Academic Curiosity
What is a library database?
What’s the difference between a primary source and a secondary source? Provide an example of each.
Why is it important to cite the sources you use in your research?
https://images.google.com/
“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”
Carl Sagan
Who is Carl Sagan?
Carl Sagan never said, “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”
You can’t find the full text of this 1977 Newsweek article on the web, so this is where you need to do research instead of a web search.
Databases contain magazine articles. But how will you know which of the hundreds of Penn State University Libraries’ databases to use?
On the FIND box on the Libraries’ homepage, you will see a tab for E-Journals. Choose that tab and search Newsweek.
Look at the results of this search and determine which databases provide access to the time period we’re looking for (there are two).
You can go to the database to search, or enter your search terms directly in the Search box under the results (this will be the easiest).
Tip: Search phrases using quote marks.
Search tips for Nexis Uni
- Choose Advanced Search
- In the first search box, enter the phrase (with quote marks) “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” By using the quote marks, we are telling the database search we want to find ALL of these words in this order.
- Enter Carl Sagan in the next search box.
- In the Date Range section, select Date is before (from the dropdown menu). Then click the calendar and choose September (from the dropdown menu) and 1977 (from the dropdown menu). Be sure to click on a day on the calendar. I just clicked on the first on the month and it input the date Sep 01, 1977 in the search box.
- In the Source box, enter Newsweek. Then select Newsweek from the list that populates in the box.
