BeckerGuides: Audiology and Deaf Education: Databases

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Databases

A database is defined by the National Library of Medicine as “a structured file of information or a set of logically related data stored and retrieved using computer-based means.” Databases vary depending on subject, content, search features, date coverage and other features. Consult the user’s guide or select the help icon for each database to learn more about the features offered.

Subject Coverage

Most databases are subject or discipline specific; others cover more than one discipline such as the case with interdisciplinary topics related to Audiology, which may include both the Sciences and Social Sciences. Where to start? It depends on the nature of the topic or clinical question. For example, the MEDLINE database would be a recommended place to start for location of citations/abstracts to peer-reviewed journal articles for a search on Usher Syndromes. For a topic related to engineering such as directional microphones in hearing aids, Inspec or SCOPUS are recommended. For special education related topics such as literacy levels of hearing impaired children, PsycINFO or Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) are examples of databases that would be appropriate.

Date Coverage

Databases vary on date coverage of citations to indexed content. Most databases have complete files of citations to publications dating from the 1970s with some containing incomplete files of citations dating from the 1800s or earlier. If complete citation coverage for a specific time period is required it may be necessary to use several databases or to use the print version of a database (called a print periodical index) for complete coverage.

Indexed Content

Databases index from various types of content with some being narrow in focus and others indexing from a variety of content types. The MEDLINE database is a highly specialized database that indexes peer-reviewed journal articles from a very select list of biomedical journals, using a controlled vocabulary, Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), for indexing of content.

Other databases index from multiple content types ranging from citations/abstracts to peer-reviewed journal articles, trade publications, conference abstracts, dissertations, books, book chapters, book reviews, clinical guidelines, patents, and other works. For example, PsycINFO includes peer-reviewed journal articles, trade publications, books, book reviews, dissertations, and encyclopedias. The Cochrane Library includes citations to systematic reviews, peer-reviewed journal articles, books, conference abstracts, and unpublished literature.

Search Features

Databases vary on the search features and capabilities offered. For example, some databases may offer advanced search options such as limiting a search to gender, age, type of publication, and humans or animals; others may only offer basic search options. Some databases also index their records using a controlled vocabulary such as the case with MEDLINE. MEDLINE uses Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) which offers the option of identifying appropriate MeSH terms for searches to allow for more precise searching. Another example of a search feature is the ability to search by an author name. SCOPUS offers a specialized author search feature which allows users to search by an author name and retrieve all indexed publications by that author, and to view citing references to those publications. SCOPUS and Web of Science are two databases that offer a cited reference search option. This allows users to locate citing references to a specific publication. This feature is especially helpful if you have an older publication and want to track subsequent research based on the findings noted in the publication.

Databases/Resources for Audiology and Deaf Education

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
The mission of AHRQ is translating research findings into better patient care and providing policymakers and other health care leaders with information needed to make critical health care decisions. The AHRQ website provides guidelines; not citations/abstracts to peer-reviewed journal articles.
ALL Databases at Olin Library
ArticleFirst
(Olin database) ArticleFirst contains literature on science, technology, medicine, social science, and business.
Cochrane Library Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders Group
The Cochrane Library includes systematic reviews relating to the PREVENTION, TREATMENT or MANAGEMENT, and (if applicable) REHABILITATION of diseases of the ear, nose or throat.
Compendex/Engineering Village
Compendex is a comprehensive database of scientific and technical engineering literature and includes citations/abstracts to peer-reviewed journal articles and conference abstracts.

CINAHL
CINAHL is a comprehensive resource for nursing and allied health literature (audiology and speech-language pathology), and includes books, dissertations, conference proceedings, standards of practice, educational software, and audiovisuals.

Digital Commons@Becker: Program in Audiology and Communication Sciences Community
Digital Commons@Becker contains independent studies, capstones and dissertations generated by PACS dating from 1938 to 2016.
Dissertations and Theses (Proquest)
(Olin database) Dissertation and Theses is a comprehensive database of dissertations and theses, worldwide, and is the official dissertation archives for the Library of Congress.

Embase This link opens in a new window
Embase is a up-to-date database covering international biomedical literature from 1947 to the present day and contains over 32 million indexed records, more than 8,500 currently indexed peer-reviewed journals, and over two million conference abstracts.
Access restricted to WUSM.

ERIC
ERIC contains over 850,000 annotated references to journal articles appearing in the monthly Current Index to Journals in Education, and material published in the monthly Resources in Education.

Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a publicly available resource of scholarly literature including citations/abstracts to peer-reviewed journal articles, dissertations, books, patents and conference abstracts from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations.

Google Scholar is freely available; however, all the content it points to is not. If you are on a campus network or access Google Scholar through our site while logged in to our proxy, you will automatically see links to full text from our libraries.

Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HAPI)
HAPI features material on unpublished information-gathering tools for clinicians that are discussed in journal articles, such as questionnaires, interview schedules, and tests used for speech and hearing therapy.
Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA)
(Olin database) LLBA covers all aspects of the study of language including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.

MedlinePlus
MedlinePlus contains authoritative information from NLM, NIH, and other government agencies, and contains extensive information about drugs, an illustrated medical encyclopedia, interactive patient tutorials, and the latest health news.
APA PsycINFO
APA PyscInfo contains citations and summaries of journal articles, book chapters, books, and technical reports in the field of psychology and psychological aspects of related disciplines including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, anthropology, business, and law. Previously know as PsycINFO in 2020 the name was changed to APA PsycInfo.
PubMed
PubMed Medline is the National Library of Medicine’s search service that provides access to over 17 million citations from 5,000 titles in Medline, Premedline, and other related databases. Coverage dates from 1949-present; with some earlier citations. Searching is available to anyone but linking to full text content is limited to WU authenticated users.

PubMed Clinical Queries
Use PubMed Clinical Queries for clinical studies and systematic reviews.

SCOPUS
SCOPUS is a large bibliographic database of scientific, technical, medical and social sciences literature and includes abstracts to conference proceedings, trade publications, books and patents.

Trip
Trip is a freely available search engine that serves as a clinical search tool designed to allow health professionals to rapidly identify the highest quality clinical evidence for clinical practice. Trip allows for filtering of searches by a color-coded hierarchy of evidence.

UpToDate
Access is restricted to WUSM, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and St. Louis Children's Hospital.
Web of Science
Web of Science allows for concurrent searching of the following bibliographic databases: Science Citation Index,
Social Sciences Citation Index and the Arts & Humanities Citation Index.
WorldCat
WorldCat is a catalog which itemizes the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries and territories which participate in the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) global cooperative. It is built and maintained collectively by the participating libraries. It contains over 36 million records, including manuscripts written as early as the 11th century.