Articles
General Topics & Current Issues
- Opposing Viewpoints (Gale In Context)Essays, magazines, journals, newspapers, statistics, primary sources; focus is on controversial issues. (VCCS)
- Academic Search Complete (EBSCO)A multi-disciplinary database which offers information in many areas of academic study. This database supports high-level research in the key areas of academic study by providing access to journals, periodicals, reports, books and more. (VIVA)
- ProQuest Research Library & Global NewsstreamLarge collection of magazines, journals, and newspapers, including the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and many regional newspapers. (NVCC)
- Issues & ControversiesDetailed reports on controversial issues in the news. (VCCS)
History
- U.S. History (Gale In Context)Includes U.S. History reference articles, periodical articles, images, and primary documents. (NVCC)
Career
- Ferguson's Career Guidance CenterIncludes information on job and industry profiles, job-hunting and workplace skills, career and industry resources, and college planning and financial aid. (NVCC)
- Career Research GuideUse this guide to find books, articles and websites about careers.
Other Topics
Research Tips
◊ Keep your search simple. Use only 2 or 3 keywords.
◊ Look at your number of results.
Too Many: Add keywords or be more specific.
Too Few: Change keywords or make them more broad.
◊ Ask for help! Librarians are happy to help!
Evaluating Results
How do you decide which articles from the results list are worth clicking?
The title (Box 1) gives you an idea of what the article is about. The icon shown in Box 2 indicates the type of source - academic journal, newspaper, etc. Publication information (Box 3) tells you when, where and by whom the article was published. The abstract (or summary) comes immediately after and gives more detail on what the article is about. Finally, subject terms (Box 4) tell you what major topics are discussed in the article.
What If You Get Bad Results?
1. If you get very few articles, your keywords might be too specific.
Instead of: elementary school children who eat Doritos
Try: children AND junk food
2. If you get too many articles covering different aspects of the topic, your keywords might be too general.
Instead of: plants
Try: invasive plants
3. Article authors may have used slightly different words.
For example, instead of electric cars, they may have used electric vehicles.