Purpose of the resource - EBSCOhost offers its suite of databases for high school as a one-stop research resource in which the sources and reading levels have been especially chosen to complement high school curricula. It is designed for both students and faculty and includes full text articles from more that 5,000 magazines, journals, and news sources. Special features include searching by single databases or a federated search, alphabetical and subject-based index of publications, thesaurus of indexing terms, ability for the user to narrow a search already conducted by publication type or date, subject, and source type. Within the results list, the user can see the article abstract by rolling over an icon; if the user chooses the article he or she can print, email, bookmark or save it within MyEbsco, a personalized folder of research items
Critical Evaluation - EBSCOhost offers an exceptionally varied and well-rounded collection of publications, and its interface is user-centered and easily navigated. Students adopt it as a go-to research tool quickly, and enjoy its simple design and powerful search functions enough even to pull them away from Google searches. Rather than an encyclopedic approach, articles are chosen directly from professional, academic, popular, and news sources. This gives students the opportunity to encounter the content and the writing style of current scholarship--a vital piece of their training in information literacy. The databases lack sources for very upper level investigation involving narrow topics or highly refined approaches to a subject.
Reader's Annotation - EBSCOhost is your home for reliable, published information on just about any subject you might encounter or wonder about in school! It's quick and easy to use, and even includes citation information right in the articles.
About EBSCO - EBSCO was established in 1944 and has grown to become one of the world's largest content access and management businesses operating today. Over 300 full text and secondary research databases are included in the EBSCO fold. The company also offers subscription services.
Curricular Uses - EBSCOhost's databases include material for every typical high school course, most especially history, social studies, literature, and Health.
Resource Talk Ideas
- Have students look up the subject of their latest research project. What do they find in EBSCO that they haven't seen before?
- Ask students to research a favorite author for literary criticism.
- Walk students through the process of narrowing down a search from the thousands to maybe 20.
Reading level / Interest age - High school students and faculty
Resource included because it is the primary database I choose to purchase each year for my school library. It's comprehensive, easy to use, and the kids take to it quickly. Improvements and additional tools in the interface come out a couple times a year, proving that the company really keeps its eye on the user and what he or she needs in a high school research resource.
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