What is a database?
It is an organized collection of information that allows a user to search for a particular topic, article, or book. You can search for these in a variety of ways, for example, with keywords, subject, author, or title.
Information found through internet search engines such as Google are free, but the best information is costly. Library subscriptions are purchased because these databases contain scholarly peer-reviewed articles in periodicals (magazines). SRC library services pay a fee to database providers in order to access these licensed collections.
This link takes you directly to the psychology database when you're on campus.
Access is available to students on all SRC campuses and from off campus with your my.src.edu (MySRC) gmail logon. When prompted, select SRC gmail. You will be redirected to the SRC Single-sign-on (SSO) to sign in to use any of our online databases form off campus. For more information, check out the OpenAthens Libguide.
This short video demonstrates a basic search in Academic Search Complete.
For more information on database searching go to this Research Guide.
Abstract - Summary of an article or a book.
Attribution - The acknowledgment that something came from another source.
Bibliography - A list of citations for books, articles, and media sources used in preparing a research paper. Bibliographies on specific subjects are often found at the end of articles and books. The presence of a bibliography is one of the signs of a work of scholarship as opposed to a popular work.
Citation - Information which identifies a book or article used in your research paper. A citation usually includes author, title, journal name (if the citation is for an article), or publisher and place of publication (if to a book), and date.
Copyright - A law protecting the intellectual property of individuals, giving them exclusive rights over the distribution and reproduction of that material.
Database - A large collection of data or information organized into individual records to be searched by a computer.
Fair Use - Use of material in a way that does not violate copyright law.
Full Text - The entire article or book in a database is available for viewing.
Index - An alphabetically arranged list of names, places, and topics discussed in a printed text, with references to where they occur within the text. It is usually located at the end of a work. An index can also be found in eBooks.
Journal - A periodical published by an institution or professional society. It is more scholarly than a magazine found at a local newsstand.
Keyword - A keyword search looks for words anywhere in the book or articles record. Keyword searches are a good substitute for a subject search when you do not know the standard subject heading.
Peer-Reviewed - When scholars want to share their research, they seek to publish in scholarly journals. In order to publish in these journals, their work must be evaluated by experts in the field for accuracy, hence the term "peer review."
Periodical - Journals, magazines, and newspapers which are published at regular intervals.
Plagiarism - The reproduction of someone else's work and passing it off as your own.
Record - A collection of data about a particular item the library owns or subscribes to. The data for each article in an online database makes up a record.
Subject Headings - Words or phrases assigned to books and articles and used to index these items by topic.