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Using Databases: A Tutorial |
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The first question to ask yourself when you are getting ready to start your research is "What kind of information do I need?" This question will help you determine the best place to conduct your research.
Since most students start their research on the Web, it is important to begin by understanding the difference between the Web and library databases.
The Web: The Web is a collection of sites created by individuals, organizations, government entities, educational institutions, companies, etc. This is what you search when you use a search engine such as Google or Yahoo. Anyone can publish anything on the Web without it going through a review process. For that reason, when you find Web sites, you need to critically evaluate them for bias, authority and accuracy.
Library databases: Library databases, sometimes called periodical indexes or simply indexes, are collections of articles which you can search by keyword, author, title or subject. The articles in these databases have been published in magazines, newspapers or journals and, therefore, have gone through a review process by an editor or a group of scholars. We will explore this more in a moment. Although library databases are available on your library's Web site, they are not part of the free Web. Instead, the library subscribes to these databases for a fee. Search engines such as Google do not pull up the articles in these databases.
Example: I am writing a paper about the legalization of marijuana. I searched for my topic in Google and in the library database, Academic Search Premier.
When considering the type of information you need, keep in mind the difference between popular and scholarly articles. While both types of articles can be useful for your research, some research needs are better met by one or the other type of source.
Popular: Popular articles are published in magazines and newspapers. These articles are written by staff writers and reviewed by an editor before publication. They are written for the general reader, tend to be shorter, do not include a bibliography and often include pictures or graphics. Many popular sources will be familiar to you. These are the magazines and newspapers you might find in the checkout line at the grocery store. Examples include Newsweek, the New Yorker and the Los Angeles Times.
Scholarly: Scholarly articles are published in journals. Scholarly journals are sometimes referred to as academic, peer-reviewed or refereed. Scholarly articles are written by experts or scholars for other experts or scholars. They are long, in-depth, and often include a bibliography and illustrations such as graphs or charts. Before an article is published in a journal, it goes through an extensive review process, called a peer review. A scholar, such as one of your professors, will submit an article for publication in a journal. The article is shared with a group of scholars who are experts in the area. They critique the article and send it back to the author for revision. This could happen numerous times before the article is accepted for publication. Examples of scholarly journals include JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, Shakespeare Studies and the Journal of Family Psychology. Library databases are the best places to find scholarly articles.
Example: You are looking for information about the mental health effects of marijuana on teenagers. You find an article in a popular magazine which includes a discussion of the issue, interviews with doctors and an interview with a parent and teenager about the teenager's experimentation with marijuana. The article also refers to research findings recently published in a scholarly journal. You find that article in a scholarly journal. It contains the results of a study that two psychologists conducted in which they analyzed the incidences of depression in adolescents who use marijuana versus those who do not.
Proceed to Step 2. Choose a Database
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