Common Research Topics

• Controversial Issues
• Culture Topics
• Literarature Topics
• Philosophy Topics
• The U.S. Supreme Court

• Specific authors: See Author Guides
• Specific subjects: See Subject Guides

The Research Process: A Step-by-Step Guide

• Choosing a Topic for Your Research Paper
• Locating Background Information
• Forming a Focus

The following guides will introduce you to the special features of many library resources, including the library catalog and databases.

Library Catalog (LINCCWeb)

 

• LINCCWeb FAQ
• Library Catalog Help Sheet

Library Databases

 

• Academic Search Complete Database Help Sheet
• AP Multimedia Archive (web page from publisher)
• EBSCOhost Databases (.doc file from publisher)
  • Academic Search Complete, Biography Collection Complete, Business Source Complete, CINAHL Plus Full Text, Education Research Complete, ERIC via EBSCO, Health Source Academic & Consumer Editions, History Reference Center, Hospitality & Tourism Complete, Humanities International Complete, LISTA, Military and Government Collection, Medline with Full Text, PsycArticles.
• EBSCO Saved Searches & Alerts Feature
• Encyclopedia Britannica Online (.pdf file from publisher)
• Facts.com Databases (web page from publisher)
  • Issues & Controversies, Today's Science.
• FirstSearch Databases Help Sheet
  • ERIC (via FirstSearch) Help Sheet
  • PsycFIRST Help Sheet
• Gale PowerSearch Databases (web site from publisher)
  • Academic OneFile, Computer Database, Custom Newspapers InfoTrac, Expanded Academic ASAP, General Business File ASAP, General OneFile, General Reference Center Gold, Health Reference Center Academics, Informe, InfoTrac, Literature Resources from Gale, Primary Search.
• NetLibrary/ E-Books Help Sheet
• Proquest Databases (.pdf file from publisher)
  • Criminal Justice Periodicals Index, New York Times Historical Edition, Nursing and Allied Health Source
• SIRS Knowledge Source (.pdf file from publisher)
• WilsonWeb Databases (.pdf file from publisher)
  • Applied Science Full Text, Art Full Text, Biography Index, Biological and Agricultural Index Plus, Book Review Digest Plus, Business Full Text, Education Full Text, Essay and General Literature Index, General Science Full Text, Legal Periodicals Full Text, Library Literature and Information Science Full Text, Omnifile Full Text Mega, Play Index, Short Story Index, Social Sciences Full Text
• Electronic Database Search Comparison Chart

Web Search Engines

• Google Quick Help
• Maximizing Google
• Search Engine Comparison Chart

The Research Process: A Step-by-Step Guide

• Finding Books
• Finding Articles in Library Databases
• Finding Web Sites

• Tutorials and Quizzes
• Ask a Question
• Ask a Librarian by Chat or E-mail
• Library Resources FAQ