of Database Searching workshop for Ruby Certificate presented by: Theresa Mastrodonato February 20, 2007

GOALS- What You Should Come Away With Understand the types of databases that can be searched Be able to go from broad to specific search terms Understand the difference between a keyword and subject search Be able to use advanced search screens Understand how to read citations in different databases

A is for Access How do I best access the resources available? What should I look at first?  Multi-disciplinary vs. Subject specific databases  Citation vs. Abstract vs. Full-Text databases

Which Should I Use? Multi-disciplinary databases:  Provide information on a lot of different subjects  Large number of subjects – not a lot of in-depth information Subject Specific databases  Provides information on one specific subject  Lots of in-depth information available

Multi-disciplinary or Subject Specific? ProQuest Research Library Anthropological Index Online JSTOR CINAHL PSYCINFO GeoBase

Types of Databases Citation Abstracts Full-Text

Citation Search limited to a small number of fields Provides only basic information about the article/work  Author, title of article, title of journal, year….  Provides no information about what the article is about  In order to find the article, you have to search the library for it

Abstract Larger number of fields to search for term Provides more information about the article  Author, title of article, title of journal, year  Abstract which tells what the article is about Many allow you to click on Find Text button to help find the article

Full-Text Largest number of fields to search for term  Including searching the full text article Provides the most information about the article  Author, title of article, title of journal, year  Abstract which tells what the article is about  Full-text article may be available to view/download  Find Text button available for those that are not full-text

B is for Be Specific Think about the best search terms before using the database will help you get the best results. Important to narrow down a search Narrow search terms by using BOOLEAN operators, truncation, wildcards

Think About the Best Search Words Think about your topic – what words describe your topic Come up with some search terms you think might work for your topic Think of other words that people may use for the same idea you are working on.  teens – young adults – adolescents  kings – monarchs – pharaoh

Broad to Specific Once you have your search terms see if they can be narrowed down even more. Find unique terms that may help narrow your search even further Use the suggestions provided by the database to narrow your search down further

BOOLEAN Operators AND: Both terms have to be in the result  milk and butter OR: Either one or both terms are in the result  milk or butter NOT: Do not want the term in the result  Milk not chocolate want milk but not chocolate milk OR NOT

Truncation/Wildcards Databases allow you to truncate a word that you want to search on to get more than one form of the word.  teen* --- will also give teens, teenager, teenagers  parent*---will also give you parents, parenthood, parenting Databases also allow you to use wildcards to get variant forms of a word  wom?m---will give you woman or women

C is for Choose Subject vs. Keyword searches Basic vs. Advanced searches

Keyword vs. Subject – Is One Better Than the Other? A keyword search looks for your search terms anywhere in the citation, abstract, or full-text. A subject search looks only in the list of subject headings that describe the major focus of the article.  These are assigned by the database.  Both subject and keyword searches may provide results that are relevant to your information needs

Basic (Simple) vs. Advanced Searches – Is more better? Basic searches  Smaller number of options to limit searching Advanced searches  More options to narrow your search  Can search by author, title, etc. Advanced searches allow you to narrow the focus of your search even further to find the best results available.

D is for Decipher the Citations Can you read them? Citations should include:  Author of article  Title of article  Title of journal  Volume and/or issue number of journal  Page numbers of the article  Date of journal article is found in

Don’t Stress About the Database Interface Even though the interface may be different for each online database you use, the same basic search selections should be available:  You should be able to search by keyword or subject  You should be able to narrow down your search (by date, scholarly/academic)  Use the tools learned here to decipher the citations

Can You Find It? MUST use Academic Search Premiere Find an article on Google and YouTube that talks about The Simpsons. Image from: Photo-Gallery/The-Simpsons-Family.htmhttp://tvcomedies.about.com/od/thesimpsons/ig/The-Simpsons- Photo-Gallery/The-Simpsons-Family.htm

A is for Access Make sure you know the different types of databases and how to get the information about the article from each one. B is for Be Specific Be as specific as you can in your search terms. This will help narrow your results to the most relevant information. C is for Choose Make sure you choose the correct search fields (subject vs. Keyword) to get the most relevant results. Choose advanced searches over basic to narrow your results even more.

Questions????? Please see a reference librarian for any help you may need searching for books or articles. We are here to help you find the information you need to complete your assignments. Visit us at the reference desk, us, call us, or schedule and in-depth research consultation.