing to the databases links

Searching Library Databases

How to Creating a Search Strategy

Identify your topic
- Come up with search terms and keywords
Use the Boolean operators AND, NOT, OR for database searching
- CATS AND DOGS: RETRIEVES ITEMS THAT CONTAIN BOTH TERMS
- CATS OR DOGS: RETRIEVES ITEMS THAT CONTAIN EITHER TERM
CATS NOT DOGS: RETRIEVES ITEMS THAT CONTAIN ONLY ONE TERM

Using Boolean Operators Handout.pdf

Group words that should be together with quotation marks and use parenthesis to group similar keywords.

Example Search Query:

"Social Media" AND (bullying OR cyberharassment OR teasing)

Arizona State University

Evaluate Your Sources

Remember to look at the URL:

Most common domain extensions

.org = organization
.edu = us educational institution
.info = commercial
.tv = television
.gov = US government
.mil = US military
.biz = business
.museum = museums
.com = commercial site
.net = network resources
.name = personal sites

Are there any biases or agendas?

Who is sponsoring the content?

The CRAAP Test

You will come across a lot of information when you search. Use the 'CRAAP' method to help you evaluate.

CRAAP stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose.

Use the handout below as a guide to evaluate your sources.

- - CRAAP Test Handout

Is the source an Academic?

Research Articles typically follow a particular format. Look for:

A brief introduction
Methods section
Results section
A discussion section where the authors interpret their analysis
References and works cited.

McMaster Libraries

How to Cite Sources

Copy MLA/APA Citations from library databases

When you find a source that you'd like to use in the library databases, look for a "cite" option. Then select the correct writing style (probably MLA 9 or APA 7) and copy/paste the citation into your project.
Refer back to your style guide manual to ensure that all formatting and capitalization is correct.

Guide to Creating MLA/APA Citations

screenshot with an arrow pointing to the Cite option in the EBSCO databases. EBSCO

Screenshot of the Cite option in the Proquest library databases. PROQUEST

Screenshot of the cite option in the Gale library database. GALE

Screenshot of a formatted MLA 9th edition citation from the EBSCO database.

Google Tips

Try Google ScholarLinks to an external site. to search for scholarly sources
Add site:edu for academic websites, for example, roman portrait sculpture site:edu

Google Scholar searches specifically for scholarly materials such as journal articles, research reports, dissertations and theses, preprints, technical reports, patents, manuscripts in preparation, working papers, and many other document types.

Google's goal is to make information accessible and useful, however, it is still up to you, as a researcher, to critically evaluate research material.

Thinks to keep in mind while using Google Scholar:

You may get a long list of results, but you will only have access to the text of articles that the IVC Library has paid subscriptions for, or that are freely available.
Not everything in Google Scholar is scholarly. Google Scholar searches academic websites (.edu) as well as journals and publisher websites. Search results can include powerpoints, news announcements or unpublished materials as well as articles and books.
It is difficult to determine with 100% accuracy all that Google Scholar searches. Therefore, we do not know the breadth of what Google Scholar is indexing and consequently cannot judge the comprehensiveness or completeness of the results of a literature search.
We cannot tell how frequently items in Google Scholar are updated.
Searching in Google Scholar is imprecise when compared with discipline-specific databases.

Ask a Librarian

Use our 24/7 Librarian Chat ServiceLinks to an external site.

Your IVC Librarians

Ask your personal librarians @ IVC

Raul Aguilera
Helena Quintana
IVC library is open from 8am to 8pm, Monday - Thursday; 8am to 5pm Friday

IVC Library Website

Visit the Library Research Canvas Page for more guides:

Library Research Help