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CIS Secondary Library: Sciences

Sciences

Research Database FAQs

What is a Research Database?

  • A Research Database provides access to reliable, accurate, and credible information from expert resources.

What will I find in a Research Database?

  • articles from magazines, newspapers, and scholarly journals
  • articles from reference books
  • primary documents
  • radio and television transcripts
  • literature, poetry, plays
  • literary criticism
  • groundbreaking scientific research
  • and the list goes on and on…

Does a Research Database source count as a print resource?

  • Typically, yes. Even if you are told you “must find a print resource,” you can use the database results because the results are digitised versions of published materials. Just pay attention to the results you find.

What is different between search results in a Research Database and a search engine such as Google?

  • You will find information on databases that is not freely available on the web.
  • Any schmuck can publish something on the web and claim to be an expert; a database eliminates the doubt you may have about the expertise or authority of a resource.