When using the "Cite" tool, make sure you scroll to find the proper style (e.g., MLA). Also, double-check the citation and make any necessary corrections. The automatic citations are not always accurate!
CQ Researcher provides overview of public policy issues.
Watch the video below for a description of how to search & access CR Researcher Reports.
Opposing Viewpoints provide brief introductions to a wide range of social issues.
Watch the video below for an overview of how to search and access information in Opposing Viewpoints.
Academic Search Complete is a multidisciplinary database with journals, magazines, and newspapers on almost any topic. A good place to start your research!
Watch the video below for an overview of how to search & access articles using keywords.
OneSearch is a tool that allows you to search many Library collections at the same time.
OneSearch works well when you want to access a wide variety of sources at once, and is a good tool when starting your research. OneSearch is convenient, but like Google, yields an overwhelming number of results. Be prepared to use the limiters on the left to refine and focus your results.
Watch this 3-minute video for an overview of how to search and refine your results in OneSearch.
Literature Resource Center includes information on thousands of authors & poets.
See the video below for a brief overview of how to search and access information in Literature Resource Center.
Social Justice Sources
Unlike Google, library databases can't understand an entire sentence. So you'll need to break your topic down into the most important ideas - the KEYWORDS.
Example Topic: How did the history of Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Massacre get erased? What is the impact of that erasure, and what might be the impact of recovering that history?
The specifics of your topic will matter when selecting sources, but for searching you only need the most essential components.
Keywords: Black Wall Street, Tulsa Massacre, erased, erasure, recovering
Most words have synonyms that mean the same, or very similar, things. For each keyword in your topic, try to come up with at least one synonym. Not all keywords will have synonyms, but many do!
Example:
Keep an Eye Out
Sometimes scholars use terms that you might not be familiar with, or which might mean something very specific within the discipline. While searching, look for unfamiliar terms or words that show up a lot. Try searching for those and see if you find more relevant sources.
Library databases have built in search tools. Try some of these:
Look on the left of your search results, or for an "advanced search" page to find these tools - and more!
Use the operator AND to find only sources that mention both keywords.
This search will bring back fewer results than searching either keyword on its own.
Use the OR operator to expand your search with additional keywords.
This will find sources that include either word, so you'll see more results than by searching for just one keyword.
Use the “QUOTES” strategy to search for several words in a phrase.
This will bring back results that only use that exact phrase.