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ENGL 201

Evaluating & using information.

Selecting a Database

How to Choose a Research Database

A "research database" is an electronic resource that is designed to help you find information by providing citations for articles, books, etc. It may provide abstracts (summaries) and may provide access to the full item (full-text of article, book, etc.).   

Publishers of these databases attempt to select the most useful items to be included, based on the intended users and their purposes.

  • A periodical index or database is an online resource that provides access to articles in periodicals (magazines, journals, newspapers).  The publisher indexes a group of periodicals that are appropriate for the target audience of the index.

  • A library catalog is a database that provides access to books, videos, software and other materials that are owned by or accessible from a library or group of libraries. The items in the library are selected to meet typical needs of the library's users.

The university library subscribes to a large number of databases each with different materials. When choosing a database to use, you must consider if it has resources related to your:

  • Topic - Are the materials general or specialized to your topic?
  • Level of material - Is this resource popular or scholarly?
  • Kind of material - peer reviewed article, white paper from a conference, video, images, etc. 
  • Time period covered - Is it current? Relevant?

To help you choose the best database to use, explore the links below.