In Information Sources you began expanding your search from Google to your library's academic resources. Once you've gained a broad overview of your topic using the library catalog, you are ready to explore more deeply using research databases.

Databases

Databases are used by libraries to organize and access electronic materials from published works. When you search a database you are searching within publications that have been made available electronically. Unlike what you might find when you conduct a Google search, materials found in the library's research databases have gone through the publication process, so you can be confident that the information is reliable.

What information are you searching with a database? A database searches within publications that the library subscribes to. Search results might include the full text orabstracts of materials, such as articles from journals and magazines, book chapters, images, and statistics.

What research task is this information source good for? Use databases to look for more specific, in-depth information on your topic, such as literary criticism or empirical studies.

The University at Albany Libraries have hundreds of different research databases that are available for you to search. So how do you decide which one to use? Consider what subject area your topic falls under. While some databases cover a wide range of topics, others include materials that are focused on a certain discipline. There are also some databases that contain materials of a certain format, like newspapers, e-books or dissertations.

Now let’s take a closer look inside a research database. Watch the following video to learn more (best viewed in full screen with captions on).

1.) Imagine that you are doing a project on “technology in the classroom.” You are specifically interested in researching the impact that this technology has on the student learning experience. Locate the link to the databases on your library’s home page; then answer the following two questions.

a) Looking at a list of the library’s research databases, identify a subject area that might be appropriate for this research task. Then identify a database listed under that subject area that you would use to research this topic.

b) Now imagine that you want to find a newspaper article in order to get a sense of the most recent news on this topic (perhaps a local story or interview). Using the library's database finder, name a database that would be helpful for this research task.

2.) Pick a research database from your library and explore it using a topic that you are researching or working on in class.

a) List the name of the database you chose.

b) Explore the list of publications that are available in this database. List the titles of two publications that are included in this database.

c) What types of materials are available (newspapers, academic journals, etc)? Identify two source types that the database provides access to.