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EDUC 1300 - Stidham: Articles from Databases

What are Library Databases Anyway?

The above video, titled What Are Databases and Why You Need Them may be viewed in the window below or found on YouTube at

The script and video was created by the Yavapai College Library in Prescott, Arizona and is being used here in compliance with stated licensing and permissions guidelines.

Trade Publications

Trade PublicationsProfessional Magazines or Journals

A professional magazine or journal is one produced by a professional organization and tailored to the interests of its members.  The peer-review process is not employed in the process of presenting content to readers.  The editorial staff is responsible for the accuracy and verifiability of content as it works with contributors.

Professional magazines present news and analysis, editorial comment, and book reviews of interest to the association's members and often take the form of newsletters. 

In some fields, they also present extensive professional development articles for the improvement of skills.  The level of writing and execution can sometimes be quite high, approaching the scholarly.  This sort of professional journal can be very useful to both practitioners of a professional and to college students who are engaged in professional preparation.

EXAMPLES OF PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINES

  • Education Week
  • Teaching Pre-K-8
  • Monitor on Psychology
  • NAEA News
  • NCTM Bulletin

Trade or Industry Magazines

trade journal or trade magazine is a periodical published with the intention of marketing ideas, products, or services to a specific industry or type of trade/business. The collective term for this area of publishing is the trade press. The peer-review process is not employed in the process of presenting content to readers.  The editorial staff is responsible for the accuracy and verifiability of content as it works with contributors.

Trade and industry journals typically contain advertising content focused on the industry in question with little if any general-audience advertising. They also generally contain industry-specific job notices, a highly pertinent aspect to many readers.

Many trade publications can also be considered news magazines with a very specific topical focus. Some trade journals operate under controlled circulation, meaning the publisher decides who may receive complimentary subscriptions based on each individual's qualification as a member of the trade. This allows a high level of certainty that advertisements will be received by the advertiser's target audience.

In some instances, the boundary between trade publication and peer-reviewed journal has blurred. One such example is BioTechniques, which contains peer-reviewed technical reports and technology reviews while containing heavy advertising content, a significant proportion of the articles being authored by or in collaboration with vendors who advertise in the same issue. 

EXAMPLES OF TRADE MAGAZINES

  • Billboard
  • Advertising Age
  • Beverage World
  • Automotive News
  • Progressive Grocer

 

Choosing a Database

The databases in the box below are chosen as being appropriate for most career-related research projects. Most careers are covered in the more general, comprehensive career databases such as Ferguson's Career Guidance Center, Vocational and Career Collection, Vocations and Careers Collection, or ProQuest Research Library

If your career matches the coverage of one of our smaller, more specialized databases, try searching for articles there. For example, aspiring chefs and caterers could search in the Culinary Arts Collection while future fashion designers might try the Berg Fashion Library.

Learning Express Library is where you can create a free personal account to access practice GED, TOEFL, and many other exams; job certification exams for careers such as cosmetology, firefighter, real estate, nursing, etc.; information and practice for citizenship exams in English and Spanish; and access a wide range of basic skills development materials, in areas such as mathematics and grammar.

The Job and Career Accelerator is a part of Learning Express Library and contains powerful tools and expert guidance to help you search for jobs.

The A-Z list of HCC library databases is - http://library.hccs.edu/az.php

Suggested Databases

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