Databases & Sources

LIBR 250, Section1Winter 2013 / Terrones

Learning outcomes:• Search article databases fluently.• Distinguish between scholarly and popular

sources.• Determine if the information discovered is

relevant.• Modify the search strategy as necessary. • Cite correctly articles from online databases. • Export articles into RefWorks bibliographic

manager.

Databases: Information “warehouses” that contain journal, magazine, newspaper articles, and other documents you can use for your university research assignments. Accessible from campus and off-campus!

Search Engines Vs. Databases … Which one should I use, when? http://bastyr.libguides.com/content.php?pid=384087&sid=3148399

Bastyr University Library tutorial http://bastyr.libguides.com/content.php?pid=384087&sid=3148399

“Being an efficient searcher means knowing when to use what tool. Most published research studies are protected by copyright and are not available in full text via the Web.” (Bastyr U. Library Tutorial, 2012)

Compare the DifferenceSearch Engines Library Databases

Contain news articles, current info on many topics, open authorship, & info that hasn't been formally published. Much of the access is free.

*Use for a quick reference, and as a starting point for info gathering.

Contain published scholarly research, peer-reviewed journal articles, dissertations, conference proceedings, reference articles. Full-text or Interlibrary Loan access. Paid subscription access.

*Use for college level research.

LMU Library,(2012) Why use the library? http://libguides.lmu.edu/content.php?pid=10084&sid=463217

Sources

Peer reviewed articles, magazines, newspapers, websites, reference sources… What’s the

difference?

Scholarly vs. PopularSCHOLARLY Academic, in-depth peer-reviewed articles, original research by experts, bibliographies.

POPULARCurrent events, people stories, aimed for general audience.

SourcesReference

Background info, definitions, context, understanding concepts, statistics

Newspaper & Magazine articles

Current events, people stories, aimed for general audience, captures history

Scholarly (peer-reviewed) articles

Academic, scholarly, in-depth analysis, original research written by experts in the field, peer-reviewed articles, bibliographies

Books & DVDs

Background, historical context, and in-depth information about your topic, chapters on a topic

Searching DatabasesDatabases will look different but they contain

similar features: Advanced search boxesSave, Print, Email, Citing, Export to RefWorks

Limit by Peer-Reviewed.*Click Find It! to get Full-Text articles.Evaluate your hits! Do they “fit?”

Peer Reviewed: Professors often ask you to use scholarly (also called "peer-reviewed") articles. Peer-reviewed means the articles are academic and have been refereed by a group of experts in the field or discipline.

Search boxes for keywordcombinations(AND & OR)

Refining by type of source.

Peer- reviewed scholarly articles.

Do we have the article?

Article Availability

Do we have the article?

PDF & HTMLFull Text

Article Availability

Sometimes your article may be available in another database where you can get it in full-text.

When we do not have immediate access, you can request articles via Interlibrary Loan.

Sample Article

Tools Journal, Date, Volume, Pages

Title

Author(s)

Subject Terms

Do we have the article?

Is there a summary of the article? (Tip: Look for the Abstract.) If yes, read the abstract and determine if and how you can use the article.

Abstract

Evaluate ResultsExamine the first page of results.

Do any articles “fit” or relate to your topic?

Identify keywords or concepts from these articles to further narrow your search.

Try different searches and compare. Use the subject headings to add to your search terms.

Think about your question. Does it need revision?

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Name of Journal, xx,

xxx-xxx. Retrieved from http://www.journalhomepage.com OR doi:10.xxxxxxxxxx

References

Koo, D. J., Chitwoode, D. D., & Sanchez, J. (2008). Violent victimization and the routine

activities/lifestyle of active drug users. Journal of Drug Issues, 38, 1105-1137. Retrieved

from http://www2.criminology.fsu.edu/~jdi/

Senior, B., & Swailes, S. (2007). Inside management teams: Developing a teamwork

survey instrument. British Journal of Management, 18, 138-153. doi:10.1111/j.1467-

8551.2006.00507.x

Citing Elements (4ws) Scholarly Articles from databases