Library: Behavioral Science &amp; Human Services: Library Resources by Field of Interest: Research Tools and Search Tips

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Spotlight on the Criminal Justice Database. It's a comprehensive database supporting research on crime, its causes and impacts, legal and social implications, as well as litigation and crime trends.

Library Databases

What is a library database?

A library database is a searchable collection of different resources including articles from magazines, newspapers, and scholarly journals, streaming videos, images, and more.

Library databases are different than Google. The information contained in databases is not freely available via a google search. You have access to the databases as an SCC student, so when you access a database from off campus you will be prompted to login with your MEID and password.

Keywords

Databases deliver the best results when you search using specific keywords or short phrases rather than full sentences, questions, or strings of words. Thinking about your topic and different aspects of your topic can help you to identify relevant keywords. Good keywords are single words (usually nouns) OR specific phrases (two or more words that must go together to make sense). When searching for an exact phrase, use quotations. Here is an example of some keywords and phrases:

Example searches:

EMT and stress
"human resources" and "labor law"
"social worker" and children

Suggested Databases:

APA PsycARTICLES This link opens in a new window This esteemed collection from American Psychological Association (APA) provides access to the full spectrum of study in the field — including cutting-edge research from preeminent scholars, to the historical underpinnings of the behavioral and social sciences.
Psychology & Behavioral Science Collection This link opens in a new window This database is an essential resource for psychologists, counselors, researchers and students. It provides hundreds of full-text psychology journals, including many indexed in APA PsycInfo. It offers particularly strong coverage in child and adolescent psychology and counseling.
Psychology (Gale OneFile) This link opens in a new window Provides access to authoritative periodical content supporting research in all fields of psychology— abnormal, biological, cognitive, comparative, developmental, personality, quantitative, social and all areas of applied psychology. Researchers, psychologists, counselors, and behavioral scientists will discover relevant information from the thoughts, views, discoveries, and reports found in this comprehensive collection.
Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text This link opens in a new window Provides abstracts and full-text coverage from over 580 journals on subjects like: criminology, criminal justice, corrections and prisons, criminal investigations, forensic sciences and investigation, substance abuse and addiction, and probation and parole.
Criminal Justice Database (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window Criminal Justice Database supports research on crime, its causes and impacts, legal and social implications, as well as litigation and crime trends. It includes correctional and law enforcement publications and other material relevant for researchers or those preparing for careers in criminal justice, law enforcement and related fields.
Criminal Justice (Gale OneFile) This link opens in a new window Whether studying to become a lawyer or law enforcement officer, paralegal, or for a career in Homeland Security, this collection rises to the challenge. Users will have access to 150 journals.
HeinOnline Academic This link opens in a new window HeinOnline Academic includes more than 100 million pages of multidisciplinary content in more than 100 subject areas, including history, political science, criminal justice, religious studies, international relations, women’s studies, pre-law, and many more. With more historical content than any other database, HeinOnline provides access to 300+ years of information on political development and the complete history of the creation of government and legal systems around the world. Among the many databases included, HeinOnline’s journal collection features nearly 2,800 periodicals relating to a variety of subject areas, with all coverage dating from inception to the most currently published issues in most cases.

OneSearch basics

Watch: OneSearch in Under 3 Minutes to learn how to search the library's online resources.