Database Searching

Siracheep Khondok

Librarian

Mahidol University Library and Knowledge Center

What are electronic databases?

Most of electronic databases are bibliographic. They contain details of publications (books, journal articles, conference papers, theses etc.).

Some databases also provide full-text articles (eg. ScienceDirect).

All databases are accessible on the web.

Database Searching

On-campus You can login by your University username and password. Off-campus http://ejournal.mahidol.ac.th or using Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Which database should I use?

Mahidol University subscribe to a range of databases: 3 subject areas

Health Sciences Science & Technology Social Sciences & Humanities

Health Sciences AAAS Science, Academic Search Complete, AdisOnline, Blackwell Synergy, BMJ Journlas Online, CINAHL, Clinical Key, ClinicalResource@Ovid, DAO – PQDD, Dissertations Full Text, EBSCO A to Z, Faculty of 1000, HighWire, H.W. Wilson, ISI Web of Science, Journal@OVID Full Text, Mahidol University Research

Databases, MDConsult, Medscape, Nature, Nursing Consult, Primal Pictures, ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source, PubMed, ScienceDirect : eBooks, ScienceDirect : eJournals, SciFinder (new web version, SCOPUS, SpringerLink eBook, SpringerLink : journal, SwetsWise, Thieme, WHO Publication, Wiley InterScience

AAAS Science, ACM : Association for Computing Machinery, Academic Search Complete, Blackwell Synergy, BMJ Journlas Online, CINAHL, ClinicalResource@Ovid, DAO – PQDD, Dissertations Full Text, Faculty of 1000, HighWire, H.W. Wilson, IEEE Xplore, ISI Web of Science,

Journal@OVID Full Text, MDConsult, Medscape, Nature, Primal Pictures, ProQuest, Nursing & Allied Health Source, PubMed, ScienceDirect eBooks, ScienceDirect eJournals, SciFinder, SCOPUS, SpringerLink eBooks, SpringerLink eJournals, SwetsWise, Thieme, WHO Publication, Wiley InterScience

Science & Technology

Academic Search Complete, Education Research Complete, Business Sources Complete, Dissertations Full Text, EMERALD, Hospitality and Tourism Complete, H.W. Wilson, ISI Web of Science, JSTOR, OCLC FirstSearch, Opposing Viewpoints, Resource Center (OVRC), ProQuest Digital Dissertations, ScienceDirect eBooks, ScienceDirect eJournals, SCOPUS, SpringerLink eBook

Social Sciences & Humanities

General Search Strategy

- Create a search statement using keywords - Use databases appropriate to your topic. - Use keywords and controlled language - Use Boolean searching - Change approaches (gathering information is not a linear process) - Use applicable keywords and controlled vocabulary to search in the new database(s) and other resources

Searching methods

- Basic Searches - Advanced Searches - Journal Browse - Controlled Vocabulary - Subject lists - Limits - Citation Search - Other Features Search within results Analyze results Search history Related articles and links

Database Searching

1. Keyword Searching And 2. Controlled Vocabulary or Subject Searching

Database Searching

General words : Introduction, method, etc.

Stop words : the, an, at, for, from, then, as, of, for, before, after, then, again, since, because, etc.

Database Searching Boolean Operators X AND Y X Y

X OR Y X Y

X NOT Y X Y

Database Searching

Wildcard ? wom?n ==> woman or women

TRUNCATION * agricultur* = agriculture, agricultural, agriculturalist

Phrase searching "foot and mouth"

Database Searching

Proximity Operators NEAR/n W/n Pre/n SENTENCE PARAGRAPH etc.

Database Searching

Limiting searches date language document type

Database Searching

Saving your search results Email records to yourself Save on to your network drive, memory stick, or on another directory on your PC Print out Export into bibliographic management software

Database Searching

Alert

Database Searching

Beall’s List LIST OF PUBLISHERS

http://scholarlyoa.com/publishers/

LIST OF STANDALONE JOURNALS

http://scholarlyoa.com/individual-journals/