Generalities

The ENG 111 instructor likes her students to focus on the ProQuest Databases for their initial foray into research. Her feeling is ProQuest has enough general information that all students should be able to find at least one article on their topic.

It is a learning curve for our students to learn what a database can contain and how to use one.

I like the analogy that databases are like cars- if you can drive a Ford you can drive a Chevy. Cars are cars- steeering wheel, stick shift somewhere, accelerator, brake, etc. It might take a few minutes to get acclimated but a car is a car and you can drive one! The same with databases. They have similar features- basic, advanced searches, limiters.

ProQuest Databases has the Basic, Advanced search tabs, Topics, the Publications tab.

For Eng 111, I show the Basic tab, the Full Text limiter, and the Scholarly Journals limiter.

We're pushing the full text limiter with the thought that our students aren't doing academic research, they need an article for a "report".

I know I waited till it was too late to order articles through InterLibrary Loan when I was an undergrad. The full text limiter eliminates the wailing and gnashing of teeth as they realize there was a perfect article but all they could see was the abstract and it's too late to order.

The Scholarly Journals limiter weeds out the Good Housekeeping articles and begins to help students "see" there is a diference in the writing and content that scholarly journals allow.

It's a step toward Information Literacy- showing the students there are ways to weed through the tsunami of information that is available.