How can you search better? One way is to increase your understanding of the differences between:
- a web search engine (e.g. Google, Bing, Duck Duck Go)
- a stand-alone library database (e.g. Academic Search Complete, Jstor, Web of Science)
- a library-provided discovery service (e.g. Summon)
Search Engines:
Search engines such as: Google, Yahoo, Bing, and others find public information about people, companies, news, photos, and more. While they will find some scholarly articles, many are abstract only and others may be biased or unreliable.
Here are several scholarly, open-access search engines to begin your research:
(If you find a must-have non-full-text source, try finding the article in the library database or Interlibrary loan)
Library Discovery Search:
The library provides a single search engine which aggregates many subscription databases into an adaptable single search. This is a great tool to begin research on general topics and help you get started. For more specialized searching you should consider using specific databases.
Library Databases:
The library databases contain thousands of peer-reviewed articles, ebooks, videos, and more. These subscription-only sources are more likely to provide full-text, reliable, scholarly information with direct access that supports the university curriculum.