Information from the Internet is unstable. Results are from scholarly publishers and authors.Ĭan limit by document type (pdf, doc) and source (gov, org, com)Ĭan limit by date, document type, language, format, peer reviewed status, full text availability, and more. Information can be biased, untrue, or irrelevant.ĭatabases focus on specific subjects. Lots of “noise” because there are no subject headings assigned. Most articles are scholarly and peer-reviewed. Results are not always scholarly.Īuthority/credentials are guaranteed. Searching a Library database is different from searching the Internet.Īcademic Search Premier, JSTOR, ScienceDirectĪnyone can publish and anyone does. Other databases will only provide abstracts, or summaries, of articles or books.
Some databases are full text, where they provide the complete text of works such as articles or books.
Each database contains thousands of articles published in many different journals, allowing you find relevant articles faster than you would by searching individual journals. A research database is where you find journal, magazine, and newspaper articles. A database is a searchable collection of information.