A library database is a collection of information that often contains a wide range of source types including newspapers, magazines, academic journals, and many more. Library databases allow you to access scholarly content, making searching for peer-reviewed content quicker and easier. Broome Library has access to over 200 research databases to help you with your research.
You may be tempted to use Google for your research, and while Google can be a helpful tool there are many reasons to use a library database instead.
| Fields | Library Database | |
|---|---|---|
| Credibility | Anyone can create a webpage, there is no quality control or editorial process. | Articles are fact-checked, reviewed by editors, or peer reviewed for accuracy. |
| Limiters | Few (if any) limiters leads to too many results, which means quality information can get buried and it will take you a lot more time to go through the results. | Databases allow you to focus your search results with limiters or filters. These limiters include limiting results by date, publication, subject, graphs, audience, author, and many more. |
| Cost | Many (if not most) journal articles are not available for free online. Instead, Google will direct you to a website where you can pay for the materials (that the library likely has free access for you). | Library pays for access to scholarly materials that are hidden behind paywalls online and you can use the Interlibrary Loan program to borrow almost any source the library doesn’t currently have. |
| Algorithms and Confirmation Bias | Search results based on what it thinks you want, algorithms, your search history, and location. This can lead to confirmation bias. | Databases base your results on relevancy and the criteria of your search terms and filters. This makes it easier to find multiple perspectives in your research and prevent confirmation bias. |
| Timeliness | Familiar search engine where you can search sentences or questions in natural language. | Not as familiar and you need to select critical keywords phrases, and concepts for your search strategy. You don't use natural language. |
| Search Language | Information is constantly updated and will include immediate and current ideas, news events, and topics. | Information is not as immediate. There are many news related databases but some of them materials won't be posted in a database until a few days after they source was originally published. |
Academic Search Premier is one of our most popular databases. To become more familiar with the database, watch the video tutorials below. To get the most out of these tutorials, it is recommended you open a new window in your browser and follow along with the steps.
Watch this 4:34 video for a brief tutorial and overview on searching Academic Search Premier. For a more in-depth tutorial, see the next video on this tab.
Video Credit: "Academic Search Premier: Brief Database Tutorial" by Broome Library licensed under Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)
Watch this 11:30 video for a more in-depth tutorial on using Academic Search Premier.
Video Credit: "Academic Search Premier: In Depth Tutorial" by Broome Library licensed under Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)
PsycINFO is one of our most popular psychology databases. To become more familiar with the database, watch the video tutorials below. To get the most out of this tutorial, it is recommended you open a new window in your browser and follow along with the steps.
Video Credit: "APA PsycInfo Tutorial (2020 Update)" by Middlesex County College Library.
Video Credit: "CSUCI Broome Library: PsycInfo Database Interface" by Colleen Harris for Broome Library.
Video Credit: "CSUCI Broome Library: Exploring PsycInfo Records from Search Results" by Colleen Harris for Broome Library.
JSTOR and ARTSTOR are our most popular humanities and art databases. They use to be separate databases but are now merging into one. Watch the video tutorials below to learn how to navigate and search these combined databases. To get the most out of this tutorial, it is recommended you open a new window in your browser and follow along with the steps.
Video Credit: "Intro to JSTOR with ARTSTOR" by UMA Libraries.
ERIC is one of our most popular education databases. Watch the video tutorials below to learn how to navigate and search these combined databases. To get the most out of this tutorial, it is recommended you open a new window in your browser and follow along with the steps.
Video Credit: "Database Tutorial: ERIC" by Meriam Library.
Communications and Mass Media is one of our most popular Communication Studies database. To get the most out of this tutorial, it is recommended you open a new window in your browser and follow along with the steps.
Video Credit: "CSUCI Library: Communication and Mass Media Complete (EBSCO)" by Colleen Harris for Broome Library.
PubMed is one of our most popular Health Science and Nursing databases. To get the most out of this tutorial, it is recommended you open a new window in your browser and follow along with the steps.
Video Credit: "CSUCI Broome Library Database Tutorial: PubMed" by Elizabeth Blackwood for Broome Library.