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SLS1320 - Honors Seminar - Sponholtz

Library Databases

Library databases contain thousands of sources for you to search with immediate access. Databases have different types of sources, mostly journal or magazine articles, but some databases provide multimedia such as videos or images.

Articles will provide very targeted information, usually focusing on one small segment of a topic. Articles also tend to be more recent. Newspaper and magazine articles can be updated within days or weeks of an event, while academic journal articles may take a few months or longer.

What Are Scholarly Articles?

A scholarly journal article is a detailed and research-based publication that presents original findings, analysis, or reviews on a specific academic topic. Written by experts in the field, these articles are typically peer-reviewed to ensure accuracy and credibility.

Peer-reviewed means that experts in the field have reviewed and evaluated a scholarly article before it’s published, ensuring the research meets standards and is reliable. This makes peer-reviewed sources the most trustworthy for academic research, as they meet high standards for quality and accuracy.

Compare the following two articles, one scholarly/peer reviewed, and the other not. What differences do you see? When would you want to use each resource?

Comparing Scholarly and Non-Scholarly Sources
The Contribution of Physical Exercise to Brain Resilience How exercise can help you build resilience at any age
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience (scholarly article) Washington Post (newspaper)

 

EBSCO Search

The Tyree Library subscribes to many databases through the company EBSCO, which allows you to search multiple databases together.

The best way to start is to access Academic Search Complete . You might be prompted to log in with your Office 365 account.

Next, click Choose Databases above the top search box.

Choose Databases link in Academic Search Complete

Check the boxes next to the additional databases you wish to search. Some suggestions:

  • APA PsycArticles - specializing in psychology
  • CINAHL - for health and medical topics, including nursing and allied health
  • Education Source - specializing in education, including research on college students
  • MEDLINE - for health and medical topics

Once you have selected your databases, click OK to return to the search screen. Input your keywords and check the Peer Reviewed box if you would like to limit to scholarly articles.

Peer Reviewed box

Other Relevant Databases

Health & Wellness

Access Health & Wellness  |  Video Tutorial  |  How to Cite

Best medical database the library offers for students who are not in a health sciences program; health science students will also find it useful. Offers an easy-to-use interface with access to full text nursing and allied health journals, encyclopedias and other reference sources, as well as informational pamphlets. Includes specialized searches for diseases/conditions, drugs & herbal remedies, and alternative health.

NewsBank

Access NewsBank  |  Video Tutorial  |  How to Cite

A collection of newspapers from the United States. Great for finding the latest news about certain issues, as well as looking back to see news articles from the last two decades. Includes the Gainesville Sun. See also NewsBank's Special Reports for a collection of newspaper articles on topics of current interest.

Wall Street Journal

Access Wall Street Journal  |  Tutorial  |  How to Cite

Provides full access to the Wall Street Journal website with additional resources for students and professors. On your first login, you will need to create a personal account. Choose the correct account type (student, professor, or staff) and create a password. Once you submit this information, you will not see this prompt again. You can then use this account directly on the Wall Street Journal website.

Google Scholar

Google Scholar allows you to search for scholarly articles that have been indexed by Google. While many will not be available full text, there are quite a few open-access articles, and you may also set up Google Scholar to connect you to the library databases.

To set up Google Scholar:

  1. Click Settings at the top (the gear icon); this may be under the More menu on the left.
    Settings
  2. Click Library links in the left menu.
    Library links
  3. Search for Santa Fe College - Find it @ Santa Fe, add a checkmark, and save it.

Articles with a Find it  @ Santa Fe link in the right column have the full text available in one of the library's databases:

Google Scholar from Lawrence W. Tyree Library on Vimeo.

Hello! This video tutorial will demonstrate how to use Google Scholar and how to link database holdings.

Google Scholar is a subset of Google that allows you to search for scholarly information, including articles, scholarly books, and other types of publications. Not everything indexed in Google Scholar has the full text available. However, you can increase your full-text results by adding Santa Fe College as your library. To access Google Scholar, go to scholar.google.com.

At the top left of the page, click the icon with three horizontal lines, and then choose Settings.

On the next screen, click Library links.

On the Library links page, type Santa Fe College in the search box, and press the Enter key. In the resulting list, select Santa Fe College – Find it @ Santa Fe, and then click Save.

Saving your settings takes you back to the Google Scholar search screen. Enter your search in the box provided.

The results list displays matching articles and more. If you see a Find it @ Santa Fe link to the right of an article, the Tyree Library has access to that article. Click the Find it @ Santa Fe link.

Once you click the link, you may be prompted to sign using your Office 365 account. You might not see this screen if you are logged in elsewhere to Canvas or your Office 365 email.

You may be taken directly to the full text of the article or to an intermediary page. On this page, look at the View Online section to see the full text links.

Article options will vary, depending on the database it is part of. All articles should provide the full text.

Articles with other links in the far-right column are freely available online. As with any link to a file found online, be cautious. If you do not recognize the source of the link, you probably should not click it. Instead, contact a librarian for assistance.

If an article does not have a link in the right column, the full text is not currently available. To request a full-text copy of the article, click the double arrows icon.

Next, click the Request it link.

If you are not already signed in, click the Sign in link.

Choose Office 365 and log in with your Office 365 account.

Now you will see the option for an interlibrary loan request. This is the process of requesting that the Library obtain an item for you, which is free.

Fill out your information in the top part of the form. The bottom half should already be filled in with the article information, but you should double check before you submit. Articles are usually available within a week.

This concludes the video tutorial on using Google Scholar. If you have any questions, please contact a librarian:

352-395-5409
reference@sfcollege.edu
Building Y, NW Campus
sfcollege.edu/library

Requesting Articles

If the Tyree Library does not have the article you need, we can usually get it for you for free! This is called interlibrary loan, and it's a process where we find the article you need at another library and request a copy, usually in PDF format. Please note that it may take a week or two to arrive, so plan ahead!

You should never use just an abstract without the full text for research purposes.

Requesting Articles from Google Scholar

  1. Ensure you have linked Google Scholar to Santa Fe College - Full Text @ Santa Fe.
  2. Click the two arrow icon on the bottom line of the article result.
    Double arrow icon in Google Scholar
  3. Click the Request it link that appears.
    Request it link
  4. Click the Sign in link in the How to get it area.
    Sign in link
  5. Choose Office 365 and log in with your Office 365 account.
  6. Now click the Interlibrary Loan Request link that appears in the How to get it area.
    Interlibrary Loan Request link
  7. Fill in your contact information and click Submit. The item details about the article should already be filled in.
  8. The article will be sent in PDF format to your SF email when it arrives.

Requesting Other Articles

  1. On the library website, click the Student Services link in the sidebar.
  2. In the Frequently Asked Questions box, look for the ILL Request form link under the "How do I request a book or article via interlibrary loan?" question.
  3. Fill out your contact information as well as information about the article you are requesting.
  4. The article will be sent in PDF format to your SF email when it arrives.
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Santa Fe College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). For more information, visit sfcollege.edu/sacscoc.