Databases
Heather VanDyne
When exploring sources, most use some sort of database, a finding aid which stores and organizes information by topic, publication, or date. This is the digital version of print indexes and bibliographies. A scholarly database contains a listing of all accessible journals, e-books or periodicals a library has on record, similar to bibliographies. Some databases contain citation information and summaries known as abstracts, while others contain full text of their sources, or a combination of both.
The difference between databases, catalogs, & search engines
Search engines and library catalogs are often mistaken for databases, though they contain different types of sources and provide varied forms of access. While search engines can list websites such as blogs and social media, databases and catalogs offer listings of scholarly sources and collection material. A library’s catalog gives users a list of physical and digital materials within its collection, whereas a database focuses on digital scholarly sources, such as academic journals, book reviews, digitized news articles and can also contain video clips. If you are looked for peer-reviewed sources though, that can be found through both a database and an academic library’s filter feature.
Another major difference is that in some databases more than bibliographic information is shown. Databases can contain the full text of the source, the citation record and summary of the source (also known as the abstract), or a combination of both. Access is also determined by whether the database is open access (free to any user with no need to log in) or subscription-based. In academic institutions, database subscriptions are paid for by the college or university library to provide students and faculty the most access to research material at no additional cost to the user. However, there is an increasing push to provide openly sourced, peer-reviewed materials via platforms such as the Directory of Open Access Journals, the Open Textbook Library or through institutional repositories.
A database used for academic or research purposes, with most content being from peer-reviewed publications.
Publications that come out periodically (usually quarterly) and most often contain some commentary, reviews of scholarly books, and scholarly research articles that report new research or reviews of previous scholarly research. The reviews of previous research are called literature reviews and, along with the reports of new research, are generally the only scholarly portions of journals and the only portions that get peer reviewed. Many, but not all, journals are peer reviewed, which means that experts in the field assess the scholarship and contributions made by submitted research articles and suggest corrections before the journal will be willing to publish them. Each journal tends to be focused on a specific discipline or sub-discipline. Sometimes professional associations make the journals they publish available to their members. But most journals are very expensive, and for many scholars, it is libraries that make them available. While journals used to be print publications, today most are digital-only publications.
Digital books that can be accessed online.
any information resource published in periodic issues, such as a newspaper, magazine, or journal
A list of works, such as articles or books, about a specific subject. A bibliography may stand alone or come at the end of another work.
the entire text of an information resource such as a book or an article
Huge databases of web pages that have been assembled automatically by machines, based on algorithms controlled by humans.
A typically digital listing of a library's collection of books, resources, and other materials available to its users.
An internal collection consisting of research conducted by both faculty and students of an academic institution. This can include theses, dissertations, and pre-prints of published works.
Feedback/Errata