The Best Resource for My Topic
Strategies for Selecting the Best Database for Your Research
The Library has hundreds of databases for your research. Below are some steps to take to ensure you are selecting the best database for your research topic.
Break down your topic into subject areas and keywords.
Think about your topic for your project and ask yourself the following questions.
- What subject area(s) might your topic fall under?
- What keywords can you use to describe your topic?
Then write down the answers. Although this seems very simple, this information will be extremely helpful in developing your search and selecting resources.
EXAMPLE
Topic: Effect of Agent Orange cases on government health services for Vietnam veterans
What subject areas might this topic fall under?
Public Policy, Social Services, Medicine, and History
What keywords could you use to describe this topic?
Vietnam, Veterans, Vets, health care, cancer, Agent Orange, pesticides,
veterans administration, veterans hospitals, diagnosis, etc.
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Determine The Types of Information You Will Need
The type of information you need may affect not only what resources you select to use, but also your search strategy. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What type of sources do you need?
- Do you need primary or secondary sources? Popular or scholarly publications?
- How important is time in your research?
- Do you need "up-to-the-minute" information or are you looking for materials that cover a specific time period?
- How important is place in your research?
- Are you looking for materials covering a specific geographic area or that were published in a certain place?
- What languages do you need material in?
- Is reading documents in their original language important for your topic? Can you read languages other than English?
The answers you have to these questions will help you determine if the resources you are considering cover the specific time, geographic place, or languages that you need for your topic.
EXAMPLE
Topic: Effect of Agent Orange cases on government health services for Vietnam veterans
Do you need secondary sources (publications based on research)? Do you need primary sources (original, historic sources)?
I need a combination of primary and secondary sources for my topic.
What format of material will most likely contain the information you need?
Books, journal articles from academic journals, government documents, newspaper articles, etc.
How important is "time" in your research?
All the materials should be at least from the late 1960s, when Agent Orange was used in Vietnam.
But most secondary sources would probably need to be recent to understand the full-impact and current situation..
How important is place in your research?
Probably not as important as the other factors.
What languages do you need material in?
English-language materials only.
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Selecting Your Resource
The Library's Database Finder and Research Guides by Subject provide detailed descriptions for each electronic resource that we subscribe to. Using the answers to the above questions, review the following parts of the description and ask yourself the following questions:
- What years does the database cover?
Some databases contain only newer articles, while others only index older publications.A few, like JSTOR, have an embargo, which prevents you from searching publications from the last five years. Understanding the coverage can prevent you from searching the wrong database for your needs. In addition, it can also help you determine whether you may need to search an earlier, print version of an index to find the articles you need.
- What type of materials does the database include?
The description of the database should also let you know what kinds of materials are included. For example, you can determine if the database indexes articles, book chapters or dissertations. Other resources may focus on specific types of publications, such as newspapers or theses.
- What subject areas are covered in the database?
The database description will also provide more detailed information about what subject areas are covered in the resources.
Using the information that you have gathered, you can determine what resources best fit your needs.
EXAMPLE
Topic: Effect of Agent Orange cases on government health services for Vietnam veterans
What databases should I search?
Sociological Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, Social Work Abstracts, PAIS, America: History and Life, Military & Government, PubMed, and ProQuest Historical Newspapers - Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal. Books would also be important for this topic.
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Getting Help
If you still can't determine what the best resource is for your topic, you may want to check out our Database Starting Points, which will lead you to the top article databases for your topic. Or, you can Ask a Librarian for assistance. We can help you determine what the best sources are for your needs.
