A database is a searchable collection of records referring to published information. To be precise, library catalogues and the Internet are both databases, but the library uses the term to refer to database products produced by external parties, such as EBSCO. Some databases are free of charge and others are subscribed to, on your behalf, by the FedUni Library.
View a demonstration of a database record.
The content of databases varies.
| Databases may contain or refer to: | Examples: |
| Statistics | AusStats |
| Images | Trove |
| Audio files | American Song (Alexander Street Press) |
| Annual reports | Business Source Complete (EBSCO) |
| Company information | Australian Standards Online |
| Case law | Jade |
| Standards | Australian Standards Online |
| Periodical articles | Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) |
| Television programs | EduTV |
At FedUni, databases provide access to a wide range of texts, including video streaming, conference proceedings, annual reports, cases studies, business reports, books, image collections and more. However, the databases we will focus on in this module are those used to identify individual periodical articles.
At the very least a database will provide basic bibliographic information including:
This is enough information for you to locate a copy of the periodical article.
In addition to these bibliographic details, some databases will provide:
Full text means that you will be able to view the entire article in that database.
Full text access can come in various formats. The two main formats are HTML and PDF.
| Format | Advantages | Disadvantages |
| HTML |
|
|
|
|
Use the tabs at the top of this box to navigate to further information on selecting and searching the FedUni Library database collection. The help sheets below summarise this information.
You can identify relevant databases by using the subject listing of databases available on the Library homepage via the databases tab on the library homepage. You can also access an A-Z list of databases that FedUni Library subscribes to.
FedUni Library subscribes to a number of databases, so it is important to know the best databases to search for your topic. The subject guide for your course can help you with this.
For example, in a database, a search for cheese might return tens of thousands of results. You would need to make your search more specific by using additional search terms or using a subject search.
Why?
A database usually searches the citation and abstract for your search terms. The returned results will contain your search terms, but often in the wrong context. This is less likely to happen if you use additional search terms or a subject search. Some databases also allow you to search the full text of the document for your search terms. By searching the full text of a document you increase the likelihood that irrelevant results will be returned.
The short video (1:09) below is part of our Researching Basics series, and provides a brief introduction to database use at FedUni.