1 Electronic Databases Research Information Research Certificate Section 2 Presented by Charles Wu Reference Librarian Revised on 3/5/2008.

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Electronic Databases Electronic Databases ResearchResearch

Information Research Certificate Information Research Certificate Section 2Section 2

Presented by Charles WuReference Librarian

Revised on 3/5/2008

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Handouts

Titles of Forms For What?

Attendance Slip >>

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Class Evaluation >>

Fill out at the end of the class

Sign-in Form >> Do right now!We need to keep your record of the Certificate classes you have taken.

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Library Databases: catalog vs. index

Two types / tools in a library Books > Catalog Articles > Index databases

Catalog > http://library.accd.edu/Find records of items that the ACCD owned: books, journals, magazine , newspapers Catalog – only titles of journals, magazine … Index databases: In-depth to the article level

Index databases > ProQuest, EBSCO … In-depth to the article level

full text online at least citation of articles

article from journals / magazines / newspapers

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How to access a databaseHow to access a database

Access to Databases

Deepens on what info you have

Then you get

Link 1Link 1Research Tool

Database by Topic

Click “L” > Literature … >Literary Criticism

Literary Criticism > CLC > Hemingway (By Critic Michael Reynolds, also in CLC Vol. 80, p.145)

Link 2Link 2 Research Tool

Database by Title

Click “P” >>

PProQuest database

ProQuest Index (Full text)

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How to get articles from databases

Two scenarios You have a topic You have a citation of an article, like this:

Will, George F. "About Cocaine and Bananas." Newsweek 138.12 (17 Sep. 2001): 78.

TDNet TDNET – a database itself that answer: Which database has magazine xyz with full text

online, and what is date coverage … E.g.: Newsweek > EBSCO > by year with + sign >

Issues > full text of articles

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TDNET: e-journals in TexShare Databases

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Any articles relevant to my topic

Sample Topics How violence in TV programs influences teenagers Is the media biased in election coverage

Your approach Figure out 2-3 keywords from your topic Use 2-3 keywords to search two broad

databases: Academic Search Complete ProQuest

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Academic Search Complete

Articles Database - Full-text Sources: 8,000 journals … Subject Broad-based EBSCO Sub-Databases:

The Tab “Choose database” database profile

Academic Search Premier (ASP) General

Business Source Premier Business

Source of Databases: Click the Tab “Publications”

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ASC - Basic SearchHow violence in TV programs influences teenagers

Basic Search: Television AND Violence AND Teenager (Television OR Media) AND Violence AND

(Teenager OR adolescent) Future n5 fuel

= 5 words distance between Future and fuel search terms within 5 words of each other, any

order Future w7 fuel

search terms within 7 words of each other in order typed

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ASC: Advanced Search

AND

Why limit to search:

•Title field

•Subject field

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violence Television

And =

teenager

adolescent

Or = All

AND/OR: Boolean Operators

ORteenager OR

adolescent Retrieves any records containing either one of two keywords.Results >Results > go go UPUP

ANDviolence AND TelevisionRetrieves records that MUSTMUST contain ALL the keywords.Results Results > > go go DOWNDOWN

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Other features in EBSCO

Click “Help” Use online help to find a answer - What is symbol for TRUNCATION search?

Click “Folder” and “Add” Save to disk Email article to yourself

“Limit your results” features

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ProQuest – article databases

Articles: subject broad, across all subject areas

Access to periodical articles Sources: 5,500 journals, magazines, newspapers from at least 1992 to the present with some backfiles to 1971 Full text for more than 2,000 titles Search Interface:

Basic Search vs. Advanced Search Advanced Search: AND, ORAND, OR already there

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ProQuest – ExerciseSample Topic: Use ProQuest

Is the media biased in election coverage?

Step 1: keywords, keywords, keywords You can pick up natural words / concepts from

your topic Step 2: combine keyword with

Boolean Operators Click this Link to see how to do …

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Truncation Use the truncation character, *, to find

documents containing several words with the same root. The * replaces zero or more characters at the end of a word.

* = Truncation character used in ProQuest

Examples: Type educat* to find educator, educated,

and education. School* = school, schools, schooling, Immigra* = Immigrant, Immigrants,

Immigration … Click “help” > Type “truncation” > link

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ProQuest – Exercise

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Other Useful DatabasesNewsBank (full text) Newspaper Index &

articles San Antonio Express News

Gale Database click here All Gale Literature Databases

Contemporary Authors >> Hemingway, ernest Contemporary Literary Criticism

Hemingway (By Critic Michael Reynolds, also in CLC Vol. 80, p.145)

Literature Resource Center Scribner Writers Series Online, Twayne's Authors

Online   Click > Title search: For whom the bell tolls Check the box –

Any words entered >> 20 hits Exact title >> only 2 hits found

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Gale Database

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Summary If you have an article citation / reference

Check TDNET What database has the online journal publishing that

article I’m looking for?

If you only have your topic Figure out 2-3 keywords for search Search two bigs - ProQuest / EBSCO

Basic vs. Advanced Search Use Advanced Search > choose And / Or … Use field pull-down menu > choose Title / subject

field Use truncation character, like this - *

School* = school, schools, schooling

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