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Frederick E. Berry Library and Learning Commons

ACC 800: Accounting Analysis for Decision Making

Google vs Library Databases

Google and Other Search Engines Library Databases
  • Scholarly journal articles

  • Popular magazine articles

  • Newspaper articles

  • Reference book articles (e.g., directories, encyclopedias)

  • Books

  • No sponsors or ads

 

Google and Other Search Engines Library Databases
  • Best for personal information needs including shopping and entertainment.

  • When you have time to more carefully evaluate information found on the open web.

  • Best for college level research.

  • When you need to find credible information quickly.

 

Google and Other Search Engines Library Databases
  • Lack of control allows anybody to publish their opinions and ideas on the Internet.  

  • Not evaluated (for the most part).  Need to more carefully evaluate web sites for bias, accuracy, and completeness.

  • Many sites are not updated regularly and can become outdated.

  • Articles and books written by journalists or experts in a professional field.

  • All material in database is evaluated for accuracy and credibility by subject experts and publishers.

  • Reviewed and updated regularly.

 

Google and Other Search Engines  Library Databases
  • Most information found through a search engine is free. 

  • Library databases cannot be accessed through search engines or the open web.

  • Many web sites found through Internet search engines contain licensedproprietary information and require you to logon with a user account.  You must already be a member or pay for a subscription in order to access the material from these web sites.

 

Google and Other Search Engines Library Databases
  • Web site content can often change.

  • Web pages and sites may disappear for a number of reasons.  May not be able to retrieve the same content at a later time.

  • Published content from journals, magazines, newspapers and books does not change.

  • Most material remains in database for a significant length of time and can be easily retrieved again.

 

Off-campus library database access

When you access a library database off-campus (such as IBISWorld, Mergent, etc.), you will be prompted to enter a username and password. This tells our system that you are a member of the SSU community.

The user name and password are the same as those used to access Navigator, Canvas, email, etc.

Library Databases for News Articles

Library Databases for Research Reports

Library Databases for Data and Statistics