LibGuides: ENG 101 Research and Composition C. Pristash: SEARCH for Information

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Suggested Library Databases

Tips for choosing a database:

1. If you are still trying to find background or general information about a topic, try a reference database. The material will typically come from resources like specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries.

2. Determine what discipline your topic my fall under and then choose a specialized database that focuses on that discipline. Based on what you know so far, who would you consider to be an expert or most knowledgeable about your topic. A psychologist? Doctor? Historian? Educator?

3. If you are researching a topic that is controversial or of current interest then you may want to choose one of our databases under Controversial Issues.

4. If you are having a hard time figuring out what discipline your topic falls under or are simply trying to find as much information about your topic as you can then try our discover service, also known as Search Almost Everything, which will search almost all of our databases at once.

Credo Reference Ebooks This link opens in a new window
An eBook reference library consisting of reference books from many leading publishers. Includes general and subject-specific dictionaries and other reference works.
CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
Provides reports on current and controversial issues, giving all sides of an issue and citations to other sources of information. Great for topic selection and focusing. Includes full-text going back to 1923.
AccessScience This link opens in a new window
Provides high-quality reference material that covers all major scientific disciplines. AccessScience is a broad-based gateway to scientific knowledge, and includes links to primary research material, videos and exclusive animations, plus curriculum maps.

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Multi-disciplinary database with thousands of full-text articles from scholarly journals and general, popular magazines.
Academic OneFile This link opens in a new window
Multi-disciplinary database for accessing thousands of full-text articles from an extensive collection of scholarly journals, audio files and reference sources. (Provided by the New York State Library)

Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window
Provides essays offering in-depth analysis of all sides of many current social issues. Great for topic selection and focusing. Additional content for many issues available as well.
Environment Complete This link opens in a new window
Provides periodicals and academic journals plus conference papers from professional organizations. Topics included are air and water pollution, climatic changes, environmental policy, conservation of natural resources, energy conservation and renewable energy resources.

Begin by looking for background information in reference books. Use the CannonCat search box below to search for reference books in the JCC Library.

Using keywords to search a database

Keywords are very important when it comes to doing research. The better the keywords or combination of keywords, the better your search results will be.

Now that you have a more refined topic and have brainstormed using the concept map, identify some good keyword combination you can use to search a database:

Next type your keyword combination into a database and do a search: