Harold L. Drimmer Library Research Guides: Prof. Martucci ENG 101H Fall 2024: Find Articles in a Database

Tips on Searching Databases

Limit your results to Full-Text so the database only provides you with the full text and not just the citation.
If you want to narrow your results look for suggested subject headings to limit your results to that topic
Before reading the whole text of the article browse the abstract. The abstract is a short summary of the article and will help you decided if the article addresses your topic. Some databases also supply subject terms. These can be useful keywords to search.
Email yourself a copy of the article (there should be an email button near the article) to ensure you have a copy of the article. Any email address will work (it doesn't have to be your WCC email). Emailing the article will also include a citation of the article you can use in your works cited page
Keep in mind the type of source you are look at. Databases commonly provide access to newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals.

Types of Periodicals in Databases

Types of periodicals found in databases along with their characteristics

Newspapers: Written for general readers on a wide variety of topics. Published daily.

Magazines: Also for current topics, written for general readers with no background in the subject. Not as frequently published as newspapers but offer more detail.

Academic Journals: Longer research reports by specialists, written for other specialists. Can be quite technical. (Also called Scholarly / Peer Reviewed / Professional Journals)

Prof. Martucci ENG 101H Fall 2024: Find Articles in a Database

Tips on Searching Databases

Types of Periodicals in Databases

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