How to Use the Gale Databases
IntroductionAccording the online Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, a database is a "Collection of data or information organized for rapid search and retrieval, especially by a computer." What kind of information is in a database and why is it important? Developers of commercial databases, such as Gale, gather information from many types of resources such as books, newspapers, magazines, media broadcasts, interviews, and online research from legitimate sources. This information has come from a resource that has already authenticated and published the information. Companies that are in the business of providing information have to be vigilant about the quality of information they provide or they would not stay in business. The information found when searching the World Wide Web has to be validated if it is coming from an unknown source. In other words, if you are using information from a website you found on the Web, you need to make sure that there are other resources that can validate that information. The "rule of thumb" that journalists use is the "rule of three". If three resources can confirm the facts you want to use, then the information is usually true. The same rule applies to Web resources. The advantage to using a database is that the information retrieved has already been validated. You can rely on it and you don't have to spend a lot of time trying to validate it on your own. |