LibGuides: ENG 111 Oakley: Databases for Different Resource Types

PRO / CON Topical Databases

CQ Researcher Online This link opens in a new window
Find pro/con essays and background information about current events. Includes archive from 1923 to present.

SIRS This link opens in a new window
Pro/Con or Keyword Search access to articles—none scholarly. Good source of website links, and graphic/visual materials with implicit arguments. Results labeled “primary sources” are generally interviews, speeches, poll results & government agency documents.

Find eBooks

Databases with other types of resources

Westlaw This link opens in a new window
Contents include: United States Code Annotated (USCA), All federal and state cases including U.S. Supreme Court cases, State statutes and regulations, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Federal Register, and over 800 law reviews and journals.

World Factbook
Country profiles, flags of the world, and statistical information from the CIA.

Choose Other CFCC eResources A to Z

Choose Other CFCC eResources - A to Z

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Don't Know Where to Start? Search ProQuest Central!

ProQuest Central This link opens in a new window
Searches 47 ProQuest resources at one time. Contains millions of full-text articles from magazines, journals and newspapers, including peer-reviewed and scholarly works. Get the most out of ProQuest Central by viewing our tutorial.

Best CFCC Databases for Language & Literature

Literature Resource Center (Gale) This link opens in a new window
All literature related: criticism, biographies, reference book articles, journal articles, plot summaries, reviews, multimedia/images, plus some primary works.

CFCC’s large collection of GALE literary criticism books supplements this database
Literature (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Full-text literary works, along with sources such as author biographies, critical essays, reviews, and interviews.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
All SCHOLARLY publication. Mainly arts & humanities : journal articles, reviews, editorials & pamphlets
Dates of available issues are controlled by a "moving wall"—an agreed-upon delay between the current volume of the journal and the latest volume available on JSTOR—usually 3 to 5 years.

Web Sources for Facts & Figures

FedStats
Pulls together statistics from more than 100 agencies searchable from a single website. Search by type of information, or select an agency first and search within their data files.
Statistics and Numeric Data - University of Auckland
Provides access to free statistics from official sources on the web. Web links are arranged by country, region or subject. The database can be searched by a single category, or a combination of categories. All of the content of the database is held in the public domain and is available through the Internet.
Statistical Abstract of the United States
Published since 1878, this is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States.
United States Census
In addition to the population count conducted once every ten years, the U.S. Census office collects business data for an economic census every five years (2002, 2007, 20112, etc.) for every industry. Other economic indicators are updated on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Browsing on the Library Shelves

A -- GENERAL WORKS
B -- PHILOSOPHY. PSYCHOLOGY. RELIGION
C -- AUXILIARY SCIENCES OF HISTORY
D -- WORLD HISTORY AND HISTORY OF EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, ETC.
E -- HISTORY OF THE AMERICAS
F -- HISTORY OF THE AMERICAS
G -- GEOGRAPHY. ANTHROPOLOGY. RECREATION
H -- SOCIAL SCIENCES
J -- POLITICAL SCIENCE
K -- LAW
L -- EDUCATION
M -- MUSIC AND BOOKS ON MUSIC
N -- FINE ARTS
P -- LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
Q -- SCIENCE
R -- MEDICINE
S -- AGRICULTURE
T -- TECHNOLOGY
U -- MILITARY SCIENCE
V -- NAVAL SCIENCE
Z -- BIBLIOGRAPHY. LIBRARY SCIENCE. INFORMATION RESOURCES (GENERAL)

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Tips from Purdue University OWL

Types of Sources

Summary: We live in an age overflowing with sources of information. With so many information sources at our fingertips, knowing where to start, sorting through it all and finding what we want can be overwhelming! This handout provides answers to the following research-related questions: Where do I begin? Where should I look for information? What types of sources are available?

The amount of information can be overwhelming and confusing. This section provides a list of common types of sources and what information you can discover from each.

Traditional Print Sources

Books & Textbooks: Books come in a multitude of topics. Because of the time it takes to publish a book, books usually contain more dated information than will be found in journals and newspapers.

Newspapers: Predominately covering the latest events and trends, newspapers contain very up-to-date information. Newspapers report both information that is factual in nature and also share opinions. Generally, however, they will not take a “big picture” approach or contain information about larger trends.

Academic and Trade Journals: Academic and trade journals are where to find the most up-to-date information and research in industry, business, and academia. Journal articles come in several forms, including literature reviews which overview about current and past research, articles on theories and history, or articles on specific processes or research.

Government Reports and Legal Documents: The government releases information intended for its own use or for public use. These types of documents can be an excellent source of information. An example of a government report is the U.S. Census data. Most government reports and legal documents can now be accessed online.

Press Releases and Advertising: Companies and special interest groups produce texts to help persuade readers to act in some way or inform the public about some new development

Flyers, Pamphlets, Leaflets: While some flyers or pamphlets are created by reputable sources, because of the ease in which they are created, many less-than-reputable sources also produce these. They are useful for quick reference or very general information.

Multimedia: Printed material is certainly not the only option for finding research. Also consider media sources such as radio and television broadcasts, interactive talks, and public meetings.

Internet-Only Sources

Websites: Most of the information on the Internet is distributed via websites. Websites vary widely in quality of information and validity of sources.

Weblogs / Blogs: A rather recent development in web technology, weblogs or blogs are a type of interactive journal where writers post and readers respond. They vary widely in quality of information and validity of sources. For example, many prestigious journalists and public figures may have blogs, which may be more credible of a blog than most.

Message boards, discussion lists, and chat rooms: Discussion lists, chat rooms, and message boards exist for all kinds of disciplines both in and outside of the university. However, plenty of boards exist that are rather unhelpful and poorly researched.

Multimedia: The Internet has a multitude of multimedia resources including online broadcasts and news, images, audio files, and interactive websites.

Contributors:Dana Lynn Driscoll, Karl Stolley
Last Edited: 2010-04-17 06:09:50

From Purdue OWL https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/552/03/