What is a database?
Answer
A database is a searchable collection of data or information.
In library research, a database is where you generally find academic journal articles, newspaper articles, and magazine articles. Databases enable you to search thousands of articles at once, instead of searching in individual publications. Due to the value of the information found in databases, access is not free to the public. Instead, databases require a paid subscription and are made accessible to students and faculty at a given college/university.
Nealley Library Databases
The 40 databases subscribed to by Nealley Library are organized in alphabetical order on the A-Z list of all databases. You can access this list from the library homepage by clicking "Find articles and ebooks" under the Research menu.
Database Characteristics
- Most databases include various resource types such as: journal, newspaper, and magazine articles
- You may find other resource types such as reports, newsletters, and eBooks
- Either focus on one subject (e.g. Business Source Elite) or are multidisciplinary (e.g. Academic Search Complete and JSTOR)
- Provide access to full-text formats such as HTML or PDF file
- Enable you to print, save, or email citations
- Might look different but have similar filters such as the peer-reviewed filter or publication date filter
- Are also called subscription databases, online databases, article databases, and electronic resources
- Can be used off campus, if you login with your Web Advisor and password