Internet search engines can be great research tools, but academic research also relies greatly on databases. (See sidebar: What is a database?) Consider the following questions when evaluating whether an internet search engine or a database will be the best tool for you:
1. Authority
Who created the search engine/database and what are their affiliations?
What is the reputation of the creator?
2. Accuracy
Where does their information come from?
What is the quality of the information they provide?
What selection criteria, if any, do they use in choosing the sources they index?
3. Objectivity
What is the purpose of the search engine/database?
4. Currency
What years does it cover?
How up to date is the information provided?
5. Coverage
Who is the intended audience?
See the box below to view a comparison of Google, an all-purpose database and a subject-specific database.
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Affiliations |
commercial internet company |
Gale, an educational resource company |
product of the American Geosciences Institute |
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Sources |
worldwide web |
journals, magazines, and newspapers from all major disciplines |
journals, books, dissertations and conference proceedings in the geological sciences |
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Quality |
varies |
published materials from reputable periodicals |
scholarly publications |
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Selection criteria |
none |
sources must be from established journals, magazines and newspapers |
sources must be from scholarly research in the geological sciences |
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Purpose |
quick and easy access to web content |
indexing of and access to educational/informational materials |
indexing of and access to scholarly research in the field of geology |
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Intended audience |
everyone |
students and scholars in a wide variety of disciplines |
students and scholars in the geological sciences |
A database is a compilation of information intended for the purpose of data management and retrieval.
Library databases are searchable catalogues which index books, articles, conference proceedings and/or dissertations. These databases often contain information that is not freely available on the internet.
