Research Project

Current Issues Research Project
ENC 1101 / ENC 1102
Instructor: Sherry Siler

Assignment Information

Assignment Overview - ENC 1101

Assignment Overview - ENC 1102

Preparing an Electronic Notecard

Documentation Tip Sheet

Research Project Check List

Examples From Real Students

Finding Information

Using CQ Researcher

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

Using CQ Researcher

What is CQ Researcher? CQ Researcher reports offers in-depth, non-biased coverage of political and social issues, with regular reports on topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy. Each report gives readers a broad overview of the subject, including the historical background, current controversies, statistics, and a bibliography of additional readings. CQ Researcher is published by Congressional Quarterly. Where is CQ Researcher? CQ Researcher reports are available in print and electronic form. The PCC Library has the print reports in print form in the reference collection. To access CQ Researcher directly through the Internet you must have a subscription. Currently enrolled students can access the CQ Researcher online by logging into the PCC databases through the library web site. Go to the library web site http://www.polk.edu/it/library/ and click on the databases button, then click on "logon".
How do you search for a CQ Researcher report?
Use any of the search options in the left-hand column to find a report.
	The CQ Researcher Online is both a tool for selecting a topic to research and a comprehensive resource for exploring that topic. To start your topic search, consider the recent CQ Researcher reports listed on the Home page. If you are looking for a particularly timely topic, check In the News, which provides updates on issues covered in recent CQ Researcher reports. Or, consult Coming Up to learn about forthcoming reports. If you have a topic in mind but need to narrow the focus, try Browse by Topic link which will help you fine-tune your selection. For example, by selecting the subject header "Medical Care," you will discover reports related to dozens of more narrow subjects, such as "Managed Care," "Medical Malpractice," and "Medical Mistakes." When in doubt, try a keyword Search. CQ Researcher reports cover a wide range of political and social issues, including topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy. Keyword searching may uncover information or analysis on the exact topic you are researching.

Once you have a report that interests you, print your report or e-mail it to yourself for later.

Finding Periodical Articles - Using other PCC Databases

What is a periodical article?
A periodical is a newspaper, magazine, journal... or anything that comes out "periodically" - weekly, monthly, bi-annually. The PCC Library has many periodicals. Some are in "print" on the shelves and others (many others) are available electronically through the database - anytime/anywhere.
What Databases does PCC have?
PCC subscribes to many databases. You have used one already - CQ Researcher. There are many others from which to choose. Some are good for finding periodical articles, some are good for finding statistics, some are good for finding information on specific subjects (science, art, business). Here is a list of some databases you might consider using: Academic Search Premier - Periodicals - Abstracts, Citations & Full Text Full-text periodical (newspapers, magazines, & journals) resource containing information from a wide range of academic areas including business, social sciences, humanities, general academic, general science and education. InfoTrac OneFile - Periodicals - Full Text A one-stop source for news and periodical articles on a wide range of topics: business, computers, current events, economics, education, environmental issues, health care, hobbies, humanities, law, literature and art, politics, science, social science, sports, technology, and many general interest topics. Millions of full-text articles, many with images. Updated daily. Lexis Nexis - Periodicals & More - Full Text Full-text access to a wide range of periodical resources as well as news, business, legal, and reference information. Medical & health; federal, state & international legal materials; corporate news & financial information, and more. OmniFile - Periodicals - Abstracts, Citations, & Full Text Full text periodicals, along with article abstracts and indexing, covering business, education, science, social sciences, art, humanities -- includes popular magazines. Opposing Viewpoints - Current Issues Reference and Periodical Resource - Full Text Search viewpoint articles, topic overviews from reference resources, government and organizational statistics, court cases, profiles of government agencies and special interest groups, newspaper and magazine articles and more concerning social issues. Readers' Guide - Periodicals - Abstracts, Citations & Full Text Readers' Guide Full Text is a database containing comprehensive indexing and abstracting of the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States and Canada, plus the full text of selected periodicals You can access all the PCC databases by clicking on the "Databases" button on the PCC Library Web Site. If you have trouble connecting, check the "Trouble Connecting" help sheet.
Searching and Retrieving Information
All the databases work a little bit differently, but basically, once you are connected you will get a screen that has 1-3 text boxes where you can enter whatever it is you are looking for. It's very similar to searching the Internet using a search engine like Google or Excite... except you are searching a specific database for specific types of information (newspaper articles, journals, statistics). Academic Search Premier is a database for periodicals - newspaper, magazine & journal articles. Here is an example of Academic Search Premier's search screen: You should receive a list of articles that match your search terms (it's like computer dating). The full-text articles will have a link that says "full-text". If you click on the link, the whole article will be there for you to read. You can print out the articles, e-mail them to yourself, or save them to a disk.

Finding Books

You may not find or need an entire book on your topic. For example, imagine you are working on an essay about the medical hazards of body piercing. You may not find a book totally dedicated to this in the library - and if you did would you want or need to read the entire thing? You would; however, find medical reference books that have information about hepatitis C- check the index.

To locate books in the PCC Library, use the library's online catalog. The catalog is on the library's web site - click on the "Catalog" button. Books are shelved by the Library of Congress System - the library staff will be happy to help you locate resources if you have difficulty.

Finding Web Sites - Relevant, Reliable, Credible Web Sites

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 or the advanced search tutorial -- http://www.google.com/help/refinesearch.htm.

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.

Portals, Gateways & Directories (websites collected and categorized by real live humans)

Academic Info - http://www.academicinfo.net/

Internet Public Library - http://ipl.sils.umich.edu/div/subject/

Invisible-Web.net - http://www.invisible-web.net/

University of Canterbury - Subject Portals - http://library.canterbury.ac.nz/subjects/

WWW Virtual Library - http://vlib.org/

Finding Statistics

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/statab/www/
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

University of San Diego's Data on the Net
http://odwin.ucsd.edu/idata/

Many resources are also available in print form in the PCC Libraries.

Use the PCC Online Catalog to search for statistical resources such as these...

World Population
REF HB871 .G47 Statistical Handbook
of the World's Children
REF HQ767.9 .K38

Social Trends & Indicators
REF HN60 .S62 Business Statistics
on the Web
HF1016 .B47

Statistical Abstract of the United States
REF HA202 .A35

Back to the Databases...

Another good resource for statistics is the LexisNexis Statistical database.

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.

Getting Assistance

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 -- WH Campus Library 297-1040 or LK 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 11/2005