Articles tend to be more specific than books. They offer...
Detailed information on a narrow aspect of a topic;
Deep analysis -- literary, theological, philosophical, etc.;
Information that is relatively new / on topics that are relatively new (because the publication cycle for articles is shorter than for books).
Articles are usually more helpful once you've already done some background reading on your topic.
The types of articles you will consult for Holy Cross courses will, in many cases, be found in academic journals, and research databases are the tools that will help you find them.
What are databases?
Databases are tools designed to help you search the scholarly (and other) articles and resources available to you through the Holy Cross Libraries. Article databases are like very long bibliographies of articles that might interest you -- some that are available physically at Holy Cross, some available online, and some that we have to borrow from other libraries.
Types of Databases
There are two main kinds of research databases that you might encounter:
- General databases, like Academic Search Premier and JSTOR, which have a little bit of everything;
- Databases for specific subjects or types of sources (ex - newspapers, historical sources, videos, etc.)
In addition, you will probably use CrossSearch, the search box on the homepage of the Libraries' website. CrossSearch is a discovery tool which searches many (though not all) databases at once. CrossSearch is like a library version of Google -- it is a great place to get your search started and find many sources at once, but once you get started on your research, you will probably want to use a more specific tool.
Click here to see the full list of Research Databases we have in the Libraries. We have over 300!
What makes databases different from Google?
When you search a web tool like Google, you are searching every word of every page of every document, from beginning to end. There are no rules about what goes into Google, so you get a mix of everything. And, Google can't always tell the difference between a page or article that is all about your topic, and a page or article that mentions your topic only once or twice.
When you search in the library research tools, like the catalog or (most) research databases, you are actually just searching short "profiles" of the book, article, or other source that you are looking at, rather than the whole source. Because the profiles are very short, searching for entire sentences or phrases does not usually work well in library resources. But, if a source comes up because its profile mentions your topic, it's much more likely that the source will actually be on your topic.
And while the research tools have many different types of sources in them, they're all published sources, so they've been checked for quality on at least a very basic level.
How do I search a database?
Here are some general tips to guide you in choosing your search terms:
Some advanced tricks:
When you find a good article, look at its References or Works Cited list. That will often lead you to other useful sources. You can also look at information such as the name of the journal or the author for ideas of other ways to search.
Which databases should I use?
This is different depending on what kind of information you need. When in doubt, ask a librarian!
But, here are some examples of databases you might use for this class:
Academic databases for literature
Journal articles in almost every subject area, including some historical articles back to the 17th century.
Journal articles, literary magazines, essays, biographies, and other sources focused on authors and literary movements.
Journal articles, books and dissertations focusing on literature and literary criticism, language, and publishing.
Newspapers & magazines - for book reviews & more
Date(s): 1980-present
Text-only articles from the New York Times. **Blogs are not included.**
Date(s): 1980-present
Text-only articles from the Boston Globe.
Journal articles, magazines, and news in almost every subject area.