Contemporary Issues: Researching the Pros & Cons

Reference:

ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND DICTIONARIES
General Encyclopedias provide an overview or broad outline of a wide range of subjects. Subject Encyclopedias and Dictionaries are specialized sources for background information and vocabulary in a particular area of interest.
Examples are:

General Encyclopedias:

Encyclopedia Americana [REF] AE 5 .E334
Encyclopaedia Britannica [now online!] [REF] AE 5 .E333
World Book Encyclopedia [now online!] [REF] AE 5 .W35

Subject Encyclopedias:

Gale Virtual Reference Library [online -- collection of subject encyclopedias & other resources]
Oxford Reference Online [online -- dictionaries, encyclopedias, & more]
Sage eReference [online collection of specialized encyclopedias]

Look for these other kinds of sources that cover your subject area:

  • Almanacs
  • Handbooks or Guides
  • Statistical Sources (general call number = HA)
  • Quotation Books (general call number = PN 6000's)
  • New!  iPOLL = online source for United States public opinion data covering 1935 – present.

Circulating Materials:

Search the online library catalog for books related to your topic. You may search by author, title, subject or keyword. Try a keyword search to locate series such as Opposing Viewpoints [now online!], Contemporary Issues, or Taking Sides.

Periodicals:

The term PERIODICAL includes magazines (intended for a wide variety of readers rather than specialists in a particular field), journals (intended for academic or professional readers) and newspapers. The following periodicals are excellent resources for examining current issues:

  • CQ Researcher (full text online as one of the JCCC databases; available on & off campus.)
  • Congressional Digest - A Pro & Con Monthly (current issue on display - JK1 .C65; ask for older issues at the Periodicals Desk.)

INDEXES are tools which help you find periodical material about your subject or by a particular author.

Use general indexes that offer coverage of a wide range of subjects such as:

  • Academic OneFile (one of the JCCC databases available on & off campus)
    NOTE: Use the keyword capability to link your topic with 'editorial' to find opinionated material.
  • LexisNexis Academic (available on & off campus)
    Excellent general news, business, & legal topics.
  • Research Library (database offering full text coverage as well as indexing--available on & off campus)
  • Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (online database including many periodical articles and lots of other material including statistical material, reference resources, and polarized essays; available on & off campus with JCCC ID

Use subject indexes such as:

Web Sites:

Here are a few useful web sites:

Carol Campbell, June 2009 Return to Guides Index