1. Go to Quick Links on the library website and choose databases. You can then search for a specific database if you know what you need or you can use the drop down to find one in your research area.
2. You can use the research guides to find tips on searching in your specific area. If you are doing a paper on how college life impacts mental health, perhaps a psychology subject guide is a good place to start.
3. Ask me if you have questions and we can brainstorm together!
4. A good place to look for different kinds of sources is the library catalog. Databases will also be very useful and you can find many options here.
What is a database?
A database is a collection of information. It is essentially a library catalog: a curated set of information. Databases can be difficult to search at times, but they will give you free and specific results in a way that Google will not.
If you are searching in Google for "freshman," you will get so much information. Some of it will be social media posts, some will be news articles, some will be ads for shoes or clothes, some will be peer-reviewed articles (scholarly articles). If you search a database, you will only get what you ask for: that will usually be peer-reviewed articles, although you might want news or images, in which case you can go to a database that will give that to you.
There are three kinds of database:
1. General: These databases include all sorts or sources from all kinds of disciplines. JSTOR is a good example of a general database: it has mostly articles, but some books and images on a variety of topics.
2. Subject Specific: These databases are for one specific discipline.
3. Source Specific: These databases have only one kind of source. For example, Access World News will give you news. Some databases will give you just images.
