STARTING RESEARCH
When you begin a research project, it is a good idea to take a moment to reflect on your prior knowledge of the topic area. How much do you already know about this topic? In most cases, you will need to do a bit of research to get some general information on your topic. Encyclopedias are arranged alphabetically and contain a general overview of a term or subject matter. Opposing Viewpoints in Context can also help you find encyclopedic information on a variety of topics.
- Britannica Academic This link opens in a new window
Search reference sources across disciplines. Includes historical timelines, multimedia, selected magazine articles, notable quotations, and a dictionary and thesaurus.
- Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window
Search and discover overviews, news, and opinions on hundreds of today's important social issues.
FINDING BOOKS IN MILNE LIBRARY
To look for books in the Milne Library catalog, navigate to the library homepage and click on 'Advanced Search.' If you wish to only find online books, leave the search scope selected to 'Online Access' and change the 'Material Type' to 'Books'. Then enter your search terms. If you desire print volumes, change the search scope to 'Library Catalog', limit to 'Books', enter your search terms and click 'Search'. Once in the results list, click 'Held by Library' to limit to print volumes only.
FINDING SCHOLARLY ARTICLES
Find scholarly articles by using a database that contains such materials (check 'peer-reviewed' in the search); you can find a tutorial for one of the databases students use the most, Academic Search Complete, below. Databases can also be found by title and subject from the 'Databases' link on the Library's homepage.
For best results, use a database's Advanced Search option.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Full text for about 8,500 periodicals including over 7,300 peer-reviewed journals across most areas of academic study as well as indexing and abstracts for more than 12,500 magazines and journals. Coverage is from 1887 to the present.
FINDING OTHER SOURCES
You can find news sources by searching Nexis Uni and Allsides.com. If you are looking for videos on a topic, try Films on Demand.
- Films on Demand This link opens in a new window
Database contains thousands of full-length programs and streaming video segments in the humanities, social sciences, business, economics, medicine, mathematics, and sciences from producers including Cambridge Educational, BBC, CNBC, National Geographic, TEDTalks, and PBS.
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Offers more than 15,000 news, business and legal sources from LexisNexis, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions dating back to 1790 across all content types.