Searching Databases
"A database is a collection of information that is organized so that it can be easily managed, accessed, and updated." (Rouse, n.d., para. 1)
Databases will often be your best source of information when you are writing a research paper.
UDST has access to more than 80 databases, where you can find e-books, articles in journals and magazines, reports, statistics, and even video tutorials.
Searching the library discovery service, Summon - either through a simple search from the library home page, or by using the advanced search feature - will automatically include most of our databases, but there may be times when it makes more sense to just search in your specific subject area. Some databases, including LinkedIn Learning and Passport, must be searched on their own.
Searching in databases can take some getting used to. This guide provides some suggestions for how to search effectively, but be sure to ask a librarian if you feel stuck. We can help you to select search terms and to understand which databases are the best resources for your research.
Reference
Rouse, M. (n.d.). database (DB). In SearchSQLServer. Retrieved from https://searchsqlserver.techtarget.com/definition/database
Health Care Databases
The best way to find articles and other information about health sciences is to search in databases specific to the field.
A full list of the health sciences databases available at UDST can be found here, but they include:
- ProQuest Health Sciences Collection This link opens in a new windowSearch ALL ProQuest health sciences databases at once: Canadian Business & Current Affairs Database: Health & Medicine; Career & Technical Education Database: Health & Medicine; Consumer Health Database; Health & Medical Collection; Healthcare Administration Database; India Database: Health & Medicine; Nursing & Allied Health Database; Psychology Database; Public Health Database; Research Library: Health & Medicine; Science Database.
- PubMed Central This link opens in a new windowLife sciences and biomedical information. Includes journal articles covering medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, health care, biology and biochemistry, as well as fields such as molecular evolution.
- CPS This link opens in a new windowCanada's authoritative source for prescribing and managing drug therapy at the point of care. Provides health care professionals with online access to evidence-based, reliable Canadian drug and therapeutic information, helping practitioners know what works when. Please note: this database is restricted to 20 users at one time.
Database Tutorials
Many of our database vendors have created video tutorials to teach users how to search their databases.
Engineering focused IEEE, for example, provides video tutorials on its Resources and Help page.
Tutorials for effective use of our Knovel databases are found here, or follow the links to the Support Center on each database page.
Proquest (one of our major database vendors) has developed video tutorials for many of its products. You can find them at the Proquest Training YouTube Channel.
This video, for example, describes how to use Proquest's Ebook Central database.
