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NOTE: If you are accessing this page from off campus, the links to most library databases will not work. To use these resources, go to the Library Web Page, where you can connect to Articles and Databases, Reference Sources, and Electronic Journals and Newspapers after providing your Elmhurst College technology account login and password. If you don't know your E.C. login or password, you'll want to see Computer Services, Room 107 CSTC. More help on accessing resources from off campus is available online. |
It is often useful to gather background information on your topic. For example, if you're writing about gun control, you might want to find information on the Second Amendment, get more insight into gun control advocacy, or learn the history of the NRA. Statistics on the number of gun owners in the United States can also be helpful. The sources below can help you get started. The electronic resources can also be found under the Reference Sources button on the library home page. Here's how you can access these databases from off campus.
Also look in subject encyclopedias for information. These encyclopedia focus specifically on topics. Some examples include:
Encyclopedias are especially useful because they often have bibliographies at the end of their articles; these bibliographies can lead you to other useful books and articles.
There are some great book series that focus on the different angles of a number of topics. Looking at some of these works may help you solidify your arguement and support your claims:
To find books in these series, simply do a search for the title of the series in Illinet Online. See below for more on Illinet.
Use Illinet Online to find books held in the Elmhurst College library as well as books owned by 55 other Illinois libraries.
Type the word athletes
The above search yields items with the word athletes anywhere in the description of the item; some of these may be about female athletes, and others may focus on something else, like nutrition. To do a more focused search on, say, drug use among athletes (including steroids), try the following:
Select Boolean, and type in athletes and drugs
Same-sex marriage--United States
Violence -- United States -- Case studies
Select all of these and type violence media
There are many different types of articles available, and your instructor may want you to use a scholarly, rather than a popular, article. Make sure you know how to distinguish scholarly journals from other periodicals.
Use article databases to find articles (only some of the 90+ databases are listed below). Some databases will give you the full text of the article, which you can then go ahead and print, while others will require you to find out if we own the journal where the article is published.
The databases can be found under the Articles and Databases button on the library home page. Here's how you can access these databases from off campus.
Remember that these databases should not be confused with "the Internet," although they are accessed via the web. If you do a search for a topic on the Internet, you're most likely not finding full-text articles; rather, you're finding web pages of individuals or organizations, which may not be of any use to you. The databases, on the other hand, are especially designed to facilitate research, giving you access to articles you might not be able to find otherwise.
The library subscribes to a variety of other databases that may be helpful. Check them out if you're not having any luck with the above databases.
Use a subject directory or a search engine to find web sites on your topic..
Despite what some would have you believe, not everything is available for free on the Internet. Don't rely on the web as your only source of information. Choose web sites carefully using the resources below, and use them to support your articles and books, not to replace them.
Documenting the information you use in your assignments is very important. The librarians can help you locate a citation syle guide at the library. Further writing assistance is available from the Writing Center, located in the Learning Center.
Created 1 July, 2003 by Ayanna Gaines
Last revised 22 February, 2005, Jennifer
Paliatka, Assistant Reference Librarian
A.C. Buehler Library, Elmhurst College