Your instructors expect you to use authoritative and reliable resources for college research. Although Google and other Internet search engines may provide millions of "hits" on any topic, those results may not meet the criteria your instructors require for your research assignments. It is challenging and time-consuming for you to locate relevant and reliable material among thousands if not millions of Google results and to evaluate the reliability of the sites you find using Google.

Library databases do a lot of the hard work of the research process for you. They have been professionally evaluated and selected by your college librarian and library staff for their authoritative and reliable content. They are relevant to your studies at COTR, and only COTR faculty, students, and staff are eligible to use them.

Using a database allows you to search for information in an organized collection. This organization provides more relevant results through the use of subject headings and descriptors. You may also search for keywords in specific fields, such as author and title, and limit your results using various criteria (date, source type, etc.).

Databases also provide information in known sources such as printed magazines and journals. The content found in databases has undergone a peer review process, and the information is more reliable than information found on the Internet.

COTR Library Article Databases A - Z List