Many high school students are unaware of the numerous online research databases that are available to them. As a OHS student, these databases can be accessed from any computer, not just within the walls of the media center.
You can access the list of available databases here or by accessing the "Media Center" tab on the left side of the OHS homepage.
We have access to a number of databases by the vendor Gale, which is made available to us through the state. Gale consists of a number of different resources, such as online databases, primary sources, newspaper digital archives, eBooks, and much more. For student research, this is a great tool for students to become familiar with, as it is widely used in college courses, among other database publishers like EBSCOhost.
Why Use a Database?
1. More reliable sources- someone already took the time to evaluate these sources
2. Some database entries already have completed citations!
3. Your search is likely to yield more relevant results, rather than searching through a search engine like Google or Yahoo
4. Searches produce results in more than one format (audio, video, text, etc.)
5. Free and accessible from anywhere!
Sample Search
If a student was doing research on Pearl Harbor, they could go to the list of databases and click "Gale Research Resources." This screen shows you what sources your search will browse. Some sources that are checked off are Academic OneFile, Biography in Context, and U.S. History in Context, just to name a few. If you search "Pearl Harbor," you see a very busy results page. I will break down each section below.
Content Types
This results page compiles various types of sources, all of which are characterized in the content menu. You can click just one of the content types to narrow your search. Some of the major types are:
-Magazines
-Academic Journals
-Books
-News
-Images
-Videos
-Audio
Limit Search By
If you are looking for more recent resources, you can choose to narrow your search by publication date, subject, document type, or by a specific publication or journal. You might consider selecting "Full Text" to avoid citing a small excerpt.
What Is a Peer-Reviewed Source?
One of the ways to narrow your search is to select the option "peer-reviewed journals." A peer-reviewed journal is defined as one in which, "Articles are written by experts and are reviewed by several other experts in the field before the article is published in the journal in order to insure the article's quality" (Angelo State University Library, 2016). There are some journal articles in which a writer can pay to have their articles published. As a researcher, you want to avoid these articles as they are not always a reliable source! Using a peer-reviewed source gives you the reassurance that this article has been carefully reviewed by experts before being published in this specific journal.
If we continue with our Pearl Harbor search, I am going to select "Academic Journals" and also click "Peer-Reviewed Source." As I scroll down the list, I will take note of the type of text (Review, Article, Report) to determine what kind of source I want to use. I find an article that sounds interesting titled, "Japanese Radio Denial and Deception and the Attack on Pearl Harbor." It was published in 2008 in the Naval War College Review. I click on Download PDF and I am able to skim the article and see if it is a useful source for the thesis I am trying to make.
If you don't find what you are looking for in one of the databases available through the school website, you could also access even more databases through the website for the Oxford Free Public Library. You do not have to be within the public library to access them! All you need is a library card so you can sign in with your card number.
Check out some of the other pages through this blog on APA, Chicago, and MLA citations!
You can access the list of available databases here or by accessing the "Media Center" tab on the left side of the OHS homepage.
We have access to a number of databases by the vendor Gale, which is made available to us through the state. Gale consists of a number of different resources, such as online databases, primary sources, newspaper digital archives, eBooks, and much more. For student research, this is a great tool for students to become familiar with, as it is widely used in college courses, among other database publishers like EBSCOhost.
Why Use a Database?
1. More reliable sources- someone already took the time to evaluate these sources
2. Some database entries already have completed citations!
3. Your search is likely to yield more relevant results, rather than searching through a search engine like Google or Yahoo
4. Searches produce results in more than one format (audio, video, text, etc.)
5. Free and accessible from anywhere!
Sample Search
If a student was doing research on Pearl Harbor, they could go to the list of databases and click "Gale Research Resources." This screen shows you what sources your search will browse. Some sources that are checked off are Academic OneFile, Biography in Context, and U.S. History in Context, just to name a few. If you search "Pearl Harbor," you see a very busy results page. I will break down each section below.
Content Types
This results page compiles various types of sources, all of which are characterized in the content menu. You can click just one of the content types to narrow your search. Some of the major types are:
-Magazines
-Academic Journals
-Books
-News
-Images
-Videos
-Audio
Limit Search By
If you are looking for more recent resources, you can choose to narrow your search by publication date, subject, document type, or by a specific publication or journal. You might consider selecting "Full Text" to avoid citing a small excerpt.
What Is a Peer-Reviewed Source?
One of the ways to narrow your search is to select the option "peer-reviewed journals." A peer-reviewed journal is defined as one in which, "Articles are written by experts and are reviewed by several other experts in the field before the article is published in the journal in order to insure the article's quality" (Angelo State University Library, 2016). There are some journal articles in which a writer can pay to have their articles published. As a researcher, you want to avoid these articles as they are not always a reliable source! Using a peer-reviewed source gives you the reassurance that this article has been carefully reviewed by experts before being published in this specific journal.
If we continue with our Pearl Harbor search, I am going to select "Academic Journals" and also click "Peer-Reviewed Source." As I scroll down the list, I will take note of the type of text (Review, Article, Report) to determine what kind of source I want to use. I find an article that sounds interesting titled, "Japanese Radio Denial and Deception and the Attack on Pearl Harbor." It was published in 2008 in the Naval War College Review. I click on Download PDF and I am able to skim the article and see if it is a useful source for the thesis I am trying to make.
If you don't find what you are looking for in one of the databases available through the school website, you could also access even more databases through the website for the Oxford Free Public Library. You do not have to be within the public library to access them! All you need is a library card so you can sign in with your card number.
Check out some of the other pages through this blog on APA, Chicago, and MLA citations!