Academic databases

What is an academic database?

The purpose of this post is to start the search off for academic databases in the right direction and not to list every database.
In answer to the question above, an academic database is a database on the internet, or elsewhere that contains information relevant to the student, teacher, research, and study purposes. Simple, but how does one begin a search for the academic database?

Suggested search terms that you may type into your browser are Academic Database, Free
Academic Database, and Free Academic Journal Database. You may not have free access to all the academic database available. While some are free, others are accessible by paid subscription. If you are a subscriber, then you have no limitation, but most students are not members by paid subscription. That is the reason i suggest you use the term Free Academic Database. It maximizes your chance of finding some free academic databases for you to finally locate the information required. Research and learning activities require the student to explore and collect required data and information from a variety of sources. This includes journal articles. It is the reason i have included the search term Free Academic Journal Database.

Example Academic Databases

When I typed in academic database in the Google Chrome browser the resultant figure showed

about 306, 000, 000. I looked at a number of them including "List of academic databases and 

search engines" listed in Wikipedia. I clicked on it and here are a few example databases.

AGRIS: Agricultural database

AGRIS is produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization and its web address is http://agris.fao.org

 

BioOne   www.bioone.org

If you need current research in Biodiversity Conservation, Biology, Ecology, Environmental Science,

Entomology, Ornithology, Plant Science, and Zoology, try searching in BioOne.

AGRICOLA - Agricultural Online Access

AGRICOLA was created by the United States National Agricultural Library

Apart from Wikipedia's list, there are many others provided such as these.

Public Library of Science   http://.www.plos.org

PLoS was produced by non-profit organization of scientists. Its purpose is to make available the 

world's scientific and medical literature freely accessible to scientists, students and to the public.

Directory of open Access Journals (DOAJ)   http://.www.doaj.org

DOAJ lists and provides access to quality open access, peer-reviewed journals.

Matheson Library

The British Library and Infotrieve are accessible through Matheson Library. If you do not find

information sources in the Matheson Library collections, please ask the library staff at the 

Document Access Section to help you access the British Library and Infotrieve.

TEEAL (The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library) is available through the library system n 

the Matheson Library. It is available university wide on this link:

http://www.unitech.ac.pg/InformationAbout/Services/MathesonLibrary/TheEssentialElectro

nicAgriculturalLibrary    TEEAL dates from 1993 to 2012 available in full text and abstracts are

included.

Reminder

Please Bookmark relevant databases on the net that you may consult again later. It will save you

time searching all over again in future.

Sample Writing Errors

Experience in marking first year students' essays.

I share here my experience in part time teaching first years at university. In particular, my experience in marking essays. One of the courses that i tutored in is LA 101: Study Skills and presented here are some of the writing errors and my corrections. The errors that are discussed and corrected are from the students major essay for the first semester of 2006. They differ very little from previous  errors that i had come across in students' essays since 2004. In general second and third year students' essays are less fraught with errors. The topic of the essays are not given. Only some writing errors were picked out and shared here. Not all the errors are recorded here , but only some to illustrate students' errors. I hope that current students may learn from these errors.

Sample Writing Errors and Corrections

Sample 1: Ommission of citation

A statement by the Yale Faculty stated learning for college students is based on two principles: the discipline of the mind and the 'finishing' of the mind. With the demands of technological advances and the increased occupational opportunities, it increased the need for educated people in a society. With this in mind, institutions have considered this importance as a potential contribution to students' persistence and success.

The student continued on without any reference to the author or date as citation. The paragraph is the view of the Yale Faculty on learning for college students. As it is,it amounts to plagiarism.

Sample 2: Generalisation

Alcohol is the cause of alcoholism

Alcohol is the cause of alcoholism  could be edited to be more specific, especially when discussing the causes of alcoholism. In the paper the student was discussing the causes of alcoholism

Improved: Prolonged consumption of alcohol may cause alcoholism.

Sample 3 : Repetition and lacking clarity

The theme " "My Instititution Is My Path To Success" is one or the other means that you are what you are. It means what you do now will determine your future.

Sample 3 contains unneeded repetition and lacking in clarity.

Improved:  The theme "My Institution Is My Pathe To Success" means what you do now will determine your future.

Sample 4: Repetition

It is a fact that you must abide by certain rules or number of rules or obey number of rules or guidelines.

Repetition is the problem with this sentence. Repetition is unnecessary and takes up valuable space and time that can be used to discuss more important issues in an essay. It is unwise to repeat any words and phrases just to fill up space in order to meet a paper's required number of words. Make every word count. Repetition may be used to stress a point and that is where it is useful.

Improved: It requires that one must abide by the rules.

Sample 5: Multiple writing problems

"It is better to be in the current and flow with it "(Richard Clay (The Chaucer Press) Ltd,, Bungay, Sufford. Copyright @ Northcote PARKINSON. 1957, The Law of Delay, Printed and bound in the United States of America). This simly means to take into consideration a situation or happeningand with no delay find a solution or to find away out of the situation as delay can cause destruction, death, unsuccessfulness and regret.

The paragraph does not allow for smooth reading for a number of reasons. Firstly, the citation is not proper and distracts the smooth flow of reading and understanding. The proper in-text citation is (Clay 1957). The rest of the bibliographic details are not necessary because that is part of the bibliography at the end of the paper. Secondly, the sentence that explains the quotation needs to be improved firstly, to get rid of unnecessay repetition and secondly, to use proper choice of words. Edited into two sentences it now reads: This simply means to take into consideration a situation and with no delay find a solution. Deferring the task to another time may cause failure and regret.

Improved: "It is better to be in the current and flow with it"(Clay 1957). This simply means to take into consideration a situation and with no delay find a solution. Deferring the task to another time may cause failure and regret.

The source should appear in the bibilography or Reference List as:

Clay, Richard. 1957. The Law of Delay. Sufford.The Chaucer Press.

Sample 6: In-text citation error

"Most successful people have failed at one time or another - often more than once - before succeeding. But thye do not let themselves get discouraged. They perservered" (The Cpmplete Time Management System. Christian H. Godfrey & John Clark, 1989).

Sample 6 is similar to Sample 5. The citation is not proper and improved it should appear thus:

"Most successful people have failed at one time or another - often more than once - before succeeding. But they do not let themselves get discouraged. They perservered" (Godfrey & Clark, 1989).