A library database is an electronic catalog, index, and digital warehouse for published materials. These materials most commonly include magazine, newspaper, and journal articles. Often, other items such as books, videos, and audio are included in certain databases as well.
Databases are highly organized and allow students to search for information on a topic by keyword, subject, author, title, and phrase. Many databases at Clovis Community College provide access to full-text content, which means that you will find entire articles, not just summaries or citations of articles.
Databases contain information that is accurate, trusted, and reliable. Articles and other types of resources in databases are written by experts in their field, and the information has been evaluated for accuracy before being published. Databases are able to provide scholarly, credible and peer-reviewed resources for use in class assignments and research projects. With special search filters, databases also help you narrow down your searches to just the information you need with ease.
Use a library database to find articles from newspapers, magazines and journals, as well as reference materials and multimedia content.
Not sure how to cite the articles and resources you found in the databases? Citing your sources correctly is the mark of a well-researched paper, and helps you avoid plagiarism. Check our How to Cite page on the library website for a quick overview on citing, or you can go more in depth with our Citation Tools and Plagiarism Awareness research guide.