Distance Learning  Tags: distance  

Fulltext - To make sure that you access complete articles, click the fulltext box on your search screen. 

Scholarly Journals - Your assignments may require you to read articles from scholarly science journals as opposed to popular magazines.  Look for a box that allows you to limit results to scholarly journals (also known as peer-reviewed or academic journals).

Subject/Thesaurus Terms - Follow subject terms links (frequently displayed to the left of your search results) to find more on-target resources.

What is an online database?

An online database is an electronic, searchable collection of information and sources.

What kinds of information can I find in a database?  

Databases contain information from a variety of sources including books, popular magazines, scholarly journals, newspapers, statistics, and evaluated websites.

Why should I use a database?

Databases provide quick access to credible academic information.

How do I choose a database?

Think about your topic and the subject area(s) it concerns.  Then use the list of databases grouped by subject to narrow in on potential databases.  Also check out the Research Guides for your subject for more suggestions.

How do I access the online databases from off-campus?

Use your PALS user name and your original PALS password (the first two letters of your last name, capitalized, and the last 6 digits of your SSN).  You should have 24/7 access to all the database materials.  If you encounter login problems, please contact the Reference Desk at 486-4513.

If you do not know your PALS user name click on the Login Help link and type in your social security number.

Take me to the Online Databases lists 

Distinguishing Scholarly Journals from Other Publications - Click this link to see at a glance the differences in appearance, content, audience, purpose, etc., between scholarly journals and other publications.