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Introduction to Library Research

How to Find the Databases

What are the databases? How are they different than Google?

Google Databases
  • Uses AI to narrow your search
    • This means Google is trying to guess what you are looking for, even when you make mistakes.
  • Anyone can put up a webpage
    • Google gives Social Media posts as results or Blog posts as something relevant.
      • This makes the results harder to credibility control.
  • Potential journal/book/article fees
    • The databases are free to use for the Utica University community 
      • The content is free as well!
  • Use literal language: Rather than the natural language we are used to
    • If something is spelled wrong or abbreviated, it will not try to guess what you are saying.
    • Do not include punctuation, misspellings, or short-hand words.
  • The database will most likely provide an error message.
  • Content Control
    • Research and Review Process for what gets published.

Tips and Tricks for Searching the Databases:

  • Operators:
    • AND: Most popular: Narrows your search.
      • Ex: Child And Divorce
    • OR: Adds synonyms: Broadens your search.
      • Ex: Child or Children or Youth or Adolescent 
    • NOT: Excludes words: Narrows your search.
      • Ex: Child NOT Teenager

  • Quotation marks:
    • Use these around multiple words to keep them together. If you don't the database will think you are looking for two separate words
      • Ex:  Peanut Butter
        • Without quotations, the database will look for the words Peanut AND Butter
        • With quotations, the database will look for the word "Peanut Butter"  
  • Filters:

The Databases have filters(usually on the left-hand side) that can help you narrow your search.

From Academic Search Ultimate

Here are some of the few:

  • Peer-reviewed
    • This will help you get the scholarly articles your professor is asking for.
  • Full-text
    • If you do not want to interlibrary loan an article-Click full text. It's what we have available instantly 
  • Year of publication
  • Source type
    • Journal, magazine, trade article?

  • Truncations:
    • A technique that broadens your search to include various word endings and spellings.
    • Add a * at the end of the word:
      • Ex: Sun*
        • Could mean sunlight, sunshine, sunny, etc.
           

Why can't I just use Google?

Google is familiar to us, easy to use, and has been a more than adequate resource for all of your day-to-day curiosities and needs....so why isn't it also the best choice when sitting down to research your topic?

Search Example: Database vs Search Engine

Thesis Example: The placebo effect is greater in America because of consumer advertising

From the Library 

Library Catalog  

Question: How to limit to Scholarly Peer-Reviewed articles?

On the Web