Why use them?
A collection of information that is organized so that it can be easily accessed, managed, and updated Information in a database may be general or subject/type specific Databases are often created and provided for a fee Information in a database is selected for inclusion
Database Free Web Most college-level research resources are not available on the Free Web. Ability to refine your search Most provide citations for the source One-stop-shopping with the ability to print, , save, bookmark, cite sources, limit searches, type of material, reading level, etc. Reliable and valid information A lot of search returns are not of a college- level research quality Limited ability to refine your search Citations are often not provided or not to current standards. More time consuming with limited ability for printing, saving, citing Information is not always reliable or valid
SDOHS pays for 5 databases The Arizona State Library provides databases for free to all Arizona residents The databases our school pays for and the Arizona State Library pays for are accessible from the SDOHS’s Library website – select MEDIA CENTER from the main menu
Databases are keyword searchable ◦ Keywords are just that, they are “key” to retrieving information ◦ List several keywords you might use to search for information before you begin Use Boolean searching to increase and to limit your searches ◦ AND, OR, NOT (think of pizza) Take advantage of a databases options for refining a searchhttp://sdohs.dvusd.orghttp://sdohs.dvusd.org
Determine how many returns you have Refine your search if necessary Review the abstracts to see if the source provides the information you want , print, save and cite the sources you want to use
What is a database? Why would you want to use a database? How to you get to the databases available to you? What are words called that you use to search for information? What is a Boolean search? If your search results in too many returns, what should you do?