Databases and Search Engines What is the difference and how do we use each tool to find reliable information??

Student Dictionary One entry found for database. Main Entry:da·ta·base Function:noun : a collection of data that is organized especially to be used by a computer Let’s start with databases. How do we define the term??

Reasons to Use Databases Databases are easy, fast, and usually full of very good information! Many articles in databases are “peer- reviewed” – this means experts approved the articles. Databases allow you to access information NOT found on the “free” web.

Colleges have many, many research databases. Although high schools often have a core group of databases, college libraries may subscribe to over a hundred subject databases which provide a wealth of information for academic research. Selecting which database to use is often a daunting to freshmen. Databases may contain magazine articles, journal articles, newspaper articles, encyclopedia articles, books, and primary source materials. College students need to know how to effectively access and search databases from their college library’s Web site. Students should also know how to construct a Boolean search and how to use truncation. Database searching is different from searching in Google. They must learn how to cite material found in databases. It’s essential for students not to rely solely on Google for their research. Students mistakenly think everything is in Google because they are unfamiliar with library subscription databases. Many professors will NOT allow students use non-subscription Internet sources, especially Wikipedia. Most professors will require students to use articles from databases and books. What do colleges think??

College students must know how to evaluate resources and to use the best resources possible. This is more than knowing the difference between.gov and.com. Students often select the first articles retrieved in a database search instead of scanning the abstracts and looking for the most relevant articles. Taken from: What High School Students Should Know

How do I know which database to use? Read the title and description, for example:

-NOT -AND -OR

How Many Search Engines Are There?

Understanding Search Engines

How do I evaluate information? Authority Accuracy Objectivity Currency Reliability

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