- What is a subscription database?
- Why should I use one?
- How do I search for information on my topic?
- What is a keyword?
- What’s a subject / descriptor / specialized vocabulary?
- What do I do if I get too much?
- What do I do if I get too little?
What is a subscription database?
Information gathered and written by experts that is put into electronic format – Bunker Hill then buys a subscription to these databases. Even though you get to a subscription database through the World Wide Web, they’re different from plain websites. Bunker Hill buys a subscription to these databases because they have information like journal articles and encyclopedia entries that has been published in various reliable sources.
Why should I use one?
Anyone can put up a website – Google cannot tell you what’s reliable and what’s not. Since the information in subscription databases has been published, that information has gone through a reviewing and editing process. At some point in time, the author of that information was paid for their work – we expect the author of that information to know what they’re talking about. Most of the information in these subscription databases is NOT available through the World Wide Web. If you go to Lexis.com, they’ll ask you for a password or money before you can search their information.
How do I search for information on my topic?
Use keywords – the words that represent your topic – and pay attention to the vocabulary and subjects that you encounter on your search. When you start a search, sometimes you’re not that familiar with the special vocabulary of that field. Think of as many words as you can that represent your topic and see where they take you. As you find books and articles, note which words people use to talk about your topic.
What is a Keyword?
Any word association with the book or article. It could be a word in the author’s name, in the title of the book, in the publisher’s name, or in the full-text of the article. Keyword search tips can be found @ http://www.noblenet.org/bhcc/keywordfront.doc
What’s a subject / descriptor / specialized vocabulary?
What the article or book is actually about. Sometimes books or articles have titles that don’t have a lot to do with what they’re actually about. Subjects (also known as descriptors or specialized vocabulary) are assigned to a book or article to represent the subject of that books or article. In other words, searching for the keyword PLAY might get you books where the author or publisher’s name includes the word PLAY. Maybe you’ll find books on professional sports with the word PLAY in the title. However, if you’re only interested in books on how young children use PLAY in mental development, try looking for PLAY as the subject of the book.
What do I do if I get too much?
Use more keywords and try specialized vocabulary or subjects. Often the problem is too much information, so be as specific as you can in describing your topic. Try using whatever subject searching is available – this will make your search much more targeted.
What do I do if I get too little?
- Try synonyms. Maybe people use slightly different ways to talk about your topic. If you can’t find anything using “experimenting on animals”, try words that have a similar meaning like “animal rights”, “lab animals”, or “animal testing.”
- Try broader subjects. Especially when looking for books, try using words that describe the next larger topic. If you can’t find a whole book on “ginseng”, try looking for books on “alternative medicines” or “herbal remedies.”
Don’t just learn how to use one database, learn how to use databases
- These things change all the time – it will look different next week!
- Think about what’s going on behind the scenes – databases are very powerful but not necessarily all that smart
What are some skills we can transfer from database to database?
- Training ourselves to look at scope, content, and organization
- Knowing the difference between keyword searching and specialized vocabulary
- Even if you browse and are just looking around, pay attention to vocabulary and sources – every field (from nursing to web development to record producing) has its own vocabulary and its own experts
- Knowing the basic logic behind search strategies (Boolean operators, truncation, proximity)
- Taking the time to investigate help files, limiters, and special features; this gives you a sense of what most databases do
- Don’t get caught up in looking for one special button, think in terms of the function you want to do and look around – try to find terms and pictures that relate to that concept
- Finally, remember that electronic databases usually offer special features specific to their own source; don’t automatically transfer a search rule from one database or search engine to another without checking to see if and how it applies to the tool you are currently using.