SHAWNEE STATE UNIVERSITY ::

Research Strategies

:: The Library

:: Search Strategy

:: Topic

:: The Web

:: Scholarly?

:: Reference

:: Catalogs

:: Articles

:: Databases I

:: Databases II

:: Databases III

:: Databases IV

:: Quick Search

:: Evaluation

:: Plagiarism

:: Citing

Research Databases I -- General Overview
Use research databases to find online resources such as articles and citations to articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers; music in audio formats; photographs and graphical images of artworks; and online videos.

Research databases are "catalogs" of records of periodical articles and/or other resources.

Webpage to Databases

Research Database Restrictions and Off-Campus Use
The Library subscribes to many research databases. Although their use is restricted to the students, faculty, and staff of the university, you can use them from home by clicking the Off Campus? Click Here! links.

Choosing a Database
CML lists more than 275 research databases in our A-Z list, and most provide access to online articles and/or online graphics, videos, and other resources. To locate the “right” catalog or database, consider your subject and the type of information you are seeking. Make sure the catalog or database you choose covers the time period, type of literature, and/or subject you are investigating, and that it provides information in the format that you desire. You can find this information in the database description.

Research databases index articles from selected magazines and journals. Different research databases cover different periodicals.
Some research databases cover all fields of knowledge (at least superficially), while others cover very specific disciplines in depth.
Subject-specific research databases offer a higher percentage of professional and scholarly literature.
Some research databases index several types or formats of information — articles, documents, conference papers, chapters from books, pamphlets, and audiovisuals.
Some research databases offer only a particular type or format of information — only newspaper articles, only encyclopedia articles, only company reports, only definitions, only graphics, only online videos, etc.
Most research databases cover a particular time period — generally the mid-1980's to the present. Some research databases cover only historical (archival) literature.
Most Clark Memorial Library databases provide immediate access to online full-text articles; however, not every article in every database is available in online. If you do not see and "HTML Full Text" or "PDF Full Text" link, click (Find It) to check for online resources. If an article is not available in hard copy in the Library or in electronic full text, request it via InterLibrary Loan.
Most research databases are proprietary resources that CML and/or OhioLINK subscribes to; users must either come to the Library or be a part of a special group (such as currently-enrolled students) to use them.
No research database contains records for all the periodical articles. (And neither does Google!)
Since most research databases do not index the periodical collection of any particular institution, no particular institution or library consortium will have all of the articles cited in the database.
Because many different companies produce catalogs and research databases, you will notice differences in the screens, command keys, and functions. Guides to most catalogs and databases are available online. Look for HELP or SEARCH TIPS.

Academic Search Complete and LexisNexis
For basic research, the two research databases at the top of the CML homepage -- Academic Search Complete and LexisNexis -- are great places to start.

More Databases
To see the databases that are most useful to any particular discipline, use the "More Databases" link from the Library homepage. You can find more information about subject-specific databases by clicking the "Databases IV" button in the menu on this webpage.

Quick Search
For information about searching across multiple databases simultaneously, click the "Quick Search" button in the menu on this webpage.

To go to the next page in the Research Strategies tutorial, click Databases II.

Need Help?

Get help via IM, email (Reference_Services@Shawnee.edu), or by phoning (740.351.3321).

If you prefer face-to-face assistance, stop by the Clark Memorial Library Reference Counter or schedule a Research Consultation with a Reference Librarian.

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