Selecting a Topic
This can often be the most difficult and time-consuming step. Here are some tips for both informative/persuasive topics and also for prose/poetry/drama.
Informative/Persuasive
- Browse through issues of CQ Researcher - shelved in Reference at H35 .E352
- Look at the latest headlines on CNN.com or other news-related sites
- Browse through recent issues of magazines like the Chronicle of Higher Education, Economist, Scientific American, or Atlantic Monthly
- Identify current events related to specific issues:
Prose/Poetry/Drama
- Ask yourself if you'd like to focus on a work by a particular author or perhaps an author from a certain country (look in the PQ section of the Reference Collection).
- If you have a particular subject in mind, use the Poetry Index and Play Index to find works involving that topic.
- Browse through recent issues of magazines like American Poetry Review, Canadian Literature, or Minnesota Review.
- Look at anthologies of plays, short stories, or poetry - these anthologies may be compiled by author, time period, geographical region, or subject.
Finding Books
MnPALS
Our library catalog. This link takes you into the "Basic Searches" screen where you can search by author, title, etc. The "Advanced Searches" option lets you limit by date, additional keywords, collection area, and so on. In your list of results, the Location column lists the call number--where the book is shelved.
Reference Works
Once you've identified a topic that you are interested in, it is important to gather some background information. You may find your topic is too broad or too narrow. Reference works can provide helpful summaries of topics and point you to other resources on your topics. You might try:
- CQ Researcher - H35 .E352 [year]
Or one of our many specialized encyclopedias:
- Encyclopedia of Bioethics Ref QH 332 .E52
- Gale Encyclopedia of Children s Health Ref RJ 26 .G35 2005
- Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion Ref BL 65 .P7 E53 2007
- Encyclopedia of Education Ref LB 15 .E47 2003
Click here for more ideas.
Finding Articles
We have a lot of databases for different subjects. Some have full text articles, others do not. In most cases you can find a "find it!" button that will show you which articles we have here and will help you make an interlibrary loan (ILL) request for those we don't.
Academic Search Premier
Academic Search Premier contains full text coverage in biology, chemistry, education, engineering, humanities, physics, psychology, religion and theology, sociology, and other disciplines.
LexisNexis
LexisNexis is a full text web-accessible database service that is particularly strong in the areas of current news, legal information, and business information.
Proquest Newsstand
Full text newspaper articles; includes some papers that are not in LexisNexis
Literary Journals
Prose
Poetry
Drama
Web Sites of Interest
Prose
Poetry
Drama
Statistics
Other
Citing Your Sources
Our page on documentation -- Includes models for APA and MLA style, plus links to examples of Chicago and CBE style.
|
libraries