EBSCO Student Research Center for High School Students

Bibliographic Information:
Retrieved from Student Research Center Powered by EBSCOhost.

Figure 1

About the Database:
Student Research Center (SRC) is database teens can use to look for a variety of information based on specific topics. When users look at the main interface (Figure 1.), they have a variety search options they can use. SRC also allows users to search for articles based on publication date, reading level, and only ask for "full-text" articles. Another great function is the inclusion of articles based on their format: newspaper, magazines, encyclopedia articles, etc. Another great option that can assist teens is the "Search by Topic" function that let users start off broad or get an idea of what they are looking for.

Figure 2

 Once users have entered their search terms, they will see a list of results Figure 2) that can be limited to format (magazines, newspapers, books, etc.). Users can also sort thought results by relevance and date of publication. In this particular search, on the "Middle East" there were more than 127, 000 results so users can narrow their search by subject or publication. In this instance, two many results were yielded so teens will need to search through these topics to find what they need. If users see more than one article they like they can add them to a folder, which they can return to for printing and e-mailing. Like most research databases, SRC will include citation information so teens can properly cite these resources in the reference sections of the their paper.



Critical Evaluation:
This database is a great asset for public libraries simply because it provides information on subjects the library may not have or every item regarding that subject is checked out. After using this resource, it is very easy to use and the variety of search options is useful. When conducting a search on William Shakespeare and the Middle East, it was interesting to see the difference between the searches. For example, the search on Shakespeare returned fewer resources than the Middle East, but the interface did not supply the left-hand tool bar that contain subject and publication trees. I am not sure why the results interfaces are not consistent, but this was one detail I did notice. When searching for information on the Middle East, hundreds and thousands of articles were retrieved, which was amazing. SRC contains a lot of information for teens that will not help them find the items they need, but actually teach them how to search by providing them with plenty of search fields and options.


Reader's Annotation:
Teens who need electronic resources for their research papers can use EBCOhost's Student Research Center, which can be accessed at their local library.

Information about the Database Company:
EBSCO is one of the leading companies to provide institutions with electronic services ranging from reference, online searching, online journals, research databases, and much more. According to EBSCO: "EBSCO has served the library industry for more than 60 years. By placing customers at the core of our business, we have tapped their ingenuity to assist us in developing the high quality products and services for which EBSCO is known" (para.1). According to EBSCO, the reason why the made SRC was to create "a search interface designed specifically for secondary school students, according to their needs and search abilities. The Student Research Center provides students in secondary schools with the most appropriate research tools for easily obtaining the information that they seek from their EBSCO databases" (para. 1). The goal behind this database is to teach teens how to look for information using professional resources designed like SRC, which they will encounter in college. Moreover, they can take what they learn to more informal resources such as search engines. 


Genre:
Reference

Curriculum Tie-In's:
As teachers show students how to write critical essays that require documentation, they can contact the public librarian to show their students how to gather information for formal papers.

Promotion Ideas: 
In order to demonstrate this database, a workshop is absolutely necessary. Moreover, detailed handouts and pamphlets are helpful in showing users how to conduct searches, but, ultimately, live instruction is needed so teens can see, hear, and practice on computers of their own.


Reading Level/Interest:
Grades 9 & up


Challenge Issues:
N/A


Databases Similar to Student Research Center:

• Gale Cengage Learning's InfoTrac

Why did I choose this database?
Student Research Center is a great tool for teen patrons. Moreover, this tool is also a Librarian's best friend when teens have questions about things, people, or events that are not well known; about five years ago, I was asked for a picture and information about a Giraffe Weevil and the Library did not own books that had this picture. Rather than going straight to Google, I used databases, like this one, and found what the patron was looking for. Furthermore, when teachers assign projects, and don't notify us, the resources are checked out immediately so everyone else has to scramble for something suitable. This is where databases come in.



Awards & Recognition:
N/A


References:
About EBSCO. (n.d.). EBSCO - EBSCOhost Online Research Databases. Retrieved April 05, 2011, from http://www.ebscohost.com/pages/about-ebsco

Student research center. (n.d.). EBSCO - EBSCOhost Online Research Databases. Retrieved April 05, 2011, from http://www.ebscohost.com/public/student-research-center