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.
Opposing Viewpoints includes viewpoints, reference articles, infographics, news, images, video, audio, and more on contemporary topics. Periodical content covers current events, news and commentary, economics, environmental issues, political science, and more. Opposing Viewpoints is cross-searchable with Gale In Context: Global Issues.
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.
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.
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 provides full-text online access to hundreds of multidisciplinary reference book collections, including art, history, law, medicine, psychology, technology, bilingual dictionaries, and encyclopedias through a one-stop search platform. Search results often include articles from a wide array of publications and frequently present subject coverage from multiple perspectives. Using Credo Reference to approach a topic from different viewpoints can be a great way to expand your familiarity with the topic and it can help you develop new arguments and observations for your research.
Clicking the "Advanced Search" button below the search box opens up additional options to control what kinds of results your search returns.
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.
Click the Hugo Award and a new series of search results will load:
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":
The Research Quick Tips menu has several helpful guides:
Britannica Academic provides access to high-quality, comprehensive reference information. Includes access to the Britannica encyclopedia, atlas, world data, the Classics, biographies, news, multimedia, and more. You can also use Britannica Academic to search an Internet directory that includes more than 300,000 links to Web sites selected, rated, and reviewed by Britannica editors. This database also includes the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate® Dictionary.
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.
Clicking the "Advanced Search" button below the search box opens up additional options to control what kinds of results your search returns.
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):
This database provides can up-to-date analysis, biographical information, overviews, full-text literary criticism, and reviews on more than 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods, and from around the world. Gale Literature Resource Center brings together materials that support interdisciplinary approaches, information literacy, and the development of critical thinking skills.
Clicking the "Advanced Search" button below the search box opens up additional options to control what kinds of results your search returns.
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.
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:
This reference database includes access to almost 400 dictionaries and encyclopedias of fully-indexed, cross-searchable works published by Oxford University Press with detailed information across a broad subject range of topics.
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":
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 , the word Free in a green oval , or a red closed lock .
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: