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ENG 101: College English I

This course guide accompanies the in-person library instruction for ENG 101 and serves as a reference point for topics and resources described in the class.

Brainstorming

As with any research project, the first step is generally to select your topic. Reference materials (encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, etc. . .) can be a great way to get started. These resources offer overviews of thousands of topics and will help you launch into your search for the scholarly resources that you will need to use to support your research. On this page you will find some selections to get you started.

When brainstorming, it can also be helpful to browse popular, non-scholarly resources in order to understand the status of general discourse on your topic and explore diverse viewpoints while developing thesis statement that can be supported with scholarly resources.

Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints

Running a basic search in Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints is similar to searching in Wikipedia. You can use general keywords and phrases in your search and Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints will return results that include some or all of your keywords. The search bar allows you to search Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints, Gale in Context: Global Issues, or both at the same time.

This database also offer Topic Overviews. As you begin typing your keywords, you might get recommendations for topics.

 

Topic Pages

Clicking on the "Browse issues" link in the upper right of the screen allows you to browse topics created by Gale.

This tutorial shows you how to use topic pages and more within Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints to research key issues and topics of debate.

 

Clicking the "Advanced Search" button below the search box opens up additional options to control what kinds of results your search returns. There are several ways to limit your search including: full text and peer-reviewed, by publication date, by type [Academic Journal, Audio, Image, Primary Source, Videos, to name a few]. Select which limiters you would like and click the search button.

Screenshot of the Advanced Search page

Screenshot of the search limiters

Topic Finder

Gale products include a Topic Finder tool that can assist you with breaking down your research topic and locating related information. This tool is useful for topic brainstorming and for approaching your research topic from a new or related subject area.

The Topic Finder can be found in multiple locations including at the bottom of the landing page, on the Advanced Search screen, and on the right side of the page while viewing an article.

It is worth noting that this is an automated tool and can make errors or pull out terms that are not related to your topic. Always make sure to make your own conclusions about whether these suggestions are appropriate for your research.

Screenshot of the topic finder tool

How It Works
This tool takes the titles, subjects, and approximately the first 100 words from a subset of your top results and feeds them into an algorithm. Keywords shown in the graphics are those found most often in the text with your search term.

The topic for “Illinois” might bring up expected connections from the text like “Chicago,” along with unexpected but commonly related terms like “water,” “steel,” and the names of people who appear frequently in documents about Illinois.

Citation Generator

This tutorial shows you how to use Citation Tools found in many Gale resources to simplify the research process.

Credo Reference

Running a basic search in Credo Reference is similar to searching in Wikipedia. You can use general keywords and phrases in your search and Credo Reference will return results that include some or all of your keywords.

Credo reference landing page and basic search.

 

Clicking the "Advanced Search" button below the search box opens up additional options to control what kinds of results your search returns.

Credo Reference Advanced Search page.

Use the provided Advanced Search boxes to refine your search based on the prompts.

In addition, the Advanced Search box includes drop-down menus that will allow you to limit Subjects, Titles, Publication Dates, and Features by checking the appropriate box.

Credo Reference supplies a visual related topics map that can be a great way to explore your topic and see connections that can further your research. Click the links in the map to jump to articles on that topic and generate a new visual topic map.

Credo Reference search for "Octavia E. Butler" including visual topic map.

Click the Hugo Award and a new series of search results will load:

Credo Reference search with visual topic map for "Hugo Award".

Credo Reference is equipped with a Research Quick Tips tool for help with research, searching, and topic selection to help you make the most of the database. To access the Research Quick Tips area, click on the three-lined "hamburger" menu in the upper-left corner of the screen and choose "Research Quick Tips":

Credo Reference menu showing Research Quick Tips selection.

The Research Quick Tips menu has several helpful guides:

Research Quick Tips landing page.

Britannica Academic

Running a basic search in Britannica Academic is similar to searching in Wikipedia. You can use general keywords and phrases in your search and Britannica Academic will return results that include some or all of your keywords. By default, the search engine will look for articles, but you can change that by clicking the radial button below the search box to choose videos, primary sources, and journals/periodicals.

Britannica Academic database search box

 

Clicking the "Advanced Search" button below the search box opens up additional options to control what kinds of results your search returns.

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Use the provided Advanced Search boxes to refine your search (note that when you begin to enter text in one field the system will limit the other fields that are available to add to the search):

  • With all the words:
    • This will only return results that have all of the words listed in the search box.
    • This is the equivalent of inserting the Boolean operator AND between each term.
  • With the exact phrase:
    • This will only return results the the exact phrase that is entered in the box.
    • This kind of search works well for differentiating phrases that could otherwise lead to unwanted results. For example, entering Norfolk State University in this field will only return results that include the exact phrase "Norfolk State University". If the same search was performed not as a phrase in the basic keyword search, the results would include items with results for each word: Norfolk, State, and University.
    • This is the equivalent of using " " in most search engines.
  • With any of these words:
    • This will return results for any of the words entered in the box.
    • This is the equivalent of inserting the Boolean operator OR between each term.
  • Without these words:
    • This will exclude items that include the words entered in this search box.
    • This kind of exclusion can be helpful for differentiation. For example, if you are trying to research The Chrysler Museum and want to avoid articles about Chrysler automobiles, you could enter "automobile" in this search box.
    • Use caution with exclusion as this type of search does not differentiate between substantive and incidental inclusions of search terms. In the example of The Chrysler Museum and Chrysler automobiles, if the word "automobile" is excluded, no results will show up in the search results that include the word automobile. This could lead to the exclusion of relevant articles, such as one that includes a photograph with a caption that says "automobile parked in front of the Chrysler Museum".
    • This is the equivalent of entering the Boolean operator NOT before the search term.
  • With these words near each other:
    • This search will only return results that occur within a few words of each other. 
    • This kind of proximity search is very helpful for locating resources where two words need to be related to each other or found near each other, but are not part of an easily defined phrase.
    • This is the equivalent of W# or N# in many database search boxes.

Gale Literature Resource Center

Running a basic search in Gale Literature Resource Center is similar to searching in Wikipedia. You can use general keywords and phrases in your search and Gale Literature Resource Center will return results that include some or all of your keywords.

Gale Literature Resource Center basic search box.

 

Clicking the "Advanced Search" button below the search box opens up additional options to control what kinds of results your search returns.

Gale Literature Resource Center advanced search page.

Use the provided Advanced Search boxes to refine your search and utilize the drop down menus on the left to add Boolean operators.

The Field drop-down menus on the right allow you to choose exactly where the search will be applied. By using the field selectors, you can run your search within specific parts of the target articles. This kind of filtering can help you get more accurate results if you are getting too many items in your search results that have the correct words included, but in the wrong context.

The advanced search page also includes a great selection of Search Tips just below the search boxes. Click on any of the topics to open a detailed guide with examples that can make your search even more accurate.

Gale products include a Topic Finder tool that can assist you with breaking down your research topic and locating related information. This tool is useful for topic brainstorming and for approaching your research topic from a new or related subject area.

Topic finder landing page.

The Topic Finder can be found in multiple locations including at the bottom of the landing page, on the Advanced Search screen, and on the right side of the page while viewing an article.

It is worth noting that this is an automated tool and can make errors or pull out terms that are not related to your topic. Always make sure to make your own conclusions about whether these suggestions are appropriate for your research.

Gale Literature Resource Center has a help page with additional tips for searching and making the most of the database. To access the help pop-up window, click HELP at the bottom of any page in the database:

Help pop-up window.

Oxford Reference Premium

Running a basic search in Oxford Reference Premium is similar to searching in Wikipedia. You can use general keywords and phrases in your search and Britannica Academic will return results that include some or all of your keywords.

Oxford Reference Premium landing page.

 

On the search results page, Oxford Reference Premium offers a series of post-search filtering options on the left side of the page under the heading "Narrow Your Choices":

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By default, Oxford Reference Premium shows all content in the results, which includes articles that are not available in full-text. Item availability is indicated to the right of the result with a green open lock Green open lock icon., the word Free in a green oval Free in a green oval icon., or a red closed lock Closed red lock icon..

To limit the results list to items that are available in full-text, check the "Unlocked" and "Free" boxes under the heading "By Availability" in the left side menu and click submit:

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Oxford Reference Premium has a help page with additional tips for searching and making the most of the database. To access the help page, click "Help" at the bottom of any page in the database:

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