Digital library database resources have a significant role in stimulating the research culture in higher education. According to studies, using digital resources makes it possible for students to understand intellectual growth, research productivity, planning, and the identification of user information needs. Over the past few decades, the higher education sector has gone through considerable academic growth, achieving research maturity despite a considerable shortage of facilities. Previously, the lack of updated literature and database resources slowed down the pace of scientific research.
Recently, however, the fast-paced nature of technological innovation has transformed the education sector, specifically concerning access to information. Today, there are many digital databases available to support scientific research in various fields. The emergence of digital tech has sped up the library’s subscription to journal databases, cataloging, and e-books. These have deepened the access to digital resources and extended the boundaries of academic research.
Evidence shows that access to electronic resources has immense implications for student performance. Learners need the information to support their arguments and create coherent documents. This article explores how to use online databases, library catalogs, and digital resources to conduct in-depth research for academic essays.
How to Find the Right Print Sources Online
In academic research, print sources include various publications and documents. Regardless of your research topic, you will be expected to use some print sources to offer evidence and examples for your writing. To use digital databases and libraries to find print sources for your assignment, you need first to identify the main concepts and terms you need to use during your search. Having the right keywords will simplify the resource search process and hasten your ability to locate the right sources.
When gathering resources, strive to create a balance of accessible, quality, and easy-to-understand sources and more complex and specialized material. If you create a paper that depends only on light books and articles designed for a general audience, your essay will have a limited range of useful and substantial information. At the same time, you cannot restrict your writing to information-dense and scholarly works, as the process of research will be extremely frustrating and time-consuming.
Use the Library’s Online Catalogue
After reading your assignment instructions, you will have a few keywords in mind. This could be based on your understanding of the topic or your preliminary research. Another helpful way to find keywords to facilitate your search for digital research resources is visiting the Library of Congress’s website. The page allows students to search for topics and see the related subject headings.
In the process, students can find related terms, broader terms, narrower terms, and related phrases. Other libraries will use these terms to classify materials. Learning about the most-used terms concerning your topic will make your keyword search faster. If you still find it hard to find sources on your topic, talk to a librarian or visit Essay org to see whether you can improve or modify your search terms.
Use Periodicals Indexes and Databases
Evidence shows that library catalogs can help students find book-length sources. You can also use the catalogs to locate other forms of nonprint holdings like DVDs, CDs, and audiobooks. If you want to find shorter sources like magazines and journal articles, you will need to use periodical indexes or online periodical databases.
These tools will help your research by indexing the articles that appear in magazines, journals, and newspapers. Similar to catalogs, they offer publication information about articles and allow users to access the article in full or abstract.
As you search for periodicals, ensure to clarify the distinction among the different types. There is a difference between mass-market publications like newspapers and scholarly publications like peer-reviewed journal articles in terms of audience, purpose, and accessibility.
While magazines and newspapers are created for broader audiences, scholarly journals mostly target students, scholars, and academics. The scholarly journals are more challenging to read but contain more accurate and relevant information. This is also the point to decide whether to buy an essay online. How to Find and Use Electronic Resources
Over the years, as technology has expanded, there has been a spike in the wealth of information available to students in electronic format. Some forms of resources, including television documentaries, can only be accessed electronically. There are some sources available in both print and digital form.
The same techniques that will help you find print sources can also prove crucial when it comes to finding electronic sources. You can find such sources as audiobooks and video recordings using keyword searches. Students can use the same Boolean operators used to refine database searches when filtering results in top search engines.
When tasked with creating an academic paper, some students choose to depend on popular search engines to find information. However, as on the essay.org samples, you may notice that typing a phrase or keyword into a search engine will generate hundreds of results.
Despite the seemingly convenient approach these search engines offer, the results don’t always appear in the order of relevance or reliability. Some of the results on the first page may contain unreliable content, which could compromise the quality of your writing. The results may also contain more information or sources than you can use in your writing.
So, get the most out of search engines by limiting results to websites that have been updated within a specific time frame. You can modify your searches by language, country, and file type. Plus, you can also limit the findings by domain type.
The Bottom Line
This article summarizes how to use online databases, library catalogs, and digital resources to conduct in-depth research for academic essays. Students should ensure that they evaluate the research sources, making sure that the information they include is reliable and relevant. Ask yourself whether or not the source is relevant to your purpose. You also need to evaluate the reputability and credibility of your sources. Remember, skimming through sources can help you determine their relevance.
