•+Searching+Academic+Databases

Table of Contents
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 * Introduction[[image:picc.jpg width="515" height="114" align="right" link="• Searching Academic Databases#intro"]]
 * What Is an Academic Journal Database?
 * Why Are They Useful?
 * How Do You Use Them?
 * Final Ideas and Resources

Introduction
Before we examine the specific //what, why,// and //how// of Academic Journal Database searching, it is important to outline a few guidelines that lead to effective and efficient searching //in any online situation//.
 * Know what you are looking for. Always have your research question in mind and have a research plan
 * Understand the tools you are using and know why they are useful for your task
 * Familiarize yourself with search language and mechanics. This will allow you to tell the search engine what to look for
 * Continually evaluate your material and examine the connections between your research questions and the information retrieved

By recognizing and attending to these guidelines, you will be able to conduct more effective research. Searching is a dynamic process and it is often necessary to adjust variables in your search to improve results. Below are some general guidelines and tips for using of Academic Journal Databases.

** What Is an Academic Journal Database? **
Academic journal databases are searchable collections of scholarly articles, citations, periodicals, statistics, and books.

A plethora of these databases are available online. Some of the most widely used include EBSCO, JSTOR, LexisNexis and Google Scholar. Although they usually require a paid subscription, faculty, staff, and students within academic institutions such as the University of Victoria often have access.

Most databases include a variety of scholarly journals, grouped and categorized by subject. Although the content of these databases may overlap, it can be beneficial to explore the various databases to find the one that best fits your particular task.

** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">Why are They Useful? **
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">For academics and professional writers, there are some significant advantages to using online journal databases. > <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">The format and tools of online databases are all quite similar. Once a user has learned how to search one database, he or she will be able to use most others as well.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">They provide access to a vast amount of information in many subject areas
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">The articles are published and often peer-reviewed
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">They are relatively easy to use
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">The flexible and detailed search fields provide highly accurate and focused results
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">They include both older and up-to-date information
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">They are great for checking facts, looking up past cases, and getting background information
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Results often include statistics, citations, bibliographies and other useful links

==<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">How Do I use Online Databases Effectively and Efficiently? ** ==

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Before you begin searching, you should first choose an appropriate database. To find a database system that suits your need, ask yourself:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Which ones do I have access to?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">What type of journals and subjects are offered on each database?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Which database am I most familiar with?

A list of databases and their focuses can be found [|here].

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the following guide, the **EBSCOhost database** is used as an example. It can be found on the [|UVIC Library page] in the database drop-down menu under **Academic Search Complete**.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Step 1 - //Select the Appropriate Database(s)//
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">**a**) On the main search page of the EBSCOhost database, select the databases you would like to search within by clicking on “**Choose Databases**.'' Only select databases that are relevant to your research topic. This will help to eliminate erroneous search results.



<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">***Tip**: To read a more detailed explanation of what each database consists of, hover your mouse over the icons to bring up a description of each database.



<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Step 2 – Limit general search parameters
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Back on the main search page, limit your search by selecting some general limiting factors under the heading “**Limit your Results.''**



<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">***Tips**: Checking “**Full Text**” will limit your results to those which have a link to the full text document. Checking “**Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals**” limits your results to those which have been reviewed by academics, giving them a higher level of credibility.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Step 3 – Search
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">A) Choose the type of search you would like to perform: **Simple** or **Advanced** . Using the **Advanced Search** option is generally more effective as it allows you to customize your search parameters for more accurate results.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">B) Type your search terms into the search box(es).

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">***Tip**: The default number of search boxes is three. You don’t have to use them all, but you can add more by clicking “**add row**” if necessary. Using more words in your search can give you more refined results, but it may also make your search too focused.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">***Tip**: It is highly effective to designate specific fields to your search boxes. For example, if you know some of the words in a specific article's title, write them in the search box and select “**TI – Title**” from the adjacent drop-down box. This will limit your search to articles with that specific term in their title.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">C) Use the drop-down boxes to the left of the search boxes to apply //Boolean operators// - **AND**, **OR**, **NOT -** to your search. This allows you to customize the relationship between your search words.



<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">***Tip**: Boolean operators can be used to both narrow and broaden your search.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Selecting **AND** will provide results in which all words or phrases must be present. (Narrowing)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Selecting **OR** will produce results which have either word. (Broadening)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Selecting **NOT** will eliminate results that contain the word or phrase to which it was designated. (Narrowing)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Click [|__here__] for a more in-depth look at Boolean Logic and Search Language

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">D) Click the “**Search**” button to go the **Results Page**

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">**Step 4 — Sort, View and Save Results**
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once on the results page, there are a few things you can do to sort and review the results.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">First, it is important to change the results format from **Brief** to **D** **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">etaile **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">**d**. This will allow you to see the abstract description of each article directly on the results page. Without the abstract description, it can be difficult to know what the article is about.



It can also be useful to **Refine Your Results.** Checking the **Full Text** and **Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals** boxes will limit your results to full-length articles that have been peer-reviewed.



The **Add to Folder** option can also be very useful. This will let you keep track of the articles you have marked as useful for future reference.



<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">***Additional Tips:**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Clicking on the **Relevance Sort** tab allows you to sort results by **Date**, **Author**, **Source**, or **Relevance**.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you want to go straight into an article, click on **HTML Full Text** or **PDF Full Text** to view the article.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">In addition to the **Add to Folder** option, you may also want to consider using another organizational tool such as [|Diigo].
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the D**etailed View** of a particular result, or in your folder of selected items, you can **save**, **email** or **print** the records. (Note: These commands will save, email, and print the //records//, not the full text)

===<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">Final Ideas and Additional Resources ** ===

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Successful searching takes much practice. Not only in learning the search language and mechanics, but also in persistence and critical thinking. The most important factors in successful searching are the identification and articulation of your questions, the fine-tuning of your search parameters, and the organization of your search results.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Referring to in-text references and bibliographies is also a great way to find additional information on the subject you're researching. You can use the links found in references and bibliographies to search for further and perhaps even more accurate information.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">A few additional resources:
 * UVIC Libraries' [|Research Help]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Duke University Libraries' “[|Advanced Searching Techniques]”
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Purdue Libraries' “[|Evaluating Information Sources]”
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Purdue Libraries' Online Writing Lab: [|Evaluating Print vs. Internet Sources]

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">And a few great organizational tools:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Zotero: [|www.zotero.org]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Diigo:[| www.diigo.com]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Evernote:[| www.evernote.com]

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Good luck and have fun!**