Searching
Databases Coverage
Every database contains only certain types and
amounts of information, a characteristic called
coverage. This information can typically be found
in the database itself under links such as "About
[name of database]," "Database information,"
"Title list," or "Sources,"
etc. Web-based databases are typically accessed
from a link that is annotated with some information
about coverage. Databases published in paper form
normally locate this information in the front
of each volume or in an introduction.
Consider the following elements
of database coverage:
| What
kinds of documents? Journals, magazines,
books, book chapters, dissertations, audio
files, statistical tables, images, Web pages,
software applications? |
| |
| Which
disciplines? Sociology, music, chemistry,
all, none? |
| |
| What
languages? The current year? 1960-1998?
How often is the database updated? Hourly,
daily, weekly, monthly, annually? |
| |
| Which
publication types? Scholarly? Popular?
Trade? All three? Others? |
| |
| What
is included in the record? A whole
article or chapter (full-text) or just a brief
description (bibliographic citation and abstract)?
Publisher and title? |
Follow the link to the right to try answering
a few questions about coverage.
|
