A library database is an online collection of organized and searchable resources, such as journals, newspapers, and videos. You can search databases to find the most reliable, academic information for assignments. This information cannot be found through the Internet (i.e. Google) because a subscription is needed to access it. Learn more about databases here.
Most of the library's databases contain academic journals with peer-reviewed research articles published inside. Journal articles are the most reliable and credible types of information you can use for assignments. Visit our guide here to learn more about peer-reviewed articles.
To access the digital (online) resources from off-campus, a login is required. The login is:
Search the library databases
Or access the LLC's databases collection through:
Watch this short tutorial to learn more about library databases:
The library's databases are structured so you can access all the items stored inside. Like a filing cabinet, fields are used to describe and organize library resources into files called records. When a search term is entered, the computer finds records that contain the search term in one or more of the fields. All databases share this structure but vary in appearance, the types and formats of the content stored inside, and the terminology used to organize that content.
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A search engine like Google only searches about 20% of all information stored on the internet. This is called the open web. The 80% of information not accessible through search engines is called the invisible web. This is where information owned by individuals or companies is stored, including library resources.
While it is possible to find scholarly sources on the open web, it can be challenging as many tools, such as Google Scholar,lead to websites with paywalls.This means payment is required for full access to resources such as journal articles.
For example,this article costs $20 to download on the open web.
The same article can be found in full using the library databases.
Read below to understand the difference between searching in the library and searching the internet:
Library Search | Internet Search |
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BOTTOM LINE:
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BOTTOM LINE:
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Library databases contain information in multiple formats - images, streaming videos, book chapters, and so on.
One of the most common formats in databases are periodicals.
Periodical refers to publications produced as an open-ended series at regular intervals, or “periods,” such as daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually.
Periodicals may be issued in print and/or electronic formats with a title indicating content that is focused on a particular subject area, audience, and/or geographic location.
There are 4 major types of periodicals: popular, news-based, trade/professional, and academic.
Type | Examples | Description | |
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Popular |
People; Cosmopolitan; National Geographic; Vogue; Sports Illustrated |
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News-based |
Calgary Herald; The Global and Mail; Time; MacLean's |
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Trade or Professional |
Advertising Age; Harvard Business Review; Nutrition Health Review |
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Academic (Scholarly & Peer-Reviewed) |
Nursing Philosophy; Journal of Business Communication |
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Periodicals typically contain several types of articles with varying purposes and characteristics
This means that academic journals do NOT publish ONLY scholarly, peer-reviewed articles. Other types of articles, such as editorials, commentaries, opinion pieces and interviews, are also published in academic journals.
Click below to learn about the characteristics of these common types of articles found in the library's databases:
Scientific, Peer-Reviewed Research Articles in Academic Journals
Theoretical Peer-Reviewed Research Articles in Academic Journals
Case Study or Case Report in Academic or Professional/Trade Journals
Editorial, Commentary or Reply in Academic, Trade/Professional, News-Based or Popular Periodicals
Opinion Pieces in Academic, Trade/Professional, News-Based or Popular Periodicals
Interviews in Academic, Trade/Professional, News-Based or Popular Periodicals
News-Based Articles in Academic, Trade/Professional, News-Based or Popular Periodicals
What is Peer Review? Peer review is a publication process based on peer evaluation that ensures contributions made to the scholarly community are based on accurate, reliable, and original research findings and analysis: To determine if a journal article is peer-reviewed, open the article and look for the key characteristics described below. For more help, use the How to Find Peer-Reviewed Articles guide. Source: University of California at Berkeley (n.d.). Scrutinizing science: Peer review [digital image]. Understanding Science. Retrieved from http://undsci.berkeley.edu/ |
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5 Key Characteristics: |
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Additional Clues (typical but not necessary): |
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Follow these tips to improve the quality of hits in the library's databases:
A “keyword” is simply a concrete word or phrase that describes the main concepts in a research question or topic. If you have used an Internet search engine, you are probably familiar with keyword searching. A keyword search:
NEVER type more than one or two words into a search box. Use Advanced Search for more search boxes to add keywords. To expand search results, drop the ending of keywords and place an asterisk (*) next to the root of term to find all variations such as the plural and adjectival forms: |
Generating Search Terms Tutorial
This video tutorial will show you how to find and generate effective keywords for internet or database searching:
Boolean operators allow you to connect search terms together to get more focused results. The most common are AND, OR and NOT:
Operator | What does it do? | Examples |
AND |
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youth AND drugs child AND development AND play |
OR |
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native OR aboriginal job OR career OR profession |
NOT |
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depression NOT economic crime AND London NOT Ontario |
When you use library databases, you will often get too many results.
In most databases, the left-hand or right-hand column of the search results page has many filters/limiters to narrow and improve the accuracy and relevancy of results.
The categories of filters and limiters include:
Here are two examples of library database filters: |
Example 1: |
Example 2: |
A field is used to “file” a library resource in the database. Fields appear on the database record and vary according to the format of the library resource. This is an example of a record for an academic journal article. There are fields for the article title, name of the journal (source), author(s), database, and so on. These fields are used to describe and organize the library resource:
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To narrow search results by field, choose from the drop-down menu next to the search box: |
The library has many different databases and most have this option. This is an example of the field drop-down menu in another database: |
A field search:
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In library databases, subject headings are a type of standardized “tag” used to index and organize resources on the same topic, regardless of the words used in the actual text. Subject headings are useful because they group under one umbrella term all the synonyms, singular or plural forms, and spelling variants of a given term so you do not have to search for every variation to find all relevant resources. Also referred to as subject terms or descriptors, subject headings vary depending on the database. A list of subject headings is typically provided within the thesaurus or index, which can be used to begin a subject search. For example, the Business Source Complete database has a link to its Thesaurus that provides the option to search or browse by keyword: |
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After searching by keyword, such as accounting, a list of subject headings pertaining to that subject is retrieved: |
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Another method of subject searching is by opening the database record. Often, the subject headings are hyperlinked. Clicking on one will retrieve all resources that have been indexed under that subject heading: |
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A subject search:
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