Getting Started

E-Reference

Encyclopedias and dictionaries are a great place to browse topics and get an idea of what you would like to research for your paper.  The library's E-Reference collection gives several great options for online reference resources:

Issues

Want to know both sides of an issue before moving ahead with your research?  Try these resources:

  • CQ Researcher is the perfect resource for staying on top of global and national issues.  For instance, look over this entry for Debate over Immigration.  On the right hand side, you'll see the Issue Tracker, which gives a timeline of events surrounding the issue.  Click the Pro/Con link on the left-hand menu to jump down to both sides of the issue.
  • Opposing Viewpoints similarly places issues in the context of debate.  Each entry pulls together selected resources surrounding a specific topic.  For instance, see this entry on Illegal Immigrants.

Key Resources

Article Databases

Here are some essential resources for research in the area of world politics or internationa relations.

  • America: History & Life - A complete bibliographic reference to the history of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present.  For instance, see the search results for Emmigration & immigration law in the United States.  Narrow the search results by adding search terms or using those recommended by the database on the lef-hand side of the screen.
  • PAIS International - Contains references to more than 460,000 journal articles, books, government documents, statistical directories, grey literature, research reports, conference reports, publications of international agencies, microfiche, Internet material, and more.

News Resources

The Library subscribes to a variety of newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post,  and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Furthermore, access to the text of many newspapers is available through Proquest Newspapers and Lexis Nexis Academic.

Ethnic NewsWatch is a comprehensive full text database of the newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press.

Books & More

Use the Search tab to find books and other resources available in the library and online. Click the smaller Books & More tab to exclude the article search.

Other Resources


Citations

APA Style

Publication manual for the American Psychological Association

  • Available for use in the library, this is the official guide to APA style.

OWL (Purdue University Online Writing Lab) - APA

  • OWL is a freely available online resource provided by Purdue University.  The OWL gives clear instructions for formatting your paper and bibliography in APA style.

Other: