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 OnlineLinks to an external site. *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 Links to an external site.*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)Links to an external site.*Popular*- Academic Search Completecontains full text for nearly 9,000 journals and magazines. Thismulti-disciplinary database covers virtually every area of academic study and is a great starting point for all research.
ProQuest CentralLinks to an external site. *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.
Business Market Research (ProQuest)Links to an external site.- Use this database to conduct company, industry, economic and geopolitical market research. Contains Hoover's company profiles of more than 40,000 companies, 600 industries, and 225,000 key executives.
EBOOKS and FILMS
eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)Links to an external site. - 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 CollectionLinks to an external site.- 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 CampusLinks to an external site.- 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.
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 = U.S. educational institution .info = commercial .tv = Television .gov = U.S. government .mil = U.S. 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.
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.
Addsite:edufor academic websites, for example, roman portrait sculpture site:edu
Google Scholarsearches 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.