Controversial Issues
Controversial Issues
Controversial Issues
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Research Help Sheet<br />
http://www.stchas.edu/library/<br />
<strong>Controversial</strong> <strong>Issues</strong><br />
Finding Articles<br />
http://www.stchas.edu/library<br />
Click on “Find an Article (Databases)”<br />
Articles from the library’s databases are not considered Internet sources. When you search<br />
the library’s databases, you are using the Internet to access articles that are also published in<br />
print.<br />
Off-campus access:<br />
Enter your seven-digit student ID number with “sc” at the end, e.g. 0123456sc<br />
CQ Researcher<br />
Provides comprehensive analysis, backgrounds, and pro/con views on current political,<br />
controversial and social issues.<br />
Full reports date back to 1991 and can be 20 – 30 pages long.<br />
Opposing Viewpoints<br />
Great place to start if you need an idea for a topic.<br />
Find essays on both sides of an issue.<br />
Find statistics, overviews and articles on current topics.<br />
Academic Search Elite/Masterfile<br />
Use to find magazine/journal articles.<br />
Lexis-Nexis<br />
Great source for regional, national and worldwide newspapers and journals.<br />
St. Louis Post-Dispatch<br />
Did you know that it’s available through Newsbank Infoweb all the way back to<br />
1/1/1988?<br />
Try out other subject specific databases if they’re relevant to your topic, for example an<br />
education, health or history database.<br />
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Finding Books<br />
http://www.stchas.edu/library<br />
Click on “Find a Book”<br />
To find books on a subject, start with a keyword search<br />
o Type in the keywords in your search question<br />
• Example: gun control schools<br />
To find books about a person, start with an LC subject search (last name first)<br />
Includes electronic books from NetLibrary.<br />
o Accessible off-campus with your student ID number.<br />
Can’t find exactly what you need in the SCC catalog, or everything you want is checked out?<br />
Search MOBIUS<br />
Books arrive at the circulation desk in two to three days; plan ahead.<br />
Have your student ID number ready to place the request.<br />
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Evaluating Sources (especially Internet sources)<br />
Questions to ask and keep in mind:<br />
1. Who is the author of the information? Do they know what they are talking about?<br />
2. Are they affiliated with a respected news source?<br />
3. Is there a date indicating when the information was written or last updated?<br />
4. Is the date of the information appropriate for your topic?<br />
5. Is the information written in an objective or subjective (biased) manner?<br />
Remember there are many great government sites on the web! Government sites are reliable<br />
because you know who authors them. An example of a search limiting to government sites in<br />
Google: “mental illness” site:.gov<br />
Updated 7/25/2008 · Erin Lanham, Reference Librarian<br />
z:/instruction/controversial.doc
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