Guide to Information Seeking: Information resources

There are different types of databases:

• A full text database contains both references and full texts. For example in Academic Search Elite the full text can usually be opened as a PDF file, sometimes also in your web browser.

• A reference database contains references to articles. The references usually include title, author, where and when the article was published, and possibly abstract and subject terms. Reference databases do not necessarily include the actual article in full text. Therefore in order to get hold of the article in full text, you must retrieve it from a full text database, browse print journals or contact interlibrary services. Arto database, for example, usually contains only references:

• A citation database contains information on citations, about sources and how they are cited. It enables you to count citations and check, for example, which articles or journals are the most cited ones.

NB: Most databases are combinations of different types of databases. In a typical database, some of the articles are in full text, others have only reference information and an abstract.

In most databases you can limit your search to include only full text articles. Use this option with caution, as an interesting article may be available in another database acquired for Turku UAS users.

See more information on article search in the  Article guide.

Google helps you find everyday information online quickly and easily, but with scholarly information needs Google is not enough:

• Google and other search engines can only find a small amount of information on the Internet. The parts of the web that are not indexed by standard search engines is called the deep web. The deep web contains most of the scholarly databases behind the pay walls.
• The same search can produce different results to different people because Google uses personification depending on the user's language, location and search history.
• Search results that Google provides can change quickly because the web is being updated continuously.
• The quality of the information found by Google varies. Anyone can publish anything on the Internet, and therefore you need skills to evaluate information sources critically.
• Google uses relevance principles when sorting out the search result. The search results are arranged depending on by the popularity of the web page and the amount of hyperlinks provided. A good source is not always popular, so it cannot necessarily be found in the first pages of the search result list.

Scholarly information skills include skills to identify databases of your own field of study as well as knowledge of methods on how to search information in a systematical way.

Turku UAS library use Finna as the search interface, the same one as many other Finnish libraries, archives and museums. The organization-specific Finna sites provide access to materials acquired by these individual organizations. National Finna.fi is the one stop platform for searching materials provided by partner libraries, archives and museums. 

Please note that Finna.fi contains only open access material, not  electronic resources licensed by organizations. This is why it is advisable to start your search with Turku UAS Finna, which provides access to all the materials acquired for Turku UAS students and staff.

Google Scholar finds open access materials as well as some materials with restricted access. Google Scholar library links enables you to access the full text articles provided by Turku UAS. Please note that Google Scholar does not include all the library databases.

Library links inside Turku UAS network

If you are inside Turku UAS network your search result includes Fulltext - Turku UAS hyperlinks. By clicking the hyperlink you have access to Link resolver service. Via fulltext hyperlink you can access the databases that Turku UAS provides you and read the article.

Activate library links outside Turku UAS network

1. Go to Google Scholar and click symbol on the top left. Open Settings and choose Library links.

2. Search for Turku University of Applied Sciences and save your settings.

3. Your search result includes now full text articles acquired for Turku UAS students and staff. By clicking the link Fulltext - Turku UAS you will be redirected to Link resolver. Click the link to access the database and read the full text article.