Systematic literature reviews are common in social research for integrating and synthesising existing research. This paper argues that the outcomes of such reviews are affected by the choice of bibliographic databases. It presents evidence of substantial variation across three large electronic databases (Scopus, Web of Science and EBSCO) in a…

Parents of children with autism face many challenges that arise from the practical, day-to-day issues of living with autism. The specific goals of this guide are to help parents: (1) find information about autism; (2) distinguish between research-based and non-research-based information; (3) become savvy consumers of information by giving them the…

Full-text databases allow Central Missouri State University's clients to access some of the serials that libraries have had to cancel due to escalating subscription costs; EbscoHost, the subject of this study, is one such database. The database is available free to all Missouri residents. A survey was designed consisting of 21 questions intended…

Discusses methods of evaluating commercial online databases and provides examples that illustrate their hidden dimensions. Topics addressed include size, including the number of records or the number of titles; the number of years covered; and the frequency of updates. Comparisons of Readers' Guide Abstracts and Magazine Article Summaries are…

Compares four full text periodical databases to one another and to traditional online databases in terms of the types of information available, the number of titles available, coverage of periodical contents, timeliness, and search features. (CLB)

Compares/contrasts InfoTrac and ProQuest primarily as full-text resources to supplement retrieval of references contained in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) database. These databases are analyzed by examining their scope in terms of the number and types of serials covered within specific areas using…

Introduces search technique that professional searchers often use to start tracking down information regardless of topic. This technique involves using set of large databases that cover material because of format rather than subject. Databases reviewed include books/monographs, journals/magazines, reports, expertise, and full-text and Public…

Provides description of principal database sources for information on current events--newspaper indexes (e.g., INFORMATION BANK, VU/TEXT, NEWSPAPER INDEX); magazine databases (e.g., NEXIS-MAGS, MAGAZINE ASAP); wire service databases (e.g., NewsNet, WIRES, NEWS); and reference databases (encyclopedias, yearbooks, FACTS ON FILE). A list of the 37…

Describes a study that compared two electronic document delivery systems, Faxon Finder and UnCover2, by searching seven subjects in various disciplines and checking journal overlap and article overlap. Results show a lack of overlap, suggesting that both systems cover different ground and that a standard database system has yet to be found.…

Compares the following World Wide Web-based periodical databases, focusing on their usefulness in K-12 school libraries: EBSCO, Electric Library, Facts on File, SIRS, Wilson, and UMI. Search interfaces, display options, help screens, printing, home access, copyright restrictions, database administration, and making a decision are discussed. A…

Presents a dBASE III searching/micro tip that will reveal whether any journals listed within a capture log file are in local holdings. An example gives the commands needed to use the ISSN field in the citations to search a local holdings database. (DB)

Presents a description of Act I, the newest database from Data Courier, Inc., which provides an online directory of computer related companies and products. Highlights include content, applications, most useful features, classification code/classification name, and output. A sample record, journals list, and database specifications are included.…

Reports results of searching four social science databases to determine if "information society" has reached paradigmatic status. Results found a decline in the use of the term and concluded that it is not yet possible to say that "information society" is a paradigm. An appendix lists journals carrying articles on the…

Describes a technique for linking searches from the PsycLIT CD-ROM database with local journal holdings in a library. Explains the step-by-step methodology of the technique and covers major advantages and drawbacks of the new technique. (Author/AEF)

This example of online searching, employed as a research method rather than as a tool to gather bibliographic information, used Magazine Index to collect data which were manipulated using geographic codes and compared with the buildings of a 1977 study on geographic bias in television news reporting. (EM)