Article Databases
Refers to entries from scholarly journals, trade
publications, general magazines, and newspapers
Advantages
Currency!
Specificity
Shorter than books
Searchable full-text in databases
Disadvantages:
Very specific (often no basic or background information)
Sometimes too general (newspaper article)
Sometimes too advanced (scholarly articles)
Like books, articles are required for most academic
research projects
Articles in a database are the online versions of print
periodicals
Library Home Page > Article Databases
General / Multi-Subject: Lists the largest, most comprehensive
full-text resources
Best place for most students to start research
Includes information sometimes not found in subject specific databases
Subject: Lists resources associated with an academic discipline or
area of research
Go to these once the General / Multi-Subject databases have been
searched
Alphabetical: Lists all DSU Library electronic resources in
alphabetical order
Use this list if you have been referred to a specific database
Collections of articles
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more
purposes, usually in digital form
Full-text: contains full-text of all articles
Some articles may still be difficult to find because of an embargo
(or moving wall)
Last 12 months unavailable online
Index only: contains no full-text, only basic information about
an article (title, author, title of publication, date of publication,
abstract (which is a brief description of an article’s contents))
Mix: mixture of articles that are full-text and index only
Large databases that contain information on a wide
variety of topics
General magazine articles
Scholarly journal articles
Newspaper articles
Full-text and citation only
Links to full-text articles in other databases
Best place for college students to start their research
EBSCOhost format most common
Academic Search Premier (ASP) includes a wide mixture of
Scholarly and general (or popular) articles
Full-text and index only articles (some with linked full-text)
Can be searched alone or with other databases
ASP + MasterFILE Premier (MFP) (general or popular
magazines and a few newspapers)
ASP + MFP + Business Source Premier (BSP) (large collection
of business publication in a variety of areas and in all formats)
Go to Academic Search Premier (either alone or with other
databases)
Search options
Find all my search terms (searches like Google, Bing, or Yahoo!)
Searches full-text of articles (not just citations and abstracts)
Apply related words (a search for the term color will include plurals
(colors), alternate spellings (colour), and exact synonyms (hue)
Can eliminate any of these expanders for more specific results
Make sure you have pop-up blockers turned OFF if you’d like
to use the “check for full-text” feature
Click on title to access article or more information
about article
Title (title of article)
Author(s)
Affiliations (if available) listed below
Click on author’s name to find other publications
Source: title of periodical
Click on title for information about publication
Publisher
Type of publication (academic journal, newspaper, etc.)
Subjects covered
Description
Link to all issues
Source (continued)
Date of publication
Volume (usually corresponds to a year)
Issue (exact publication within a volume)
Pages
Number of pages
Added information (diagrams, charts, map,
photographs)
Subject Terms
Can click on any to search for more on that specific
topic
Abstract: brief description of article contents (not
necessarily a summary)
Learning to search Academic Search Premier can really pay
off. It is housed on the EBSCOhost platform, which also
contains 30 other databases. Once you learn how to
search ASP, you know how to search other great databases
as well!
Add items to your folder
From results list
From item display
Access folder in blue navigation bar at top
Print
Email (recommended!)
Save
Export (to EndNote Web – a citation generator)
Most relevant listed first
Can change to “date descending” to get the most
current
Listed 20 on a page
Can still narrow and/or limit results
Can revise search
Can refine search
Can perform new search
Left column (select and click “Search”)
Limit by type of publication
Limit by subject term
Limit to full-text (may eliminate many articles may have
“linked” full text)
Limit to references available: item has a bibliography
Limit to scholarly journals
Limit by date range (move slider)
Options:
HTML full-text (transcribed from actual publication)
PDF full-text (image of actual pages from publication)
Linked full-text (Project MUSE, JSTOR)
Check for full-text: Link Resolver (make sure pop ups are enabled on
your computer!)
Sorry, no holdings
Direct link to article if available full-text in one other database
Indirect link (“Content is available via the following links” – choose the
article, journal, or database)
Interlibrary loan!
Just like with books, you can order articles we don’t
have in any of our databases
1. Double check by using the Full-Text Periodicals List
to look for the title of the periodical (not the article)
2. If not found, order article through ILLiad
Linked on Library Home Page and under Article
Databases
The first time you enter ILLiad, you must register
You must enter your DSU ID number
Select a username and password that is easy for you to
remember
Enter all information accurately and completely
List where you located this citation (Academic Search
Premier, JSTOR, etc.)
Many articles will be available within two business
days
Most articles will be delivered electronically
Email tells you article has arrived
Log in to ILLiad
Download article (PDF format)
Save on your computer or storage device
Other General / Multi-Subject databases
ProQuest Newsstand
Combination of select newspaper titles (300+ titles)
Includes full-text, same day New York Times and Wall Street
Journal, among many titles
Includes regional newspapers (Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret
Morning News, Las Vegas Review-Journal, etc.)
Newspapers are published quickly
Newspapers are great for regional (or local) coverage
Not written by experts
CQ Researcher database includes one publication
(CQ Researcher)
Excellent place to begin research on current,
controversial, or “hot” topics
Each issue covers one topic in depth (25+ pages)
Includes an overview, background information,
pro/con debate, chronology, and further sources
Need a subject for your paper? Browse topics!
JSTOR (pronounced jay-store) is an archive of
scholarly journals
Good things:
Full-text, full run, wide subject coverage
Not so good things:
Embargo (moving wall) – no current coverage
No email delivery of content
Currently, the DSU library offers access to over 125
databases!
Databases are an important source of information, in
academic and in the rest of your life as well
In order to provide all Utah citizens with access to
authoritative databases, Pioneer, Utah’s Online
Library was created
With funds from public libraries, K-12 schools, and
academic libraries, 27 EBSCOhost databases are
purchased and shared, including Academic Search
Premier
Utah Academic Library Consortium
Because of the special needs of college and university
libraries, additional resources are purchased as a group
Includes specific resources to support science, health
science, and education programs
Includes general resources useful to a wide variety of
researchers at different levels in varied disciplines:
JSTOR
CQ Researcher
More!
Additionally, DSU purchases databases specifically
for the use of its students and faculty, usually in
support of an academic program. We’ll learn more
about some of these databases in the next module
Utah has an excellent selection of databases that are
accessible to all its citizens (Pioneer)
Utah academic libraries provide incredible database
resources to support teaching and learning (UALC
and individual institutions)
Pioneer, Utah's Online Library
Public Pioneer
School Pioneer
Academic Pioneer
(Utah public libraries)
(K-12 media centers in
(public and not-for profit
public schools)
accredited college and
university libraries)
Shared Resources:
Resources purchased together for use by all three user groups
27 EBSCOhost general, technical, academic, and children’s databases
Accessible to all, in libraries and at home
Additional resources purchased for patrons of academic libraries
Utah Academic Library Consortium
33 academic databases
Variety of disciplines and levels
Accessible to academic library users
Additional resources purchased by individual colleges and
universities to support individual academic programs
Dixie State University
Wide variety of 30+ databases to support general
topics, business, sciences, health sciences,
literature, philosophy, education, communication,
fine arts, performing arts, social sciences
Includes streaming audio and video databases
Accessible to DSU students, faculty, and staff
You’re now ready to take Quiz 3.
It’s located in Module 3. Although the quiz is open
book, remember that the Final Exam is not, so you’ll
need to actually be learning the content not just filling
in the bubbles.
Quiz 3 requires you to access and use the online
resources described in this module.
That may include accessing resources from off-campus, so be
sure to have your username and password.
If you have any questions or run into any problems,
please let us know.
Remember, working ahead is an excellent way to
succeed. The Final Exam is available all semester!