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Fall 2025 Camden Center Deck 1000 Library Classes : September 22

September 23

Types of Sources: Popular

Popular- Inform and entertain.

Written by journalists, generalists or nonexperts 

Written for general public and non-experts interested in a particular subject

Characteristics –

  • Vocabulary to reach a broader audience
  • Informal structure with layouts that are eye-catching to attract readers
  • Advertising 
  • Photographs or illustrations and eye-catching graphics
  • Rarely include citations or detailed information about sources
  • Articles are not peer-reviewed 

 

Types of Sources: Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed

Presents and/or reports on original research.

Written by experts in their fields. Often affiliated with colleges or universities, or other institutions. Credentials are explicitly stated.

Audience is other scholars, researchers, or students pursuing a degree.

Characteristics

  • Specialized terminology and jargon
  • Defined structure such as an abstract, objective, methodology, results, analysis, and conclusion
  • Charts and graphs to describe research findings
  • Citations and references with sources that can be verified
  • Usually peer-reviewed meaning other experts have reviewed the content for accuracy, methodology, and relevance

          Little or no advertising

Trade/Professional

Reports on issues, trends, and news within a specific profession, industry, or trade

Writers are journalists or freelancers or may be experts or scholars in a particular profession or industry

Characteristics

  • Jargon and terminology common within the industry or profession
  • May have advertising but it is usually targeted at the publication's audience
  • Shorter articles
  • Photographs and graphics

 

Difference between a Library Database and a Search Engine

Watch video: Library Databases vs. Google by FSCJ on YouTube

(Library Databases vs. Google)

Search Engines Academic Databases

• Free searches of the entire internet yielding a multitude of results in a multitude of formats

• Searching is free, but access to the results may not be free or may require an email address or other personal data

• Databases are general or discipline-specific, and include articles, books, images, and more

• The college pays for access to databases

• Authority cannot be easily verified

• There is no review process

• Sources are curated by experts

• Peer-reviewed sources are easily identifiable

• Sources usually are not indexed

• Websites might move, change, or be deleted

• Information is indexed, evaluated, and updated regularly.

• Permalinks usually are included to take you back to the source.

• Ranking results is based on advertising or sponsorship, and algorithms (location, previous searches, previous purchases, etc.).

• Advanced searching yields results that are based on relevance to search terms, and there is no advertising

• No search tools to filter or refine search results, and to help write citations

• Database tools filter or refine searches, and citation tools generate citations in the appropriate style (APA, MLA, etc.)

 

CCGA Library Databases

The CCGA Libraries have two major databases for doing research

GIL-Find- The CCGA Library Catalog of Books

 

 

GALILEO- Is a database of databases.

(Some databases focus on one subject, while others cover multiple subjects.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Database Tools Mostly on Left Side of the Screen

 

 

      • Filters (also called Limiters or Expanders)
      • Date Ranges (sliders)
      • Search permalinks
      • Citation Tools (Many databases will be able to generate citations)
      • There are different styles (MLA, APA, etc.) and students should use the style specified by their instructors.
      • Style manuals are available in the library and online (also see Research Guides).

Searching Databases Using Phrases, Terms and Boolean Operators

Class Activity

Search for scholarly articles on:

"How social media affects teenagers' minds".