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Library & Internet Resources for COMS 151: Public Speaking
Take
the COMS 151 Web site tour! (Flash)  |
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This web site will help you locate credible sources of information to use for speech assignments. While it is meant to be followed in the order presented, you can also go directly to relevant sections of the web site by clicking the links below: Resources Overview | Periodical Indexes/Databases | Locating Periodicals | Books, Media, etc. | Facts, Opinions & Statistics | Internet |Evaluate Resources | Citing Your Sources | Avoiding Plagiarism | Library Home Page | Hybrid Exercise (.doc) |
Databases and other
links listed on this page that include the camera image
link you to an online demonstration of how to use that particular
resource. |
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Resources Overview
- Choosing the best resources to use for research involves several factors, including assignment requirements, currency of the research topic, and the depth of coverage needed.
- Why not use Wikipedia? View this video
(Flash)
from the Rutgers University Libraries on why Wikipedia is not the best
source to use for research assignments.
- Periodicals (magazines, newspapers, trade publications, and scholarly or peer-reviewed journals) are excellent sources of current and/or specific information for research projects. Often, they are considered primary sources for research.
Periodical Indexes/Databases
Databases Overview:
- Library databases allow you to search for keywords to help you identify relevant resources.
- It's a good idea to formulate a search strategy before searching library databases or the Internet.
- Databases can be searched using Boolean Logic (AND, OR, NOT) and truncation/wildcard symbols (*, ?, etc.) to combine keywords and phrases to locate articles on specific topics.
- All of the databases listed below provide the full text for most of the articles they index.
- For a complete list of available databases, see Databases A-Z.
- FYI, you can also connect to the Library's databases and full-text periodicals from off campus
- Databases listed below that include the image of the college graduate
allow you to limit search results to scholarly (peer-reviewed)
journal articles. - Databases listed on this page that include the "i" for information
image
link you to more information about that particular resource.
Good Place to Start:
- Gale
Power Search
- Simultaneously access 11 Gale databases to locate magazine articles,
trade publications, academic journal articles, news, reference books,
Web sites, and multimedia resources. Includes "Viewpoint" (pro/con)
essays and topic overviews on controversial issues from Opposing
Viewpoints Resource Center in the "Books" results.
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Using
Gale PowerSearch (Flash)
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Highly Recommended:
- Academic
Search Elite (EBSCOHost)
- This database offers information from periodicals in nearly every area
of academic study. Provides full text for nearly 1,850 periodicals, including
more than 1,250 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to the full text,
indexing and abstracts are provided for all 3,237 periodicals in the collection.
EBSCOHost
Advanced Search (Flash)
- LexisNexis Academic
- LexisNexis Academic is a full-text database containing news, legal,
biographical, and business information. General Easy Search
(default) does not use Boolean
(AND, OR, NOT) operators and searches large groups of the most popular
sources. Power Search and News allow
Boolean
logic, searching within specific parts of a document (headline, byline,
lead paragraph, etc.), and the ability to search more specific sources,
such as U.S. Newspapers. For tips on searching for editorials in LexisNexis
Academic, see News
Search: Find An Editorial Or Opinion Piece. Dates of coverage in LexisNexis
vary by publication.
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Searching
in LexisNexis Academic (Flash)
- ProQuest
Newspapers
- Full text for 500+ U.S. and international news sources. Includes coverage of 150+ major U.S. newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, the Daily News, the New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune, plus hundreds of other news sources and news wires. Click the More Search Options link from the main search screen to reveal choices for limiting by Document Type, such as editorial, speech, and review.
Also Useful:
- CQ Researcher
- CQ Researcher full-text reports 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 U.S. economy. Each 12,000-word report is a unique work, investigated and written by a seasoned journalist, including sections on background and chronology; an assessment of the current situation; tables and maps; pro/con statements from representatives of opposing positions; and bibliographies of key sources. Note: Since the reports are written by journalists, it is not considered a scholarly journal. Coverage is from 1991 to the present.
- Ethnic
NewsWatch (ProQuest)
- Full text articles from more than 270 ethnic, minority and native press publications, including newspapers, magazines and journals, covering 1960 to present.
- GenderWatch
(ProQuest)
- Contains unique and diverse publications that focus on how gender impacts a broad spectrum of subject areas. With archival material dating back to 1970, GenderWatch is a repository of an important historical perspective on the evolution of both the women's movement and major changes in gender roles.
- General Multi-Subject Multisearch
- Allows you to search up to 10 Library periodical and reference resource
databases using a common interface. Includes many databases that access
scholarly journal articles, which will be indicated by the image of the
mortarboard
in the results list. - News + Current Issues Multisearch
- Allows you to search up to 10 Library news and current events databases using a common interface.
- Opposing
Viewpoints Resource Center (Gale)
- Focus on controversial issues. Features "viewpoint articles" (pro/con arguments), topic overviews, full-text magazine, academic journal, and newspaper articles; primary source documents, statistics, images and podcasts, and links to web sites. Updated daily. Note: Only two users can search this database at the same time. However, Gale Power Search contains content from Opposing Viewpoints. After searching a topic in Gale Power Search, click on the "Books" result tab to find "viewpoint articles" and "topic overviews"; click on the "Multimedia" tab to link to web sites and Podcasts.
Locating Periodicals
Books, Media and Other Library Materials
- You can search the Library Catalog for books, media and other materials as follows:
- By author or title
Does
the Library Have this Book? (Flash)
- Keywords, which allows the use of Boolean Logic (AND, OR, NOT) and truncation/wildcards symbols (*, ?, etc.)
- Library of Congress Subject Headings
- For books not held by the Oviatt Library, request an Interlibrary Loan, but allow about 2 weeks.
Facts, Opinions & Statistics
The following web sites can lead you to facts, opinions, statistics, and background information to support your research.
- American Factfinder (Population, housing, economic, and geographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau.)
- Electronic Reference Books (encyclopedias, dictionaries, directories, etc.)
- Government Information: Federal, State, Local, International
- Government Publications on Social Issues (Good for topic selection and links to government reports and data.)
- Legal Research (links to primary sources of court cases, laws, regulations, and treaties as well as secondary research materials)
- News on the Web (Links to the web sites of local, national, and international broadcast news and newspapers.)
- NewsBank Special Reports (Focus on topics of current interest, including current and background information, statistics, maps, images, web sites, and suggested search terms. Updated daily.)
- Public Opinion Polls and Surveys
- Statistical Data Sources (Links to various government and private sources of statistical data, including how-to guides.)
Internet
In addition to the databases and Web sites listed above, the Internet can be a valuable source of information. However, remember to think critically about the authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and coverage of the information you find, and check with your instructor to see if you can use the Internet as a resource.
- Internet Search Engines - (links to favorite search engines of CSUN librarians)
- SearchEngineWatch - (comprehensive directory of search engines by type)
Critically Evaluating Information Resources
Citing Your Sources
- MLA, APA, & Other Citation Style Guides
- Citation Machine - (Provides an interactive tool to help create reference citations for research papers. Includes various print and electronic resources. Note web site disclaimer before using.)
Avoiding Plagiarism
- Why Cite? Avoiding Plagiarism
- Interactive
Tutorial on How to Avoid Plagiarism (Flash)
from Rutgers University
For more information on the research process, see How to Do Library & Internet Research or Ask a Librarian for help!
Prepared by Katherine Dabbour, Communication Studies Librarian
18111 Nordhoff St. Northridge CA 91330 (818) 677-2285 |
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