Part One: Content Analysis
EBSCOhost Databases
Content/Scope:
EBSCOhost provides a wide variety of 50 research databases for different areas of study as well as different groups of individuals. These databases include citations, abstracts, and even full-text resources depending on what database is selected. Not only do these databases include modern texts but also archived texts ranging from the Biological Abstracts Archive all the way back to 1926 but even earlier than that with the Biblical Research Perspectives which date back to 1516. In addition, these databases include peer reviewed journals, editorials, art images, music abstracts, medical notes and histories, and countless other general overview as well as subject specific articles.
Authority:
EBSCOhost is a private, family owned business that has been around since 1944. They employee a diverse group of individuals who specialize in the areas in which EBSCOhost provide databases for. These include medical professionals, librarians, technology experts, subject matter experts, user researchers, and school curriculum experts for their K-12 material.
Format:
EBSCOhost exists primarily online with a very well made search engine for their databases. It depends on the individual database on whether or not there is a print version available or if there are print resources that one may come across while looking into the database. For example, the People Magazine Archive has a collection of their magazine from the first issue in 1974 to 2000. All of these are available online and are published in the exact format as they were issued.
Cost:
EBSCOHost provides a variety of products and services as listed on their website. Each product and service provides either a selective or comprehensive access to certain features and products. Under the research databases category, anyone can buy access to a large variety of databases. For access to the Academic Search database, EBSCOhost provides several level tiers that give the user different levels of access. Starting at the bottom with Academic Search Elite, it gives the user access to 1,543 full-text journals and magazines and access to 1,294 full-text peer reviewed journals. The top tier of Academic Search Ultimate gives the user access to 10,021 full-text journals and magazines and 9,017 full-text peer reviewed journals. These three examples were only the cost of access to one database. There exists other plans that allow access to multiple databases, resources, audiobooks, technologies, and journals, just to name a few.
Additional Features:
EBSCOhost has a few additional features that make using their products easier on the user as well as more beneficial. For example, their databases include full text articles or publications. These full text articles may only include the main text but also illustrations, supplements, or other items originally appearing in the article or document. EBSCOhost also gives the user the ability to search more than one database at a time. For example, you can search the Academic Search Complete, the Business Source Complete, and the Sociological Collection all the same time using the search option.
ProQuest Database
Content/Scope:
The ProQuest database gives you access to 28 primary databases. These databases are very broad in nature and cover a diverse number of periodicals, journals, magazines, theses, dissertations, reports, and other content. Their content includes over 6 billion digital pages, information dating back six centuries, 20 million pages of dissertations and theses, and 450,000 e-books.
Authority:
ProQuestemploys over 90,000 authoritative sources and has the world’s largest collection of dissertations and sources. Their collections come from some of the most prestigious museums and collections ranging from the Royal Archives to the Associated Press, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Format:
ProQuest is primarily an online only database. Their records include many different resources available online varying from resource databases, journals, periodicals, as well as many historical archives.
Cost:
The cost of ProQuest depends on how much access and what kind of access the user wants. They can pick and choose through various publications and categories as well as what kind of archives or modern publications.
Additional Features:
ProQuest provides easily navigable websites and databases while also providing instant bibliography and citation generators. This allows for much easier management and sharing of research.
Part Two: Search Analysis
In the following analysis, I will compare and contrast two databases from EBSCOhost and ProQuest, EBSCOhost’s database Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts and ProQuest’s database Library & Information Science Collection. I will be evaluating search parameters, content and quality of search results, and advanced search options. As a result of this analysis, we will see which database would be more appropriate to use for a library topic specific search.
To begin with, EBSCOhost’s Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, also known as (LISTA) database, is an indexing and abstracting of key journals, books, and research reports that provides access to a research database for library and information science pedagogy. The content includes more that 600 indexed journals, 120 indexed selective and top prioritized journals, and the database coverage dates back to 1960 and covers up to today. There are author profiles and detailed thesaurus to help the user search. There are a few specific subjects that this database has to offer: bibliometrics, cataloging, classification, information management, librarianship, and online information retrieval.
By using the Library, Information Science & Technology Abstract database the record structure is very important to how the user is searches the database. While using the database’s basic search, you are given a one-search bar to search through the books, journals and more. Found below the search are other search factors. These include a search mode that allows you to choose between Boolean/Phrase, find all search terms, find any search term, and SmartText searching which allows you to enter an entire paragraph to help find what you are searching. You may also limit your results by entering a specific date by month or year, full text or peer reviewed journal, specific publication, by number of pages, search by image and type of image, and last but not least by publication type, journal, periodical or reference material.
Determining the content and quality of the database search you must look at how the user will use the search. Will they be using controlled vocabulary or by subject headings? Searching in the one-box to open up a page of results that allows the user to sort and choose the best article that suits the researchers materials. For example searching for “Information search behavior” under the search bar, an alternative search is listed for “information search behaviors”. By changing the search term by even one letter hones in on more accurate results that pertain to this search.
Another way to fine-tune your search is to use the advanced search allowing for more ways to filter or to add to the search without having to start over. This search technique also allows for the researcher to adjust and limit to full text, references that are available, or scholarly peer reviewed journals while looking through the list of results without having to back out and search again. This is a very handy tool when you are wanting to continue searching without having to start the search over in another tab. Limiting the results can also be achieved by using the left hand side of the webpage search changing the publication date, source type, publication, publisher, or language, by narrowing the search results you are able to find the most qualifying materials and best results that are available.
By using advanced techniques like phrase searching, truncates, wildcards and proximity searches can make your searching more effective and efficient. Phrase searching allows users to search for articles containing a phrase rather than containing a set of keywords in no specific order. For most databases the phrase needs to placed in double quotation marks; e.g. “information search behavior”. This is particularly useful if the words on their own are common. Truncation is the technique that uses a * at the end of the word to broaden your search to include various word endings. To use truncation, the researcher enters the root of the word with the truncation symbol at the end. E.g. information*
Wildcards is a character that can be used to substitute for any other character or characters in a string. This is useful if a word is spelled in many different ways but has the same meaning. For example you would use a # or ? to replace the character that would find both versions of the word E.g. wom?n or wom#n to get woman or women. Proximity operators function as precision-maximisers and enable you to define how closely you want your search terms to be found in relation to one another. Allowing the researcher to pinpoint where they would like their information to come from.
ProQuest’s Library, Information Science & Technology, like EBSCOhost’s Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts contains the Library and Information Science Abstracts also know as (LISA) database that provides bibliographic information about the foundation of library principles as well as the future of librarianship. This database like EBSCOhost LISTA includes abstracts from 440 periodicals and also looks at over 150 top publications from the library world, and according to the ProQuest LISA webpage the database is updated monthly adding 1,000 records per update.
Unlike EBSCO’s LISTA the ProQuest Library, Information Science & Technology database also includes The Library Science Database, that provides 150 top publication from the library science field including full text support of the LISA database abstracts, and can be searched as part of other ProQuest databases like ProQuest Central, the Social Sciences Premium and the Library & Information Science Collection. This database covers from 1970 to the current time, whereas EBSCO’s LISTA has ten years more than the Library Science Database dating back to 1960. The Library Science Database covers hundreds of topics and includes information from journals; American Libraries, Collection Building, Portal: Libraries and the Academy, Reference & User Services Quarterly, Technical Communication Quarterly, and School Libraries worldwide.
Researching with the ProQuest Library & Information Science Collection not unlike the EBSCO LISTA database the basic search platform allows the user to search from a one-search bar where under the bar you can select full text or peer reviewed. Just below the search bar there is a list of information of what subject matters are being covered as well as what databases are being searched. Although there are not as many limiters on the basic search as there are for the EBSCO LISTA search the Library & Information Science collection is covering more of the collection by looking through two databases and one that contains full text materials.
Allowing the user to have a thesaurus, or an autocomplete like a quick key that helps the user when typing in the search bar. The intuitive behavior allows the user to see more options that they may not have thought to search at once they type in the selected terms. For example when searching “information seeking behaviors”, the ProQuest search bar also suggested other searches that may have been also have been searched in the same subject. Just like EBSCO using an advanced search technique like phrase searching, truncates, wildcards and proximity searches can allow the user to be better effective when searching and have more efficient results when doing their research.
In conclusion both EBSCO and ProQuest each have their positives that the other database may fall short on, the real answer to which database is better, lies in the perception of the researcher, and where they feel most comfortable doing their research. I feel they both have ease of use and that they each possess something that the other is lacking, for instance ProQuest would possible win me over just for the simple fact that they have full text access in their database without having to search another database for full text access. Again each researcher has their favorite database that they like to use when searching who’s to say that they are wrong? As a whole I have always used EBSCO’s Academic search complete and it has always been a great way to locate articles and journals. When using ProQuest I have always used their newspaper database and it has never failed me. This analysis has been very informative and allowed me to see other databases that I may never have tried because of my comfort level with EBSCO, in my future research I may choose ProQuest’s services over my comfort level at EBSCO.
Works Cited
EBSCO. Academic Search Databases.
Retrieved from: https://www.ebsco.com/products/research-databases/academic-search
EBSCO. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts.
Retrieved from: https://www.ebsco.com/products/research-databases/library-information-science-and-technology-abstracts
ProQuest, Library, Information Science & Technology.
Retrieved from: https://proquest.libguides.com/liscollection
Beyond the Shelves... 