An argument for using Drury's online databases, instead of Google, for academic research.

1. Library Research
…with or without
research @

2. Databases vs. Google
Databases: Google:
 Professionally
 Much personally
published generated content
information
 Questionable
authority
 Identifiable authority  Difficult to focus
 Easy search search
paramaters  May take a long
 Quick access to time to get quality
quality information information

3. Google
 Offersthe most popular search engine
 Has developed lots of other applications
 The most successful advertising
company in history
 Uses data mining & targeted advertising
based on user habits

4. Google Search Results
Results page lists links delivered in order
of “Google authority,” affected by, amongst
other things:
 Page content (relevancy)
 Backlinks (domain authority)
 Profitability for Google

5. Google “Authority” Implications:
 Google good for quickly finding non-
controversial, authoritative sites
(eg: a movie home page)
 Google bad for quickly finding factual
information on controversial topics
(eg: Israel-Palestine conflict)
 Skewed results towards “page
spammers,” “content farmers,” and
commercial / Google-owned sites

6. Google Search Example:
“Global Warming”
www.google.ca

7. “Global Warming”
 ~197,000,000 results (@ time slide created)
 Lots of sponsored links - $$$ factor
 Wikipedia entry - $$$ factor
 Google News - $$$ factor
 Charities - $$$ factor
 Good (and poor / biased / outdated)
information sources
You must spend a lot of time assessing
page content to assure quality information!

8. Who wants to spend that much
time trying to find good
information?

9. Online Databases
…the time-saving solution!

10. Databases available to CKSS:
 EBSCO Host – huge database;
international focus
 Gale Cengage – “Powersearch” =
big database; lots of Cdn. Content
 SIRS (Social Issues Resource Series) –
large; issue-based, American focus
Home-use passwords available!

11. Databases Available 24/7 Online:
… via the CKSS Library
Research Page

12. Thanks for viewing this
tutorial presentation!
cksslibrary.blogspot.ca