LibGuides: AS-I 101: Strategies for Online Learning: Additional Research Tools

Why not Google?

We all love Google -- to find a restaurant, or a map, or photos of cats -- it's great for finding everyday information. But for your academic work, you will be expected to use scholarly or authoritative sources.

What are "scholarly sources"?

Scholarly sources might include books, journal articles or conference publications -- they might be in print or published electronically, or both. Scholarly sources:

are written by authors who are scholars or professionals in their fields; their affiliations and academic credentials will be listed in their publications.
include citations to other sources that the author has used in developing his or her work
use academic language, which may include technical terminology specific to that discipline
are published by a scholarly press that uses a rigorous review process to ensure the quality of the content
are intended for an audience of researchers or scholars, or professionals in that field.

You may also sometimes need to find data or statistics -- these should also come from authoritative sources such as government agencies, professional organizations or research reports.

The research tools listed below will help you find appropriate sources for your work.

Finding Scholarly Articles

DragonSearch
DragonSearch is the "discovery" tool that you're using when you type something in to that big search box on the Libraries' homepage. It searches across most of the Libraries' electronic e-book and journal collections, and the library catalog.
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Use the filters on the left to limit your search results to scholarly sources, and to focus in a particular subject area.

ProQuest One Academic This link opens in a new window
Proquest One Academic is a great place to start when researching a topic. The database offers full text access to thousands of academic journals, books, dissertations, newspapers, and videos from across all disciplines.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Find full text for leading academic journals across the humanities, social sciences, and life sciences, as well as scholarly eBooks. Most journals provide content from the first year of publication through 3 years ago.

Databases A-Z
Visit our full list of more than 350 databases for more research options.

Just the Facts Ma'am

Statista This link opens in a new window
Check out the great infographics on 100s of topics.
PolicyMap This link opens in a new window
An online (no software installation needed) U.S. national data and mapping tool and analytics platform with multidisciplinary applications for college students and faculty. It is used in undergraduate and graduate curricula and research related to social sciences, urban studies, real estate and housing analysis, community and economic development, public administration, public health, policy and political science, education, business, economics, statistics, and geography, among others. Users can leverage thousands of U.S. data indicators in PolicyMap to perform demographic and socioeconomic analysis, from a neighborhood census block group in many cases, up to a national level, as well as create custom regions, for their research and studies.

Finding Newspapers and News Articles

CURRENT

New York Times 1980 - Present This link opens in a new window
Full text of the New York Times from 1980 to present (no images). Full text of New York Times Magazine and New York Time Book Review from 1997 to present.
Philadelphia Inquirer 1983 - Present This link opens in a new window
Complete full-text content of local and regional news from 1983-present, including community events, schools, politics, government policies, cultural activities, local companies, state industries, and people in the community. Please note, photos and some blog content for the Inquirer may not be available through this service
Previously available through Newsbank, now provided through Proquest Newspapers.
Wall Street Journal This link opens in a new window
The Wall Street Journal, Eastern Edition in full text (no images) from January 1984 to present, with abstracts from January 1982.

HISTORICAL

New York Times 1851 - 3 years ago: ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Search historical New York Times content from 1851-3 years ago. Articles, editorials, cartoons, and even advertisements are fully seachable.
Philadelphia Inquirer 1860 - 2001: ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Full text access to The Philadelphia Inquirer from 1860 - 2001.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 1786 - 2003: ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Full Text access to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper from 1786-2003
Washington Post -- ProQuest Historical Newspapers 1877-2001 This link opens in a new window
Includes all the articles published since the first issue of the paper in 1877 through 2001. Provides full text and full image articles with digital reproductions of every page, every article and every issue in PDF format. In addition to news stories, includes editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, photos, and advertisements.

SEARCH MULTIPLE NEWS SOURCES

Westlaw Campus Research This link opens in a new window
Contains legal, news, and business-related subjects. Newspapers & legal materials are featured, including cases, statutes, and regulations of the U.S. government and the various state governments; includes the legal encyclopedia American Jurisprudence 2nd and American Law Reports; case law from 1789 to present; current statutes and regulations.
Keywords: government, legal, legislation, news
Factiva This link opens in a new window
Provides access to sources of local, regional, national, and international news, general insight, selected financial information and profiles for publicly traded U.S. and international companies, industry reports, quotes for financial instruments, and stock market data. News content types include: newspapers, magazines, media transcripts, wire services, transcripts, images, blogs, and websites.