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Begin Your Research

What Are Databases and Why You Need Them

A Yavapal College student explains the benefits of using library databases for research over searching the Web.

Websites Versus Library Databases As Information Sources

                                 Reasons for Using Library Databases

 

Websites

Library Databases

There are ads

There are no ads

Materials can be written by anyone

Materials are more likely to be written by experts

Information may not be verified

Information has been checked

There is no guarantee info has been updated

Sources are constantly updated

Can feature any kind of writing

Features only writing that has been published elsewhere

Material has various intended purposes (to entertain to persuade, to sell)

Purpose is to provide information

Access is free

Access is limited to library members, and those who pay significant subscription fees

Articles may cost money

Once accessed, full article text is free

It may or may not be clear who the author is

The author is clearly named

(Palmer, E., 2015, p. 22)                                            © 2015 by ASCD. Reproduced with permission

Palmer, E. (2015). Researching In A Digital World. Danvers, MA: ASCD.

Paraphrasing

Definition: Rewriting in your own words.

Guidelines:

  • Rewrite from memory (Don't look at the original when you are writing your paper)
  • Use quotation marks if you need to use a direct quote
  • A paraphrased thought still needs to be cited.

The following is an excerpt from Information Literacy Instruction: Theory and Practice:

The Copyright Act of 1976 includes an exception to copyright holders’ exclusive rights, called, “fair use”, and lists four ways to tell whether or not your use of a copyrighted item without permission is legally acceptable (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). For ILI, the first factor, determination of educational as opposed to commercial use, is the most important part of the “test”. The other three test elements involve the type of copyrighted item, how much of the entire item you are using, and whether the copyright holder will lose income as a result of your use of his/her work (Grassian & Kaplowitz, 2001, p. 212).

This would be plagiarism:

The Copyright Act of 1976 included an exception to copyright holders’ rights. It is called fair use. There are four ways to tell whether or not your use of a copyrighted item is legally acceptable. The first is determination of educational as opposed to commercial use. The other elements involve the type of copyrighted item, how much of it you are using, and whether the copyright holder will lose money as a result of using his/her work.

This would be paraphrasing with citation:

Fair use, an exception to The Copyright Act of 1976, was created to outline ways it is legally permissible to use copyrighted materials without permission. Four components were established to determine fair use. The first component is that the material is being used for an educational purpose and is not being used commercially. The second component considers information about the nature of the copyrighted material. the quantity of the material used, and whether or not the originator will lose money if you use his/her material (Grassian & Kaplowitz, 2001, p. 212)

What Is a Scholarly Journal Article?

You are asked to find a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. What does that mean? Watch this video by Univesity of Washington Libraries for a better understanding of journals and peer-reviewed articles.