What is a database?
Databases are huge storehouses of discrete pieces of information that libraries subscribe to for use by their patrons. They costs tens of thousands of dollars (or hundreds of thousands in the case of some) and give you access to information available on the "deep web." This is all made possible by your tuition dollars and is a benefit of being a student at SCU. Today we will be looking at databases the library subscribes to that provide access to peer-reviewed, scholarly information related to anthropology and other topics germane to the theme of your class.
Activity #3
Keywords. Go back to your favorite "In the News" article from the Padlet.
Get out a piece of scratch paper and jot down 10-15 words that represent the essential and unique concepts presented in the news article.
Out of those, post the top 3 in column #3, ranked from most specific to most broad. Those are the words you will use to construct your search strategy in the database of your choice. These 3 words should represent the most essential and critical concepts of your topic as represented in your news article.
Activity #4
- Pick a database to try from the list below. They all will give you good results, but the articles contained in any one will be different because each one has a different set of data loaded into it.
- Construct your search strategy using the tips below and your top 3 keywords from activity #3.
- Search! Evaluate your results and pick a good article. For your assignment, you need 3 journal articles from scholarly journals. Let's get at least one good one today.
- Download the PDF or make sure to use the PERMALINK feature to post your article in column #4.
Database Search Techniques
Boolean search, asterisk, and quotes
- This is called a boolean search - you use linguistic syntax to construct a search by threading together different keywords with the connector "AND." This necessitates much more simplicity compared to Google, where you can just type in a question or a phrase.
- Put phrases in quotes, for example "southern border." This tells the algorithm to find that exact phrase, rather than the two words southern and border separately anywhere in the record for the article.
- You can use the * asterisk as a wildcard on the ending of a word. In the example above, I will get results with mexico, mexican, mexicans, etc.
Limit to Peer Review
- Most databases have an easy way to limit your results to peer reviewed journal articles. Look for the limiter on the left side of the screen in most interfaces.
Permalink
- Make sure you use the permalink to the article when you are saving it in your research notes - and when you are sharing it on the Padlet! Using the url from the browser bar will not work. That link will not work after about 15 minutes.
- Anthropology Plus This link opens in a new windowAnthropology Plus is the combination of two databases: Anthropological Literature from Harvard University and Anthropological Index from the Royal Anthropological Institute (UK). It is an index to journal articles, reports, and edited works in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, and folklore. Coverage is from the late 19th century to the present.
- Political Science Complete This link opens in a new windowPolitical Science Complete contains full-text for more than 520 journals and indexing & abstracts for over 2,900 titles, including top-ranked scholarly journals. The database has a worldwide focus, reflecting the globalization of contemporary political discourse. The database also features over 340 full-text reference books and monographs and over 36,000 full-text conference papers. The subject specific thesaurus contains over 17,500 terms to aid researchers.
- Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new windowIndexes and abstracts articles at least one column in length from over 544 different English language periodicals in the social sciences, which includes anthropology, psychology, sociology, ethnic studies, political science, economics, geography, urban studies, and more. Fulltext of articles are available from about 175 of these periodicals. Indexing goes back to 1983. Abstracts began with January 1994. Fulltext availability varies title to title, but may go back to 1995. Updated daily. For indexing of articles appearing prior to 1983, use Humanities & Social Sciences Retrospective.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new windowA multidisciplinary database providing access to more than 8,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. It also offers indexing and abstracts for more than 12,500 journals. Covers a wide range of academic topics including business, education, social sciences, humanities, science, & engineering. Coverage varies, with some publications going back to 1911.
- OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new windowThis multi-disciplinary database provides the complete content - indexing, abstracts, and full text - from six of Wilson's full-text databases: Education Full Text, General Science Full Text, Humanities Full Text, Readers' Guide Full Text, Social Sciences Full Text, and Business Full Text. Full-text articles from five additional periodical databases are also included when available: Applied Science & Technology Full Text, Art Full Text, Biological & Agricultural Index, Index to Legal Periodicals & Books, and Library Literature & Information Science Full Text. Indexing begins in 1982, abstracts in 1984, and full-text coverage in 1994. Updated daily.