Learning Objectives
After completing this module, you will be able to:
Determine your specific research need
Locate the different types of library databases
Identify specific features of a database to determine if it meets the research need
Click each item's “Access” button to open and view it in a new window. If you are off-campus, you will be taken to the CCAC login page to sign in.
Tutorials will have navigation links across the top that you will use to advance through the pages. They
will look similar to this:
After completing the tutorial, close the browser tab or window to return back to this page.
General / Multidisciplinary Databases
Cover a wide range of topics
Include a mixture of popular and scholarly sources
Good for starting research for overview information
Examples include:
Subject Databases
Contain subject specific publications
Include more scholarly, peer reviewed publications
Good for in depth research in the field
Examples include:
Our Subject Guides contain robust listings of databases for each academic area.
As covered in Explore Source Types, check that the database includes the type of information that you need.
Our Subject Guides contain robust listings of databases for each academic area.
Print and eBooks cover virtually any topic, fact or fiction. For research purposes, you will probably be looking for books that synthesize all of the information on one topic.
Get started with:
Library Catalog - Print Books
EBSCO eBooks - Online Books
Reference and Overview sources contain brief, factual articles on many subjects and are often found in encyclopedias. These articles are useful to explore a topic when getting started with research.
Get started with:
Magazines publish articles on topics of popular interest and current events. The articles are written by journalists and are for the general public.
Get started with:
Journal articles are written by scholars in an academic or professional field. A peer reviewed process or editorial board reviews the articles to decide whether or not they should be published. Journal articles may cover very specific topics or narrow fields of research.
Get started with:
Newspapers provide updated articles about current events and are a good source for local information.
Get started with:
Videos and media clips can include full feature length films, documentaries, interviews, and instructional videos.
Get started with:
