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Welcome to. Gale Cengage Learning Research Material. On-line Database. According to Gale, “The Gale Cengage Learning database is a flexible and powerful Research platform for managing a wealth of periodical, reference, multimedia and primary sources information.”.
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Welcome to Gale Cengage LearningResearch Material On-line Database
According to Gale, “The Gale Cengage Learning database is a flexible and powerful Research platform for managing a wealth of periodical, reference, multimedia and primary sources information.” • Gale PowerSearch offers many search options, including: • Basic Search on the homepage • Browse Subjects • Browse Publications • One Search • Advanced Search
You can access the Gale Cengage Learning databases from the MHS Library Web Page . It is the first button under the On-line Search products to which the library subscribes.
A partial list of Gale Databases is shown in the screen shot below. Note the following: • The default (little radio button with the green dot) is set to Selected Cross-Searchable Product • All Databases are selected by default (look for the green check in the Select All option) • You can launch your search from this page by using the Find field OR by selecting a specific database
A High School student may want to scroll down to the Student Resource-Gold database to begin their research since it is designed with that age group in mind. • Spanish speaking users may prefer the Informe database. • Each database has a description of what it offers
The screen shot below shows the Student Resource Gold database. Some things to note are: • There is a banner of Current Topics across the top of the page. • On the right is a feature PBS Video and below that are Feature News stories • In the middle of the screen there is a list of the 9 most popular themes for research • Each theme has a short, Suggested Topics list and a View All option
Clicking the View All option under the topic Science displays all the subtopics under Science. A portal page has been created for each sub-topic. The next screen shots will refer to the subtopic: Steroids
This page shows attributes typical of every page. • There is a picture or video related to the topic on the right. (Dragging your mouse across the image activates a pop up box with an explanation of the picture.) • The entry begins with a Summary of the Topic • Under the image on the right is a Tools Menu which offers options for: bookmarking, sharing, emailing, t • Under the Summary is a list of Expert Picks (Yes, they really are experts). • To the left of the Expert Picks are more visuals , (and almost always), there are some audios (radio) • Underneath the Expert Picks (not shown) is information from the following: Reference books, Newspapers, Magazines , Academic Journals, Websites, and other forms of media
The scheme below represents the basic page design. Images or Videos Audio – Radio Broadcasts Related to Top Banner – Visual Display of popular Topics in the News Visual Related to the topic Fact Box Tools Related Topics Summary of the Topic: Expert Picks: Information related to the topic, selected by experts in the field Newspapers Reference Books Magazines Academic Journals Manuscripts Websites
If you choose to launch your search from the main window of the Gale Databases you may see a pattern in the options that guide you through all the pages. The example screen shot that follows deals with the subject search: Epigenetics
Note the following: Magazine articles are being displayed. You know this because the Magazine Tab is larger and it is a different color. There is a Tools window that allows different options for: printing, sending, looking up words, saving, sharing, book marking , citing. There is an option which allows you to listen to the text being read. A Big Concept to keep in mind is with regard to BOOKMARKED items. They are saved ONLY UNTIL you close the session. Once you close out, the marked items will be gone. If you want to save marked items for a period of time, then go up to the task bar and click on LOGIN so you can establish your own account.
Advance Search: Provides search fields that are not available in the Basic Search. The most common Advanced search options are Boolean operators: And, Not, Or. Three search fields display but you can Add more by clicking: Add a Row An example of options available in the Keyword drop down Menu. You can include the Type of Document you want.
AdvancedSearches – A great option when specific search criteria are needed A researcher looking for information on a newly discovered solar system referred to as “Goldilocks” would want to consider the advanced search option.
By using the Boolean search terms: And, Not (used in the previous slide) the researcher is able to narrow and define the search
If a researcher were required to include a Primary Source in their research paper, the advanced search would facilitate the hunt.
Parting thoughts • Database have an advantage over Internet Searches in that: • the databases articles are backed by publishers • they are selected by experts • for many researchers, they save a lot of time • they include tools for creating complete citation
Created: January 2010p.r. christensenLast Updated: October 2010 RETURN TO HOME