What is the difference between a search engine and a database? (2024)

A search engine, like Google, uses computer algorithms to search the Internet and find websites that match the keywords you enter.

Library databases search for published and academic resources, including articles in journals, newspapers, and magazines. Library databases can be general or discipline-specific (e.g. an engineering database).

For more information, see the Undergraduate Library’s comparison of databases and search engines.

What is the difference between a search engine and a database? (2024)
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