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Why should you use databases?

The Internet has a lot of junk. It can be difficult to find articles and good information. That’s where databases can help! In fact, there are good reasons to use databases instead searching the Web:

Easy: Databases are designed for research. Once you learn how, using them is easy and relatively fast
Trustworthy: Many articles in databases are peer-reviewed and come from scholarly journals, so the information is vetted
Free: Many articles on the web are hidden behind paywalls and cost money. Databases are free

If you need to do some serious research, databases are often a great choice!

Suggested Databases

All San Jacinto College Library Databases

Handbook of Texas This link opens in a new window This online resource is an encyclopedia of Texas history, politics, and geography. The encyclopedia entries include a bibliography at the end to point you toward additional research sources. Check out the entries for the Battle of Sabine Pass and the Austin City Limits music festival for examples.
Issues and Controversies This link opens in a new window Essays that are written to give a review of all sides of a topical issue or controversy in today's news. Each essay includes a bibliography and links to related magazine, journal and newspaper articles, as well as hyperlinks to biographies, news updates and relevant websites. Covers more than 600 Hot Topics. VIDEO TUTORIAL | HELP SHEET
Newspaper Source Plus Newspaper Source Plus provides a full-text digital collection of the world's major news content. It includes millions of articles from newspapers, newswires and news magazines. In addition, it offers television and radio transcripts and ongoing daily updates from popular news sources. Sources include AP, CNN Wire, PR Wire, UPI and Xinhua.
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Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints is an online library of current event topics: the facts as well as the arguments of each topic's proponents and detractors. Opposing Viewpoints' unique features include viewpoint article frameworks that allow students to explore each topic's many facets and exclusive electronic access to Thomson Gale's Information Plus series featuring statistics and government data placed in context. HELP SHEET | VIDEO TUTORIAL
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Texas Reference Center This link opens in a new window Texas Reference Center includes more than 80 full text journals and books about Texas history, ethnic & cultural diversity, gender studies, literature, public health, business as well as home & garden and sports & leisure. The database contains biographies portraying famous historical and contemporary Texans such as George Herbert Walker Bush, Lady Bird Johnson, Dan Moody, Susanna Dickinson and Sam Houston. Also available in the Texas Reference Center is the Spanish-language newspaper El Sol de Texas with Texas and national news coverage. This EBSCOhost database is updated weekly.
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Database Searching Tips

Searching in the databases can be tricky, especially since they are all slightly different. Here are some basic tips to get you started:

Use keywords instead of phrases. Try searching for "nurse AND education" instead of "how much school do I need to be a nurse?"
Limit your results to Full Text to make sure the database only brings you articles you have full access to
Limit your results by date. A good date range is 5 to 7 years to make sure you're not looking at outdated information.
Look for the citation button. Most databases have a citation button where you can find a ready-made citation for the article

https://www.sanjac.edu/library| Central Library: 281-476-1850 | Generation Park Campus: 281-998-6150 x8133 | North Library: 281-459-7116 | South Library: 281-998-6150 ext. 3306