Finding and using databases While Library Search is a good starting point for finding information, some topics require comprehensive or specialised information that is only available within the Library s databases. This tutorial provides an overview of databases, guidance on accessing a database and an example search within one database. What are databases? Why use databases? Accessing databases Using databases Further help
Page 1 of 5 What are databases? Databases are online collections of information resources. While many databases contain collections of journal articles, others specialise in different types of information such as statistics, standards, newspaper articles, videos, company information, evidence-based information and law resources.
The University of Southern Queensland Library subscribes to a variety of databases, which differ by: Subject coverage: multi-disciplinary e.g. Taylor and Francis Online or subject-specialised e.g. Lexis Advance Pacific for law Region: a specific region focus e.g. Informit databases for Australian-specific information or international in coverage e.g. Academic Search Ultimate Full text availability: citations/records of information e.g. Scopus or mostly full text information e.g. HeinOnline Type of information: many databases contain electronic journal articles, however others specialise in different types of information e.g. Standards Online Premium for standards, Factiva for newspaper articles and DatAnalysis for company information. While databases are accessed online, most information sources within these databases cannot be found freely via Google. The University pays an annual fee for access to this quality content.
Page 2 of 5 Why use databases? Library Search provides access to a range of multi-disciplinary information and is a useful starting point for locating journal articles, books, videos and other information sources. However, as Library Search does not search across all of the Library s online resources, there are particular subject areas and specialised types of information that are not included or easily searchable. In particular, you should use databases for the following subject areas and information formats: Arts and Humanities e.g. music and historical primary sources Company and financial data e.g. SWOT analyses, industry or market research, company reports and financials Education e.g. psychological tests, curriculum materials and lesson plans Engineering and surveying standards Law e.g. annotated legislation, case law and legal commentary
Nursing e.g. patient education material, evidence-based practice guidelines and systematic reviews Statistics The sophisticated search features within individual databases are useful for in-depth and postgraduate research. For example, for cited reference searching and research methodologies. The Library s databases page lists key databases by subject area. Refer to the Library s Subject Support page for discipline-specific advice on which databases to use and advice on locating specific types of information for your field of study. Which of the following types of information can you find in Library databases? All of these options Newspaper articles Statistics and standards Industry and company information
Case law SUBMIT
Page 3 of 5 Accessing databases Browse the Library s databases alphabetically by name or by subject area from the databases option on the Library homepage. A link to the databases is also available from the Library Search results page. Access the databases area from the USQ Library homepage
Access databases alphabetically by name or by subject area The best database/s to use depends on your topic area and the type of information you need. If you re not sure where to start, begin by exploring a subject area s recommended databases. Click on a database name and then on Link to resource to access the database. You may be prompted to login with your UConnect details.
All databases are available for USQ students and staff to use on campus or online at any time from anywhere with an internet connection. A small selection of databases are accessible for general members of the public to use on campus in the Library. Example of the Chemistry databases page Activity Access the USQ Library website databases page and explore the databases available for your area/s of study.
Select your discipline from the Browse by Database Subject heading Select a subject area Click on the title of one of the recommended resources Explore the information available in the database!
Page 4 of 5 Using databases Identifying keywords to use is an important first step in database searching Searching for information in databases generally involves using a combination of keywords or search terms. It s important to plan your search terms and strategies before starting your search as the results you find will only be as good as the search terms you use.
S E A R CH ING R E FINING S E A R CH R E S U L T S U S ING S E A R CH R E S U L T S Brainstorm possible search terms including broader, narrower and alternative terms related to your topic. Consider using phrase searching, truncation or wildcards, connectors and/or proximity searching to increase the effectiveness of your searches. View Creating a winning search strategy for guidance. Databases often provide advanced (or field) search templates with options to search for terms in fields such as: Author Title Abstract (summary) Subject Some databases contain a thesaurus structure of broader, narrower and related subject terms. Selecting one of more of these terms increases the relevancy of your results as only resources categorised into that subject will display. Browsing through tables of contents, terms or topic structures may also be possible.
S E A R CH ING R E FINING S E A R CH R E S U L T S U S ING S E A R CH R E S U L T S Use filters or limiters to refine your search results, particularly large results lists. These options vary across databases but commonly include: A specific date range Only peer-reviewed journal articles [link to explanation within another tutorial?] Full-text only Within a specific publication or content type A geographic region
S E A R CH ING R E FINING S E A R CH R E S U L T S U S ING S E A R CH R E S U L T S Once you have found a useful result, check the associated subject, keywords or other terminology. Try additional searches with this terminology to locate related information. Journal article bibliographies, lists of references or footnotes may lead to other useful information sources. Manage the information you find by saving useful results. Some databases call this marking or tagging. This allows you to save, print or email details of information sources. This is important to ensure you have all required details for accurate referencing. Advanced features Some databases retain your searching history to enable you to rerun or combine earlier searches but this is often only for the current searching session. It is possible to create a personalised login/account within some databases to access features such as creating virtual folders, permanently saving searches and/or results, annotating results and creating search
alerts. Check the help area within individual databases for more information. The below video demonstrates an advanced search for journal articles by topic in a multi-disciplinary EBSCOhost MegaFile Ultimate database. EBSCOhost Advanced Searching - Tutorial
EBSCOhost Advanced Searching - Tutorial by ESBSCO Help [2:39]
Page 5 of 5 Further help For discipline-specific database help, refer to the Study Support page. Most databases also contain help sections that provide searching guidance. For more assistance, please contact the Library. Further help usq.edu.au/library
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