What is the difference between a database and a search engine?
Answer
ATSU Memorial Library subscribes to healthcare databases (e.g. PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, etc.) which are professional research tools. They produce accurate search results because they require the use of precise keywords, filters and logic to search. They cannot be searched with simple, natural-language searching like a search engine (Google, Bing, Yahoo).
Our Still OneSearch acts like a middle ground between a database and a search engine. You still need some precise search techniques, but instead of searching just one of our databases, it is searching many of our databases, plus ebooks in our catalog. This is like a search engine because you can search across a multitude of resources. It is probably most similar to GoogleScholar.
If any of this is confusing, that is okay. If you need help with your research, remember to contact your liaison librarian or set up an appointment with them. If you are not sure who your liaison librarian is, fill out the ask a librarian form and we will route it to the correct liaison.