Connecting from Off-campus
You will need:
- An internet browser
- Netscape (version 4 or later)
- MS Internet Explorer (version 4 or later)
- Firefox and other browsers are also acceptable, though some pages may display slightly differently. Some databases seem to work better when viewed with Firefox.
- A username and password. (Your computer or Blackboard login for students or your staff login.)
If you have difficulties connecting or logging in, contact AskIT (ph: (09) 815 4321 xtn 7000).
What is a database?
A library database is a collection of information, usually journal articles which are available electronically. Some databases include full text articles; others provide just a citation and/or abstract (summary). Databases can be searched in various ways usually keyword, author, title and subject.
Databases can be of a general nature covering a variety of topics e.g. Academic Search Complete. Others will be specific to an area of knowlege e.g. CINAHL with Full Text, a nursing database.
When should I use a library database?
Databases are a good place to find detailed and relevant information on any topic, particularly if you are looking for up to date information.
Selecting and accessing a database
From the Library's home page, click on the drop down menu of E-Resources. If you are not sure what database to use, try looking at the Resources by Subject page and choose the appropriate subject heading.
The subject pages contain links to the relevant databases for that topic, as well as
links to other Internet resources.
You can use LibrarySearch to search multiple databases simultaneously. You can search pre-selected groups of databases or choose the databases yourself.
You can also save your favourite searches so that you can easily run
them again, and save your favourite journal articles.
For more information about searching databases with LibrarySearch, see the help page.
Databases can be international in scope but some have a New Zealand focus. These are labelled as such. Databases can be multidisciplinary or specific to a particular subject, but don’t let the existence of a database dedicated to your subject keep you from trying multidisciplinary resources as well.
There is also a Databases A-Z list if you are looking for a particular database.
You are now ready to start searching.
When searching databases, the same principles apply as for searching the Library Catalogue. Databases are generally much bigger than the catalogue, however – the largest ones index thousands of journals. The wide scope of databases makes them very useful for tracking down the material you need, but it can also be frustrating if you find that your searches are returning a large volume of irrelevant material.
Searching
The databases may look different and contain different information but the principles of searching them is basically the same.
All databases will have one or more search boxes on the first screen. This is where you type in your keywords (important words) that you want the database to look for.
If you have more than one search term you can use the other boxes or connect your search with and to make your search more specific. E.g. Distance education and online.
Each database has its own HELP available.
Dealing with Results
Getting to the article
Index Only Databases
Some records only contain a citation and abstract, to enable you to identify the article.
An article that is only available as an abstract in one database may be
available in full text in another. To find out if an article is available, click on the button with the Unitec icon that says "check for fulltext".
If an article isn't available through Unitec resources, ask at the Library Information Desk or contact the Information librarians who may be able to help.
Full text Databases
Many databases provide full text access to articles. It may be in a
number of formats. The fastest way to access the full text of an article
is to click on the "full text" link from the article listing on the
database's Search Results screen.
You may also see a link to one or more of the following:
- HTML Full Text i.e. article in plain text, and/or
Page Image i.e. a photograph of the page or
PDF i.e. the journal pages are scanned. You will need Adobe Acrobat to view PDF files
- Link to publisher's page -- Sometimes the link is a two stage process from the database to the Publishers page and then full text access.
- Held in Unitec Library -- Where you see this note it indicates we hold the print journal in the Library. However you will still need to check the Library's holdings
to see if we have the specific issue you want.
Printing/emailing/saving
Articles can be marked, or selected, and then printed, saved to disc or to your hard-drive if you are at your home computer, or emailed.
Troubleshooting
System too slow
Set your browser to enable javascript and accept all cookies. (These may already be set up. They are not vital but your searching will be smoother and faster if they are set up). Clear your cache regularly.
I want to use the databases from work, but am having problems
If you are in a company's network and the network is behind a firewall or proxy server, you should contact your company's system administrator for instructions before you change the proxy setting in your browser.
Your ISP must allow you to connect directly to an external proxy browser If your ISP DOES NOT ALLOW you to connect directly to sites using your browser then you will not be able to connect to and use the Remote Access Proxy. Contact your ISP's helpdesk.
Can't view the .pdf file
You will need to have the free plug in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Some .pdf files are very large and take a long time to download (e.g. some from our NZ Standards database). Using the Firefox browser can help with downloading large .pdf files. Alternatively, you can right-click on the .pdf file link, choose the option "Save Target As" and save the file to a suitable folder.
Too many hits or not enough
Try reducing your hits by adding in another keyword. Join the keywords together with AND. For example, education AND early childhood AND curriculum.
Expand your hits by using synonyms or broader terms. Join synonyms with OR. For example, fashion OR costume.
Expand your hits by using a truncation symbol for keywords that could have alternative word endings. For example, environment* will find environment, environments, environmental, environmentalism, environmentalist.
Make your search more specific by doing a phrase search whereby you enclose a phrase in speech marks or quotes. For example, "Treaty of Waitangi" will look for those words side by side as a phrase.
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