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Knight-Capron Library Orientation

Use this guide to learn about the library and its many research tools.

Databases

There is a lot of information in this section so take your time, maybe take some notes, and try some sample searching on your own before completing the worksheet.

1 | Read through What is a database? and watch the brief video

2 | Read through What does peer review mean? and watch Peer Review in 3 Minutes

3 | Watch the Accessing Databases and Academic Search Complete tutorials

4 | Learn how to make the most of Google Scholar

5 | Complete the Database Worksheet

 

So, what is a database?

In the context of a library, a database is usually a collection of citations, abstracts, and articles provided by the library. Databases are expensive, but the subscriptions the library purchases and manages give University of Lynchburg students free access to many resources. 

What does peer review mean?

In academic publishing, the goal of peer review is to assess the quality of articles submitted for publication in a scholarly journal. Before an article is deemed appropriate to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, it must undergo the following process:

  • The author of the article must submit it to the journal editor who forwards the article to experts in the field. Because the reviewers specialize in the same scholarly area as the author, they are considered the author’s peers (hence “peer review”).
  • These impartial reviewers are charged with carefully evaluating the quality of the submitted manuscript.
  • The peer reviewers check the manuscript for accuracy and assess the validity of the research methodology and procedures.
  • If appropriate, they suggest revisions. If they find the article lacking in scholarly validity and rigor, they reject it.

Because a peer-reviewed journal will not publish articles that fail to meet the standards established for a given discipline, peer-reviewed articles that are accepted for publication exemplify the best research practices in a field.

Ok, now that you know what a database is and about the peer review process, you need to know how to use databases to find peer-reviewed articles. Please Note:There are two videos in the playlist.

Watch the playlist below to learn more. 

Google Scholar is also a searchable database of scholarly literature. It allows you to find articles, theses, abstracts, and court opinions. Articles for which we have paid access will have @ University of Lynchburg linked in the margin.

Watch the gif below to learn how to configure Google Scholar so that you're always able to find University of Lynchburg resources. 

If you are interested in exploring one of our many other databases, here are a few tip sheets to get you started.