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COM 255: Communication Ethics

What are Databases?

Article databases are tools you can use to find articles on a variety of topics. Some databases are interdisciplinary (they cover multiple subjects/topics) and some are subject-specific (they specialize in providing articles on a single subject). Use the tabs below to explore different kinds of databases, and use the Tips section to learn how to search in databases. 

Databases

Databases require a different kind of search technique. Instead of entering a long string of text, you connect your search terms using Boolean Operators: AND, OR and NOT. The diagram below shows the effect of using each of the Boolean Operators. The colored area indicates the volume of items that will be retrieved in each case.
 
 Venn diagram showing Boolean Operators

 

Google Scholar is a good starting point because covers many different subjects:    

VIDEO: How to set up Google Scholar (1 min.)

Note: If you find an article in Google Scholar and it doesn't link you back to the OT Library, you can submit a request to get the article from another library for free.  

Exploring a topic related to your major? Try a subject-specific database.

Click one of the links below to explore databases focused on your subject:

  BUSINESS

    COMPUTER SCIENCE

   EDUCATION

   MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

  HEALTH & MEDICINE

   PSYCHOLOGY

   RENEWABLE ENERGY ENGINEERING

SUBJECT DATABASES FOR ADDITIONAL MAJORS

How DOIs Work

A DOI, or Digital Object Identifier, is a unique identifier assigned to a specific article or document. It consists of numbers, letters, and symbols. For example:

10.3390/en15217997

DOIs can be written as URLs as well:

https://doi.org/10.3390/en15217997

Because the DOI is unique to the item it's assigned to, it can be used to look up and access articles. Some citation styles require the inclusion of DOIs when one is available for an item. You can also use a DOI to look up an article and see if full text is available for free on the internet from the DOI website.