Assignment Information

Documentation & Works Cited Tips

Research Project Check List

Narrowing the Topic

Finding Periodical Articles
(Magazines, Journals or Newspapers)

Finding Books Using the PCC Catalog

Finding Relevant Web Sites

Finding Statistics

Getting Research Assistance

PCC Library Web Site

As you may already have discovered this is often the hardest step in the research paper writing process. It is also a very important step. If you choose a topic that is very broad - "Poverty" - you will be over whelmed with information and you will have difficulty organizing your ideas and findings into a manageable, cohesive paper. If you choose a topic that is very narrow - "Gifted Children Living in Poverty Benefit From Having Pet Fish" - obviously, you will have trouble finding enough information sources to support your paper. Take time to focus your topic. If you can, try to choose a topic that truly interests you.

Generally speaking students do well who write on topics of interest to them personally.  Another idea is to explore a topic that is totally new in order to expand your personal knowledge base.  Scan the newspaper or magazines for a topic that might be of interest to you. It is always a good idea to look through the library resources before you commit to a topic to make sure that there is enough information available for you to write a paper that will fulfill the requirements of the assignment.  Make sure you discuss you topic with Professor Martinson before you begin the actual research process.

What are eBooks?

When you are taking a PAL course, it is not always convenient to come into the library to look for books on your topic. The solution may be ebooks.  This eresource provides digitized versions of  books that are currently in print.  You locate them by using the PCC online catalog and limiting your search to ebooks by selecting the dropdown menu for Format.

It is easy to jump on the Web and search for just about anything.  Just remember, that anyone can put anything on the Internet.  Be a picky shopper when you are searching.  If you could buy any car in the world, would you buy a Pinto? a Benz? a Corvette? a Festiva? Why?  Ya, getting a date may have something to do with it, but it all comes down to quality.  You want the "good stuff". 

How do you know what is "good".  Part of that depends on what you need, but in general, if you look carefully at the site you should be able to determine: the source or author, the source's or author's credentials, when the information was created/updated, and why this information was create.

How do you find web sites?  Most people use a search engine, a meta-search or a directory.  If you are unfamiliar with searching, take a few minutes to go through one of the search engine tutorials - even if you are familiar with search engines you might find that you learn something new. 

For example, try the Google basic search tutorial -- http://www.google.com/help/basics.html.

PCC Library Search Engine Page http://www.polk.edu/it/library/search.htm
For links to search engines, meta-searches, directories, and other online resources.

PCC Library's Bookmark Page - http://www.polk.edu/It/Library/bookmarks.htm
Links that have been collected by the PCC Librarians.  Links are arranged by topic area.

You probably already have some statistics from your CQ Researcher article - right?  Did you notice where CQ Researcher got those statistics?  Quite possibly from a government resource.  The government is a wonderful source for statistics and you can access these statistics via the Internet. 

Some Internet sources for Statistics provided by the US government include:

The US Census Bureau - http://www.census.gov/
Statistical Abstracts of the United States - http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/
FedStats - http://www.fedstats.gov/
US Dept. of Labor - http://stats.bls.gov/
National Center for Educational Statistics -- http://nces.ed.gov/

If you're not sure where to find the statistics that you need, you might try using a statistics directory - a place where real live people have put together website by subject area - to locate the appropriate resource.  PCC has a section for statistics websites on the bookmarks page as do most universities and colleges.

• University of Michigan's Statistical Resources on the Web http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/statsnew.html

Another good resource for statistics is the LexisNexis Statistical Tables by LexisNexis. 

Basically, you will be getting the same statistics that you would get from the Internet and print resources, but they are all in one convenient place.  It does take some time to get comfortable with this database - take a minute to look at the tutorial or help pages before you begin.

Still not finding what you need?  Well, that's why we are here.

The librarians at PCC can help you find resources at the library or online and obtain resources from other libraries if necessary.  You can call the library and receive assistance over the phone -- Winter Haven Campus Library  297-1040 or Lakeland Campus Library 297-1042 -- or you can stop by and ask for assistance in person, or you can e-mail the library (if you're shy). 

See the library "About the Libraries" page for library hours, phones numbers and e-mail addresses.

Return to the PCC Library Web Site

this page last updated February 2008