Better Searching in Databases

Databases are collections of computer records about a subject or for a specific purpose. The databases we subscribe to, in particular, are collections of citations to, abstracts or summaries of, and sometimes the full-text of journal or magazine articles, in many subject areas.

Databases provide information about or access to better quality materials; they often allow use of Boolean operators or other search tools, and may require a specialized vocabulary to find the best results.

Some examples of databases: Academic Search Premier, Agricola, ERIC, Medline, Sociological Abstracts, or PsycInfo. These databases may be under different software, depending on the vendors we purchased them from.

Searching in the various databases is only somewhat like searching the Internet.

The average quality of what you'll find is better. Many of the articles that you'll find will be in journals, which are scholarly publications. The author(s) will have done as much as they can to make their arguments sound and the data reliable-- although some people and some journals do better than others. You will have to use your own judgment and knowledge to determine the best sources.

Second, using Boolean operators [AND, OR, and NOT] to manipulate your searches will improve the relevance of what you find, just as in most search engines:

• AND between search terms focuses a search, by gathering material on more than one aspect of a topic, or relationships between aspects, such as the effects of something within a specific population, i.e., (children and television and violence) or (medications and aged and interactions).
• OR between search terms gets more material, and makes the search broader, since the software looks for either term, i.e., (neighborhood OR community). For another example, [(Ireland OR Irish) and tourism] found better articles for someone looking for the impact of tourism on the Irish economy.
• NOT limits a search by excluding the term after the not from the search (China NOT Taiwan). Some databases require you to use AND NOT, as in (China and not Taiwan).
  

The search vocabulary or terms used may be different. In databases, where you are searching within a certain set of materials, you may use similarly specific terms, but also their synonyms, antonyms, related terms, broader terms, and so on. Many databases have subject lists, subject headings, or thesauruses, to help guide you to the most common, correct or best terms for a topic. "Best" terms vary by database-- be sure to check for a thesaurus if you aren't finding what you expect in the database.

Many databases have other proximity operators, such as w/*, near and so on. The help pages for the relevant database will often list these and give examples of how to use them.

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