Muchmore+Using+Databases

=Online Databases: excellent, reliable articles from newspapers, journals, encyclopedias, books, and more; gathered together in one place and accessed online=

Why should you use library databases instead of Internet websites for research?

 * ** Library Databases ** || ** The Internet ** ||
 * Paid for by the State of Ohio/Cincinnati Public Library so that you can have free access to scholarly information. || Some resources are free, but others require you to pay for them. ||
 * Content is evaluated for authority and accuracy. || Information is not evaluated for accuracy and may be incorrect, misleading, or biased. ||
 * Information is stable. || Websites come and go. ||
 * It is easy to find databases that relate specifically to your topic (and get connected to an expert if you need guidance). || The internet is a vast sea of information with no organization. ||
 * Library databases offer options to quickly limit or expand your search to find the articles you need. || A search engine (like Google) often returns an overwhelming number of results with no quick way to narrow them down or ensure they relate to your topic. ||
 * Articles from library database include the citation information. || Internet websites are harder to cite. You need to use EasyBib, which isn't terrible, but it's not as easy as copying and pasting a citation from a database article. ||
 * If you go to college or university, you will be required to use library databases for all of your research papers. College and university libraries have much more extensive lists of databases that they pay for. || College and university professors typically frown upon the use of Internet websites in research papers. You may even receive a 0 if you cite websites. ||
 * Don't believe me? Watch this video to hear it from someone else: @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIp5dIsr-go **

I. INFOhio Databases
A complete list is here: @http://www.infohio.org Click on "9-12" for a list of resources that are good for HS students to use. Consult the yellow bookmark for login information if you are using the databases at home.

**NEW** iSearch: Searches through almost all of INFOhio's online databases with just one search!!
Databases that will probably be helpful for this project:
 * Student Research Center gr. 9-12 EBSO
 * Click on Advanced Search.
 * Type a word in each of the search boxes, up to 3. For example: Chinese; Culture; Family. OR China; Footbinding.
 * Think hard about what your search terms will need to be to get the results that you want.
 * Try different search terms to see if you get different or better results using different terms.
 * Use quotation marks around words or phrases that you want to keep together, for example, "Pearl S. Buck" so that you don't get results about pearls or bucks.
 * Ask Mrs. Walker if you need help.
 * Scroll down slightly and MAKE SURE YOU CLICK ON THE BOX NEXT TO "FULL TEXT."
 * Once you have a list of results, go to the "Sort By" drop-down box and choose "Relevance." This will arrange the results from most relevant to least relevant.
 * Skim through the descriptions of the articles. If any look like they are relevant to your topic, click on the titles and the full text of the articles will be displayed. Read through each article, taking notes/highlighting/underlining when appropriate.
 * RECORD THE TITLES OF THE ARTICLES YOU USED AND ANY OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION SO THAT WHEN YOU ARE READY TO PREPARE YOUR WORKS CITED PAGE, YOU WON'T BE FRUSTRATED!
 * To find the citations for the articles, click on "Save" at the top of the screen, then check the button next to "Citation Format," then choose "MLA (Modern Language Assoc.)" from the drop-down menu. Click the "Save" button, then highlight the entire citation under "Works Cited" and copy/paste it into your Word document titled Works Cited. Make sure your citations are in alphabetical order.
 * Points of View Reference Center EBSCO
 * Type a word or two in the search box, up to 3. For example: Chinese Culture Family. OR China Footbinding.
 * Think hard about what your search terms will need to be to get the results that you want.
 * Try different search terms to see if you get different or better results using different terms.
 * Use quotation marks around words or phrases that you want to keep together, for example, "Pearl S. Buck" so that you don't get results about pearls or bucks.
 * Ask Mrs. Walker if you need help.
 * Skim through the descriptions of the articles. If any look like they are relevant to your topic, click on the titles and the full text of the articles will be displayed. Read through each article, taking notes/highlighting/underlining when appropriate.
 * RECORD THE TITLES OF THE ARTICLES YOU USED AND ANY OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION SO THAT WHEN YOU ARE READY TO PREPARE YOUR WORKS CITED PAGE, YOU WON'T BE FRUSTRATED!
 * To find the citation for the articles, click on the yellow icon labeled "Cite" on the right side of the article. Scroll down until you find the MLA format. Copy and paste it into your Word document titled Works Cited. Make sure your citations are in alphabetical order.
 * Literary Reference Center EBSCO
 * **Use only if you have the topic of Pearl S. Buck.**
 * Type "Buck, Pearl S." in the search box.
 * Skim through the descriptions of the articles. If any look like they are relevant to your topic, click on the titles and the full text of the articles will be displayed. Read through each article, taking notes/highlighting/underlining when appropriate.
 * RECORD THE TITLES OF THE ARTICLES YOU USED AND ANY OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION SO THAT WHEN YOU ARE READY TO PREPARE YOUR WORKS CITED PAGE, YOU WON'T BE FRUSTRATED!
 * To find the citation for the articles, click on the yellow icon labeled "Cite" on the right side of the article. Scroll down until you find the MLA format. Copy and paste it into your Word document titled Works Cited. Make sure your citations are in alphabetical order.

II. Cincinnati Public Library
A complete list is here: @http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/resources/research.asp Choose a subject area to see all of the database options that are available in each subject. These databases are free to all Cincinnati residents who own library cards. You may use Mrs. Walker's card # if you need to. It is on the back of the yellow bookmark.

Databases that will probably be helpful for this project:
 * Opposing Viewpoints in Context Gale (from the CURRENT EVENTS subject heading)
 * Type a word or two in the search box, up to 3. For example: Chinese Culture Family. OR China Footbinding.
 * Think hard about what your search terms will need to be to get the results that you want.
 * Try different search terms to see if you get different or better results using different terms.
 * Use quotation marks around words or phrases that you want to keep together, for example, "Pearl S. Buck" so that you don't get results about pearls or bucks.
 * Ask Mrs. Walker if you need help.
 * You can see the different types of resources on the left side of the screen: **viewpoints**, images, videos, audio, **newspaper articles**, **magazine articles**, reference articles, **primary sources**, statistics, **academic journals**, and websites.
 * Skim through the descriptions of the articles. If any look like they are relevant to your topic, click on the titles and the full text of the articles will be displayed. Read through each article, taking notes/highlighting/underlining when appropriate.
 * RECORD THE TITLES OF THE ARTICLES YOU USED AND ANY OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION SO THAT WHEN YOU ARE READY TO PREPARE YOUR WORKS CITED PAGE, YOU WON'T BE FRUSTRATED!
 * To find the citation for the articles, click on "Citation Tools" on the right side of your page under the heading "Tools." The citation will pop up and it should be in MLA format. Highlight and copy/paste the entire citation into your Word document titled Works Cited. Make sure your citations are in alphabetical order.
 * World History in Context Gale (from the HISTORY subject heading)
 * Type a word or two in the search box, up to 3. For example: Chinese Culture Family. OR China Footbinding.
 * Think hard about what your search terms will need to be to get the results that you want.
 * Try different search terms to see if you get different or better results using different terms.
 * Use quotation marks around words or phrases that you want to keep together, for example, "Pearl S. Buck" so that you don't get results about pearls or bucks.
 * Ask Mrs. Walker if you need help.
 * You can see the different types of resources on the left side of the screen: **viewpoints**, images, videos, audio, **newspaper articles**, **magazine articles**, reference articles, **primary sources**, statistics, **academic journals**, and websites.
 * Skim through the descriptions of the articles. If any look like they are relevant to your topic, click on the titles and the full text of the articles will be displayed. Read through each article, taking notes/highlighting/underlining when appropriate.
 * RECORD THE TITLES OF THE ARTICLES YOU USED AND ANY OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION SO THAT WHEN YOU ARE READY TO PREPARE YOUR WORKS CITED PAGE, YOU WON'T BE FRUSTRATED!
 * To find the citation for the articles, click on "Citation Tools" on the right side of your page under the heading "Tools." The citation will pop up and it should be in MLA format. Highlight and copy/paste the entire citation into your Word document titled Works Cited. Make sure your citations are in alphabetical order.
 * Literature Resource Center Gale (from the BOOKS & LITERARY CRITICISM subject heading)
 * **Use only if you have the topic of Pearl S. Buck.**
 * Type "Pearl S. Buck" in the search box.
 * Look carefully at the tabs at the top of your page. If you're looking for Biographical information, click on the Biographies tab. If you're looking for analysis of the author's works (novels, poems, stories, etc.), click on the Literature Criticism tab. If you want overviews of the author's works, click on the Topic & Work Overviews tab. If you want reviews of the author's works and/or newspaper & magazine articles about the author, click on the Reviews & News tab. If you're looking for primary sources, click on the Primary Sources tab. If you're looking for videos, images, audio, or any type of multimedia, click on the Multimedia tab.
 * Once you have found an article, click on the Full Text or PDF button to read the full article.
 * RECORD THE TITLES OF THE ARTICLES YOU USED AND ANY OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION SO THAT WHEN YOU ARE READY TO PREPARE YOUR WORKS CITED PAGE, YOU WON'T BE FRUSTRATED!
 * To find the citation, click on "Citation Tools" on the right side of your page under the heading "Tools." The citation will pop up and it should be in MLA format. Highlight and copy/paste the entire citation into your Word document titled Works Cited. Make sure your citations are in alphabetical order.