Databases Comparison for an EBP Research - Paper Example

Introduction

The quality of data has a significant role towards research, and this is determined by choice of research database used to acquire research information. Evidence-based practice requires factual information which can be used to answer evidence-based questions. Although there are many documents available in different information databases the quality of the information will depend on the overall purpose of the source and the established library regulations required to be met to accept a publication. Therefore, a library can be differentiated from another library based on the availability of primary sources which can be used in evidence-based practice. This essay will assess the importance of EBSCOhost and PubMed libraries over Google scholar libraries in providing resources for evidence-based practice.

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Google Scholar

Google Scholar is an online database that provides a variety of information for free across different disciplines. Google scholar has a variety of information which can be used in evidence-based, but the search engine does not provide specific information search because it only allows a general search which makes it hard to differentiate primary and secondary sources. Google scholar is also limited in providing information for evidence-based practice because most of the sources in the database only have reviews and abstracts and the full text of the sources will require you to outsource in other databases. Google scholar allows a broad coverage of different disciplines but does not provide comprehensive access to the sources in the database which makes it unreliable for evidence-based practice research. Using the database makes it difficult to determine a source of credibility because it is up to the user to assess the applicability of the source as a primary or secondary data source. Lastly, Google scholar is limited as an evidence-based practice source because the library does not provide resources update which makes the results unreliable and inaccurate.

EBSCOhost and PubMed Central

EBSCOhost and PubMed Central are superior databases that can be used to access primary research in nursing. Whereas Ebsocohost requires the subscribers to subscribe for the services PubMed Central provides free access to full-text research resources. Both the databases are superior to Google scholar because they allow search customization with advanced search options with the ability to save the search for EBSCOhost while PubMed provides data in medical research only. Both the databases have reliable information compared to Google scholar because the experts and publishers evaluate the sources before they can be approved to be included in the databases. The content of the sources, therefore, are of high quality and chosen from the selected academic environment which makes the validity of the information very high. EBSCOhost provides comprehensive access, and the results of the searches are not filtered based on the user geographic location, unlike Google scholar which makes the website more reliable for evidence-based practice research and practical application.

Conclusion

EBSCOhost and PubMed Central are superior research databases for evidence-based practice compared to Google scholar because of ability to get full texts and also the ability to narrow down research results which makes it possible for a researcher to limit the results to specific needed articles based on the evidence-based question. Both PubMed Central and EBSCOhost ensure that publishers are vetted to ensure only reputable publishers research is approved to the library.