Winter 2019 slides for DBL course question 12

1. z Each database represents
a subset of journals that
meet a specific information
need. Thus, when fishing for
information on a specific
topic, you must first consider
which pool is most likely to
contain that information.
DATABASE SELECTION
When considering which database to search, first
consider the types of articles you want to find.
That will help you choose where to start.

2. • Compendex (“Computerized Engineering
Index”) offers over 20 million records related
specifically to engineering. This is a good
place to start for technically-oriented topics.
• IEEE Xplor is also technically oriented and
offers over 4.5 million records related to
electrical engineering and associated fields.
Databases for Engineering/Technology Students

3. • Web of Science and Scopus offer
access to articles in the broad sciences.
Web of Science provides over 90
million records, while Scopus provides
over 69 million. These databases also
offer citation indexes that assist
researchers in tracking who cites whom
in their articles.

4. • ERIC (“Education Resources Information
Center”) is a good resource for those
who are researching educational
practices.
• ProQuest offers a large suite of
databases covering an array of topics in
the sciences, social sciences, and
humanities. This is a good resource for
articles with broader perspectives.

5. • Other suggestions for databases can be found in the
research guides that can be accessed from the library
home page. Click on the “Research Guides” button (or
follow the link https://lib.byu.edu/guides/) and type
your major/area of interest into the search field.

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