MONT 199C-F01: Principles of Higher Education (Caola)

About Databases

A database is a collection of information that is arranged and tagged for easy searching and retrieval. Think of a database like an online storage container: It stores different publications, journals, books, magazines, and newspapers and makes it possible for you to access them. The library subscribes to over 300 databases that are available for Holy Cross students to use. Visit our A-Z Databases list to see what is available.

General Databases

General databases include information and journals that cover many subjects and academic fields. These can be a good place to start if you’re not sure what subject your topic falls under, if your topic is interdisciplinary and falls under multiple subject areas, if you want to see perspectives from different fields about your topic, or if you simply want to find general information.

To find general databases, go to the A-Z Database List. In the dropdown menu labeled "Subjects," select "_General" and click "Search." You will see a list of general databases, with some highlighted as "Best Bets." Some general databases are listed below.

Subject Databases

Subject databases include journals and publications from a specific academic field. They may include a number of different publications, but they are all within the same academic area. These can be helpful if you want to look at one specific subject or field.

To find subject databases, go to the A-Z Database List. In the dropdown menu labeled "Subjects," select your subject area and click "Search."

Education Databases

Psychology Databases

Economics Database

CrossSearch is a one-stop search tool that lets you search most of the informational resources available through the library, including:

• Books, ebooks, archival materials, media and music scores owned by the Holy Cross Libraries.
• Research databases like Academic Search Premier, JSTOR, ARTstor and ProQuest Central.
• E-journal collections like JSTOR and ScienceDirect.
• The Holy Cross digital repository CrossWorks.
• Open Access collections such as HaithiTrust Digital Library

CrossSearch looks in many different places and for many different types of sources. In one search, you might find results for academic journal articles, books in the library’s collection, films, newspaper articles, and more. This can be a good place to start if you want to find a broad scope of the resources available on your topic. However, because CrossSearch includes so many types of resources, you might find you need to filter these results more than you would in a more specific database.

CrossSearch is best accessed through the library home page (www.holycross.edu/academics/libraries).

The Chronicle

The Chronicle of Higher Education is an online news source for the field of higher education. It publishes news, opinions, advice, job postings, and data related to current issues and trends in colleges and universities. Holy Cross provides free access to The Chronicle online. While this is linked in our A-Z Database list, The Chronicle is not technically a database, since it does not include resources from more than one publisher. It is a single news organization focused on the area of higher education. 

Inside Higher Ed

Inside Higher Ed is another news website for higher education. They post news, blogs, and "quick takes" that break down current issues and trends in higher education. Holy Cross does not have a subscription to Inside Higher Ed, so you may find articles are behind a paywall. If you find an article you would like to use but can't access it for free, submit an Interlibrary Loan request and Holy Cross Libraries will look to borrow the article from another library on your behalf. If you come across a paywall, always check with the library to see if we can access the article for you!

Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education

Conversations is an online magazine published by the National Seminar on Jesuit Higher Education. It includes articles and opinion pieces about current trends in Jesuit education. Keep in mind that many of these articles are opinion pieces or think pieces. Some authors will cite relevant research while others will write about their own experiences and interpretations of a topic. The end of each article usually provides a brief bio of the author and links to their previous publications and institutional affiliations.

Find Data Through the Library

The library provides access to certain datasets and collections of data and statistics. You can find them in the A-Z Database list by selecting the dropdown menu labeled "Types" and selecting "Data & Statistics." The amount of data available through these databases may vary. The note under the name of the database will tell you what type of data you can expect to find in that database.

Suggested Databases for Data & Statistics

ERIC

ERIC is a database focused on education research and information. It includes scholarly/peer reviewed journals and non-scholarly sources like research reports and policy briefs related to education. This section of the guide will break down different types of resources you can find in this database and how to use them. 

Grey Literature

When researching education, you will likely come across publications that are not scholarly sources, but are not quite popular sources either. They fall into a category known as grey literature, which is information that is published by government agencies, businesses, think tanks, research institutes academic institutions, and other private organizations. This type of information is usually not available from commercial publishers and may include business reports, proceedings of meetings and/or conferences, white papers, newsletters, and policy briefs. 

While you may find these sources in a library database and they may include citations to research, they are not scholarly sources. They do not go through a peer review process and will often reflect the views of the organization that published them. When you come across these sources, it is important that you evaluate them critically. Think about who is creating them and why. Think about the audience for the source. If research is cited, try to find the original research study they are citing and determine if they are representing it accurately.

Evaluating Grey Literature

Grey literature is typically published by an organization, not a specific person. Like any source you are evaluating, you should look for more information about the creator to understand their expertise and potential bias. When you find one of these sources, look for the author or publisher You will likely see some sort of organization name or logo on the front page. Copy and paste this organization name into Google or another web search to find information. As you look for information about the organization, consider these questions:

1. Does this author/organization have a political angle?

While any source/author can be biased, it is important to understand what angle an organization is coming from and how that impacts their ability to be impartial about an issue or a topic. For example, the U.S. Department of Education is a government agency responsible for establishing education policy and collecting data about education in the United States. Because it is a government agency, it is typically viewed as a credible source. Though their agenda is set by the political party in control of the office at the time, the Department is still responsible for the entire country, regardless of political affiliation, and are expected to maintain a level of impartiality and a commitment to accurate research.

You want to be able to find balanced, factual research. Sources that are heavily biased may ignore evidence that disproves their argument while over-emphasizing evidence that agrees with them. Ideally, you want to avoid sources that are heavily biased as they may not be the most credible source of information. When you find a source like this, you should take some time to look at their sources to determine if they are representing them accurately.

2. Where do they get their funding, and is that related to the policy they are advocating for?

Research costs money. You may find reports published by think tanks or research institutes that are paid to conduct research on behalf of another organization. Knowing where funding comes from can help you determine how credible a source is. For example, if a research report about the importance of reinstating Pluto as a planet was paid for by the Association to Advocate for the Planet Pluto, that may bring the credibility of the report into question, since the researchers may have been tempted to appease their funders by focusing on research that was beneficial to their cause. (Librarian note: As far as I know, such an organization does not exist).

3. Do they cite their sources? Are they representing those sources accurately?

Accurate citation is an important tool for building credibility. Credible sources will provide clear citations to where their information came from and will represent those sources accurately. You should be able to follow a source's citations to find the original material. When reviewing a source, take the time to check a few of their citations. Read through the source they cited. Does the article you looked at reflect the actual message of that source? If it seems they took quotes out of context or inaccurately reported data, that makes their credibility more questionable. If a source does not include citations at all, be cautious when using it. See if you can find another source that includes citations.