Human Kinetics

OneSearch vs databases

When you research using library resources, you can use OneSearch or you can use any of a number of databases. This chart will help you decide which to explore.

  OneSearch Subject-specific Databases
Research Stage

Developing a research question

Answering a developed research question

Type of Information Big picture, introductory, or overview information, mixed with highly specific and in-depth explorations Specific, detailed, and analytical information
Types of Resources Books, articles. encyclopedias, dictionaries, magazine articles, news articles Articles

 

Choosing the right database

Depending on your research question, and the type of information you need to find in order to develop an answer for it, you'll want to search different databases. You may need to look in more than one to gather everything you need. Here is a list of databases to consider first:

 

If you're still developing your research question, you might want to begin with one of these two multidisciplinary databases:

How to search for articles

The approach to searching library resources is the same, no matter which resource (OneSearch or a specific database) you're using. This short video will introduce basic search techniques and show you how to use them to search OneSearch for articles.

How to search for articles in OneSearch

 

Once you're comfortable with the basics, watch this video for more advanced techniques.

Advanced search techniques in OneSearch

 

Now that you know how to use OneSearch, use the same techniques to search subject-specific databases.

SPORTDiscus for literature reviews

How to read and understand articles

Reading articles is a skill. Watch this short video to learn how to read articles effectively and efficiently.

While you're reading, ask yourself six questions:

  • What do the author(s) want to know (motivation)?
  • What did they do (approach/methods)?
  • Why was it done that way (context within the field)?
  • What do the results show (figures and data tables)?
  • How did the author(s) interpret the results (interpretation/discussion)?
  • What should be done next? (Regarding this last question, the author(s) may provide some suggestions in the discussion, but the key is to ask yourself what you think should come next.)

 

Where can you start looking to find answers to these questions?

Question Section of the article
What do the author(s) want to know (motivation)? Abstract, Introduction
What did they do (approach/methods)? Introduction, Methods
Why was it done that way (context within the field)? Introduction, Literature Review, Methods
What do the results show (figures and data tables)? Discussion
How did the author(s) interpret the results (interpretation/discussion)? Discussion, Conclusion
What should be done next? (Regarding this last question, the author(s) may provide some suggestions in the discussion, but the key is to ask yourself what you think should come next.) Discussion, Conclusion

Carey, M. A., Steiner, K. L., & Petri, W. A., Jr (2020). Ten simple rules for reading a scientific paper. PLoS computational biology16(7), e1008032. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008032

Other Article Databases