Locating Sources: Using Periodical Databases

Most college-level research depends on information found in journal and magazine articles, and finding these sources depends on the researcher’s use of the periodical databases. Many of the databases are electronic versions of print periodical indexes, with the same information, but with many more searchable features, and often the complete article is available.

Facets are useful tools in most online databases, as found in the ILS systems described above. Do a search on a topic, then limit your results by subject, date of publication, publication type, or other descriptive element.

As with reference sources, there are general and subject specific databases, and there are some developed for the general public and high school level research, and others for advanced students and professional research. Many of the databases have similar names, and it is difficult to know which database is best for research on a given topic. For this reason, most libraries group databases by subject or discipline on their websites, and provide a brief description.

1. General Databases

There are several companies that have developed general databases, and many features are common among them. Each company selects the periodicals to index that their users need to access the most, similar to a publisher developing a magazine for target a audience. Of course, database companies also select periodicals based on the agreement negotiations with the publisher to have pre-publication access for indexing, provide full-text and other issues.

Most periodical databases are most effectively searched with a Boolean keyword search, but they also have subject headings, usually called descriptors. However, since many students have become familiar with Internet search engines, such as Google, database search engines work comparably. As a result, databases have added a few features that are more intuitive, such as the ability to limit results with facets, such as type of publication, subjects, geographic areas, authors, etc.

EbscoHOST has developed many databases, Academic Search Complete and MasterFile Premier are databases recommended for college-level research. In addition, ProQuest and InfoTrac are often available. Many general databases tend to have more materials in one discipline than others, so it is worthwhile to experiment with several. See which database is more user-friendly, has the high-quality results, and other issues that affect your use.

General Periodic Database Video

Academic Search Complete Video

Article Citations MLA 8th ed

Article Citations APA 7th ed

II. Subject Specific Databases

Many professional organizations have databases that index sanctioned periodicals, and commercial database companies often develop comparable databases in competition with the professional standard. In addition, research laboratories maintain databases of their publications and supporting research that greatly multiply the resources available. As a result, most of the subject specific databases have much more complex resources with advanced indexing. These resources challenge advanced researchers, and students need the preliminary research to understand most of them. EbscoHOST and OVID have applied their software to many databases, you will find them easier to use. In addition, many professional organizations have developed databases for their members and academic libraries. Explore!

Subject Specific Database Video

a. Government Databases

Government agencies have research facilities and networks to compile information from research studies about education, health, space, geology, companies, industries, wildlife, humanities and other professional interests. Government databases have developed to provide equal access to this information, promoting equality for professional in all disciplines.

Agricola: agricultural research compiled by US Dept of Agriculture.

ERIC (Education Resource Information Clearinghouse): education issues at all levels of learning, teaching and institution administration. Includes journal articles, government documents, conference presentations, theses and dissertations. ERIC has been compiled by US Dept of Education since 1966.

PubMed: health research compiled by the US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health.

Medline: medical practices compiled by US National Library of Medicine.

NASA (National Aeronautics & Space Aviation): astronomy & space travel research

Hein Online

Hein Online is a powerhouse among government information resources. Its judicial branch offerings make it widely subscribed to by libraries supporting law schools. With over 70 million pages of legal history, dating back over nine centuries, Hein Online provides a plethora of material needed for legal research. Among its many collections are a wide variety of law journals, case laws, legislative histories, American Indian law, international law, immigration law, and legal classics.

While many of the resources available via PDF in Hein Online may also be found using free resources such as FDsys, the coverage in Hein Online generally extends farther back in time. For example, Hein Online provides full-text of the Code of Federal Regulations back to 1938 while FDsys’s coverage begins in 1996. And while each university library may subscribe to slightly different Hein Online collections, it is likely to be the best resource available for legal and many Congressional search topics.

ProQuest Congressional (Formerly Lexis-Nexis Congressional Universe)

This database offers one of the most comprehensive sources for historical Congressional information in an electronic format. Academic libraries may subscribe to a basic collection or may opt for more historic coverage. Depending on the subscription researchers may have access to congressional hearings, prints, reports, and documents in full-text back to at least the 1990s with some collections including coverage back to the 1970s. Indexing and abstracting coverage extends back to 1789 for some collections. In addition, bill text and tracking, public laws, legislative histories, voting records, and campaign contributions and financial data make this an excellent option for researchers needing government information.

Legislative Information

Legislative information comes from the Congressional branch of government. Its specialized nature renders it worthy of separate discussion. Many researchers new to government information are unsure about the different types of legislative information available. Here is a quick break-down of what each means:

• Bills – proposed legislation considered by both the House of Representatives and Senate. If passed by both and signed by the president, the bill becomes a law.
• Documents – a variety of documents ordered printed by the House of Representatives and the Senate. Topics range widely and may include the reports of independent organizations or of special investigations, presidential communications to Congress, or treaty information. Gathered together for publication in the Serial Set since 1817. Prior to 1817, the American State Papers provides access to documents from 1789-1838.
• Hearings – during debate of a bill, it may be decided that expert testimony is needed. Hearings will be held so that members of Congress can ask questions.
• Prints – publications issued by congressional committees on a wide variety of topics related to their activities. Prints may include statistics information, investigative or historical reports, staff reports, situational studies, hearings, or legislative analyses.
• Reports – reports issued by committees that summarize the purpose and scope of a bill, reason’s for the committee’s support, estimations of cost or revenue, and changes to existing law that would result. These are often the best resources for tracing legislative history.
• Congressional Record – to a large degree, a verbatim record of proceedings of the House and Senate floors. Later floor activity and summaries of the day’s activities are included. Its predecessors include the Annals of Congress (1789-1824), Register of Debates (1824-1837), and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873).

Locating

While the websites of both the House and Senate make it easy to keep up-to-date on current activities occurring in each chamber, searching for specific pieces of legislation is generally easier to do using a specialized database. These resources make finding current federal legislative information fairly easy. Locating older resources may require additional effort or even assistance from a librarian. Here are some suggested resources for finding both current and older legislative information.

Current Legislation

• FDsys – Your first choice for finding official current legislative information should be FDsys. All types of information listed above can all be found in this database. Coverage varies depending on the type of document you are seeking but generally you’ll find full-text of everything later than 1995, with selected documents dating back to the 1970s.
• Congress.gov (Formerly THOMAS) – If you do not need an authenticated version of a document (see above for details), Congress.gov’s interface is extremely user friendly and is another good option for legislative information from 1973 to the present.

Older Legislation

Depending on the size and mission of your local library, you may have immediate access to older legislative materials or you may need to make use of Interlibrary loan to request items from larger libraries. In addition, as more libraries prioritize digitization of historic materials, you may find full-text available for the years you seek. The sources below are some of the more common options for finding older legislation.

• Bills – The Library of Congress has digitized House bills from 1799-1873 and Senate bills from 1819-1873. The Center for Research Libraries has most bills from 1789 through 1978 on microfiche or in print, and if your local library does not have them available, you can request them through Interlibrary Loan from your local library.
• Documents – If your library subscribes to a commercial government documents database, you will likely want to try one of them first: Hein Online, ProQuest Congressional or Legislative Insight, or Public Documents Masterfile. Many larger depository libraries will offer access to older documents via microfiche or print holdings of the Serial Set, in which nearly all House and Senate documents since 1817 may be found. In addition, the Library of Congress has digitized the American State Papers (1789-1838).
• Hearings – If available, first try: Hein Online, ProQuest Congressional or Legislative Insight, or Public Documents Masterfile. If not, see if your library has the CIS US Congressional Committee Hearings and Index. These items can also be ordered through ILL if needed.
• Prints – If available, first try: Hein Online, ProQuest Congressional, or Public Documents Masterfile. If not, see if it has the CIS US Congressional Committee Prints Microfiche and Index. These items can also be ordered through ILL if needed.
• Reports – You can find older reports in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set. Larger depository libraries may have the volumes in print or on microfiche. It is also available digitally from from commercial vendors ProQuest Congressional and HathiTrust.
• Congressional Record – The Congressional Record and its predecessors can be found in print in many larger depository libraries. They are also available digitally through 1873 from the Library of Congress’s American Memory. Commercially you may find them via Hein Online, HathiTrust, ProQuest Congressional.

Judicial Information

Legal research often involves not only legislative information but also identifying and finding records of decision from cases already tried in a court of law. A number of free and commercial electronic resources exist to identify these cases. For researchers most familiar with Google, a Google Scholar radio button allows users to search case law by citation, case name, or keyword. Included are U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Federal district, appellate, tax, and bankruptcy court cases. Additional free resources that researchers may wish to try include the following:

• Find Law
• Justia.com
• Open Jurist
• Public Library of Law
• The U.S. Supreme Court Website

In addition to free resources, students with access to commercial options should explore their coverage and make use of tutorials to find tips for searching. Among the most common commercial sources are:

• Lexis-Nexis Academic: This resources has a simple interface that will allow you to search for federal and state cases by citation, parties involved, or keyword. It also provides access to Shepherd’s Citations, Supreme Court briefs, law reviews, and other legal reference sources.
• Hein Online: In addition to being a useful resource for legislative information, Hein Online also contains a number of legal collections. Users will find law journals, opinions, case law, and a Supreme Court library.
• WestlawNext: Suitable for advanced legal research, WestLaw also has a simple search interface which also lets new researchers find legal information. The database will let you search by citation, case name, or keyword. You can limit by jurisdiction with a simple search. The resources also lets you know if a case is still considered valid law or if it has been overturned.