Choosing a Topic

Choose a topic that is of interest to you.  It is easier to research something that is interesting to you or that you think others would find interesting to hear about!   Review "Choosing a Topic" from the University of California Library for some ideas on how to get started thinking about a topic.

          Getting Started

The series listed below serve as good starting points for identifying and learning about current and controversial topics. Each issue-specific book in a series provides a compilation of opinion pieces or an overview written by prominent spokespeople and professionals representing diverse viewpoints on the topic.  To browse the books published in these series, search PILOT by series title. 

• At Issue

• Contemporary Issues

• Current Controversies

• Opposing Viewpoints

• Social Issues In America

• Taking Sides

Social Issues in America: An Encyclopedia (Print Source) 7 volumes
Call Number:  Clear Ref HN 57.S624 2006 
Lengthy articles detailing a variety of social issues.  Includes an overview of the topic, chronologies, important people, primary documents, bibliographies and more.

Finding Books

To search for books and materials owned by both the Clearfield Campus and Stevenson Libraries, search PILOT, the online catalog.

To locate books and materials owned by libraries other than Lock Haven University, search EZ Borrow, UBorrow, or ACCESS PA

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Indexes, Abstracts & Full Text Databases

Academic Search Premier (Online Database) -- Available via EBSCOhost
Provides full text articles for more than 4450 scholarly publications covering virtually every area of academic study.

Academic Onefile (Online Database) -- Available via Gale
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.

CQ Researcher (Online Database)
"Single-themed issues offer 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 United States economy".

Polling the Nation (Online Database) -- Available via Polling the Nations
Polling the Nations is a compilation of more than 14,000 surveys conducted by more than 700 polling organizations in the United States and more than 80 other countries from 1986 to the present.

SocINDEX with Full-Text - SocINDEX with Full Text is the world's most comprehensive and highest quality sociology research database.

Sociological Collection (Online Database -- Available via EBSCOhost
This database provides coverage of more than 500 full text journals, including nearly 500 peer-reviewed titles. Sociological Collection offers information in all areas of sociology, including social behavior, human tendencies, interaction, relationships, community development, culture and social structure.

A complete list of electronic indexes, abstracts, and full-text databases owned by the Lock Haven University Libraries is available: 1) arranged by university department @ Databases By Department and, alternately, 2) arranged alphabetically by title @ Databases A-Z

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Web Sites

The following web sites can help generate ideas about current topics and controversies.  Review "Thinking Critically about Discipline-based World Wide Resources" created by the UCLA Libraries when assessing a web site.

• Homework Center: Directory of information sources on controversial social issues.
• Hot Paper Topics: Links to statistics, laws, court decisions, research, and other information on controversial topics.
• Yahoo! Issues and Causes: Directory of controversial issue links.
• Public Agenda Online: Source for public opinion and policy analysis.

Evaluation of Web Resources

"The Good, the Bad & the Ugly or Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sites" written by Susan E. Beck at the New Mexico University Library. http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html
This site offers an informative and entertaining look at the importance of understanding the information that is found on the web.  Criteria based checklists and other materials used to help evaluate the informational quality of Web pages and sites is provided. 

Citing Print & Internet Sources

Clearfield Library's "Style Guides Links" page (www.lhup.edu/clearfield/stylegds.htm) offers a selected list of style guides from other institutions for citing print and Internet sources using the American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA), and Turabian styles.  Use the MLA style guides for this course.