An introduction to searching Library Databases

How do you find the most recent information on a topic?

Finding the most recent information is important in the scientific disciplines such as medicine and nursing and this requires searching the journal literature where the most up-to-date information and research can be found. The quickest and most efficient way to search the literature to find recent articles on your topic is to use a library database which covers the literature in your subject area.

What is a library database?

A library database (or research database) most often refers to an online tool designed to help you find journal articles.

Journal articles from scholarly research journals are the most common items found on a library database, however databases also include references to conference papers, magazine articles, newspaper articles, book chapters or statistics.

Library databases often cover one subject or discipline area, for example, nursing and midwifery.

Most databases can be searched by typing in keywords about the topic you are researching, similar to when you search the Internet.

What is the difference between a database and the Internet?

The difference between a library database and the Internet is that a library database search will usually return you more relevant, and better quality, results (because you are already searching within a smaller set of specially selected articles about your subject area). Library databases can also lead you to free full text online because the library has already paid for the content on your behalf.

What is the difference between a library database and the library catalogue?

A library database has more detail than the library catalogue.

The library catalogue lists the titles of the books, journals, DVDs etc held by the library, and gives you information about their location. A library database can give you more detail about what is in many of those books and journals.

To make the most of your research you need to use both library databases and the library catalogue.

What do you get from a library database?

The information you get from a library database is called a reference or a citation.

A reference provides information such as the author, the year published, the journal volume and issue, the title of the article and an abstract.

Many library databases allow you to link from the reference or citation to the full text online.

Where do I find library databases?

The University of Sydney library homepage has a link to library databases by subject.

The name of the most commonly used library database for nursing and midwifery is CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature). http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/databases/nursing.html

For more information about how to search library databases you can: