Appendix 4: CO150 -- Unit 3 - Research, Where to Look for Sources

Appendix 4: CO150 -- Unit 3 - Research
Where to Look for Sources:

Library Databases

You can access these databases from the library homepage at the following address:

You should be able to access these databases from home if you're connected through the school.
The list of databases includes a topical breakdown on the left side of the screen that could help point you to relevant resources.
Many of these databases offer full text articles that you can print or can copy into a word processor program.
Some of the databases that should be helpful:

SAGE

This is the library's online card catalog. Here you can find books, government documents, and the titles of periodicals kept by the library.
You cannot find specific magazine or journal articles; only the titles of journals and magazines are available through SAGE.

You might, however, see if there are any periodicals that seem like they'll be directly relevant to your issue, track down the periodical in the journal room, and leaf through its table of contents to see if there is anything valuable

Try not to depend too much on books for this assignment. It's easier to find current periodical articles than current books, and you don't really have time to plow through numerous books.

MLA

This is the Modern Language Association's database, and should have many sources on educational issues.
It is located in the EIC

Internet Search Engines

Some general tips on searching :

Use a variety of "key words" and types of searches.
Keep track of your searches. This prevents you from repeating unsuccessful searches and helps you find the right search words.
Keep track of the bibliographic information of all of the sources you examine. You'll need this information to create a "works cited" page for the sources you'll use. Also, a source you find in your first search may seem irrelevant, but may suddenly become relevant somewhere down the line.