ENGC 1101 College Writing (Christopherson)

Gale eBooks
Selected dictionaries, encyclopedias, and reference books in many subjects.


Credo Reference
Articles from dictionaries, general and subject encyclopedias, handbooks, atlases, and more.


Britannica Academic (Encyclopedia Britannica)
​Online version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica with brief overviews of most topics.

Opposing Viewpoints (Gale In Context)
Topic overviews, opinion articles, and additional sources on social, economic, and political issues.


CQ Researcher
Reports on controversial issues of national importance (health care, public safety, education, environment, etc.). Each report is on a single topic. Helpful as a topic overview. 


Academic Search Premier (EbscoHost)
Articles in all subjects from scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers. An all-purpose database and often a good place to start.


Academic OneFile (Gale)
Articles in all subjects from scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers. An all-purpose database.



JSTOR
Scholarly articles, ebooks, and primary sources in the social sciences, humanities, earth and biological sciences, and more. Includes image results from Artstor.



ProQuest News & Newspapers

News articles from U.S. newspapers. Includes the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Star Tribune, and many local newspapers.

Picking a Research Topic

Narrowing down your research topic makes your research easier and increases your ability to persuade your audience. As you begin researching, look for opportunities to narrow your research question.



 

Choosing and Using Keywords

If you can’t find much on your topic, try different keywords. Using synonyms or broader related terms can help you find more articles. As you research, be on the lookout for new keywords to use.



Research is a process. You probably won’t find everything you need on the first try. You may have to try several library databases to find all the information you need.
 

Annotated Bibliographies (OWL @ Purdue)
"This handout provides information about annotated bibliographies in MLA, APA, and CMS." Includes links to APA and MLA citation styles as well as links to resources for help with paraphrasing and evaluating resources. (from the Online Writing Lab at Purdue)

Annotated Bibliographies (UNC)
"This handout will explain why annotated bibliographies are useful for researchers, provide an explanation of what constitutes an annotation, describe various types of annotations and styles for writing them, and offer multiple examples of annotated bibliographies in the MLA, APA, and CBE/CSE styles of citation." (from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Avoiding Plagiarism (U of WI Madison)
Quoting, paraphrasing, and avoiding plagiarism. Guide includes helpful examples.