Researching Controversial Issues? Start Here

Read first a general article on your topic in an encyclopedia. You can use Wikipedia but be very careful in evaluating the information. Look for list of references at the end of the article in Wikipedia which would indicate if the article is well documented. See also the Module on Wikipedia in your Blackboard course Library Research 101 where you learn how to look for labels that are assigned to each Wikipedia article to indicate its credibility and quality. You can also find background information in other sources than encyclopedias.While reading the background article or essay make notes in the following forms: Write down or highlight all questions that are asked in the article you readWrite down or highlight the new words and phrases you were not familiar with Write your own comments or questions that come to your mind while reading the article.Draw a concept map of the topic discussed in the article.

You need to log in with your net ID to get access to this database.

When in Google Search screen use this strategy: e.g.define pollution (insert your own word)

Where and how to find a research topic?-----------------------------------------------------------------Scan the headlines of any newspaper in its various sections, e.g., politics, economy, arts, education, society, sports, and others. Reflect on those that draw your attention and interest. Search Wikipedia or Google Directory for a concept or topic of your interest and go from there. In your course materials, scan the textbook or supplementary readings recommended by the instructor. Review your notes from the class, particularly the questions you may have written in the margins. Search for ideas in the following sources: a) Library subscription databases, e.g., CQ Electronic Library b) International Debate Education Association, http://www.idebate.org/debatabase c) Best Information on the Net (O’Keefe Library, St.Ambrose University). http://library.sau.edu/bestinfo

Formulate your thesis in the form of cause and effect followed by a proposed solution.ExampleThe main cause of climate warming is the pollution created by human activity. In order to combat the climate change people need to drastically change their livestyles and find new ways of creating renewable energy sources.

Select the link DATABASES from the library website.You need to provide you Cougar ID to access the databases.

For specialized topics, e.g., math, biology, nursing or science, use databases specific for those disciplines. Click on the appropriate subject category to choose the databases.For topics that cross disciplines, many from social sciences, start with the EBSCO Academic Search Complete or Lexis-Nexis database.

If you find an article or a chapter in a book with references listed at the end, then review them. The cited references are relevant to the topic of the article or chapter of the book and provide additional material for your research.

From the library homepage select the link DATABASES.Then, select the database NetLibrary. The books included in the NetLibrary database are in full-text and you can copy, print or save the selected passages of the book.

Start with the Library's website and choose the tab from the option Books

The library collection is organized according the the Library of Congress system and the call numbers are displayed in the catalog like this: Institution: Saint Xavier University Location: Main Floor Stacks Call Number: GE300 .B37 1999 Copy: 1 Status: Available Note: If you cannot find the book on the shelf but the computer catalag says it is available, please ask the library staff at the Circulation Desk to help you locate the book.

I-Share is a network of other academic libraries in Illinois and you can search their collections and request their books through interlibrary loan. Once you find the title of the book you want and select the tab REQUEST at the top of the screen.

When searching other libraries in I-Share and finding the book you want, click REQEST and follow the menu for login. YOUR LIBRARY BORROWER ID is a 14 digit barcode number located at the bottom on your Cougar card. DO NOT USE THE LETTERS, JUST THE NUMBERS.After you send the request online it will take about 7-10 days for the book to come to Saint Xavier. The library will send you an e-mail when the book arrives.

Create a new folder in the MS Word program with the title of the course or the paper.

Working Bibliography WorksheetTopic of the Paper: ______________________________________________Tags (significant keywords): Citation (circle the style you use: APA, MLA, Chicago Style.)Paraphrase the sections of the source you will use in the paper/ include page number.Quotations (include quotation marks around the text and page number from the source).Your own additional comments, questions or reflecions (THIS IS NOT PARAPHRASE FROM THE SOURCE)

Example of an entry in a working bibliograhyWrite tags to identify the main concept/idea(tags will help you to arrange your sourcesas you will use them in the paper)Global Warming / Language Use in Reports Bibliographic citation:Ereaut, G., & Segnit, N. (2006 August). Warm Words: How are we telling the climate storyand can we tell it better? Paper published by the Institute for Public PolicyResearch. Retrieved August 3, 2006, from<http: //www.ippr.org/ecomm/files/warm_words.pdf.>Paraphrase / Quotations:The authors identify 2 positions in communicating the climate change: “alarmist” and “optimistic.”The alarmist approach is represented by a motto “The end of the world”. The optimistic approach hastwo tracks: one consisting of reports and research skeptical of the global warming. Its motto is “It’ll bealright”[sic]. The other track is “pragmatic optimistic” with the motto “It will be alright[sic] if we do something” (p. 12, fig. 3).Quotations“Much of the noise in the climate change discourse comes from argument and counter-argument, and it isour recommendation that, at least for popular communications, interested agencies now need to treat the argument as having been won. This means simply behaving as if climate change exists and is real, and that individual actions are effective. This must be done by stepping away from the ‘advocates debate’ described earlier, rather than by stating and re-stating these things as fact” (25).My original comments/questions:As the title indicates, the paper analyzes the controversy of global warming in the context of language used by the media and the scientific community. The language used to describe climate change and associated research influences significantly how we understand and approach the global warming issue. It is a powerful tool in the controversy ( 7 “An overview of the discourse”).There are graphical representations and concept maps (p.10) illustrating the controversy.There are examples of well-known campaigns and how they influence the climate debate and controversyand how they can be analyzed in the context of the alarmist and optimistic approaches (25-27

It is a very easy tool to build an annotated or any other bibliography for your paper.

Top 10 Searching Rules Choose only descriptive or important words, e.g., Gnostic gospels.Use more than one word in your searches to narrow down the results.Search by phrases in quotation marks, e.g., “the economics of immigration”.Use a – (minus sign) before a word if you want the word excluded from the document. This feature allows you to exclude sources in which that word would alter the meaning of the context. For example, sushi -restaurants. Use a ~ (tilde sign) before a word to look for synonyms of this word, e.g., ~car. It will also find the word automobile.Use special tags to narrow the search. Examples: define sushi ( to find a definition of a word) site: Saint Xavier University (to find all pages on that site) Use the Advanced Search mode to limit by date, language, or format, such as PDF or Power Point sources. Sources in those formats usually have academic or scholarly value.

Verify the inflormation in at least one other source, preferably academic. Watch for the following characteristics of the use of language: manipulative, ambiguous, clearly persuasive (e.g., as in a broadcast), name calling, highly emotional, and unnecessarily technical language for the topic described. Separate opinion from facts. Facts can be verified. Are the facts supported by another credible source or link to a source? Look critically at the surveys, polls, and other statistics cited in a source. Statistics are often unquestioned, since it is thought that numbers cannot lie. Can you locate the same numbers of the same poll or survey in another source? Ask your instructor, librarians or other experts for a second opinion.

On the library home page click on the link JOURNAL TITLE LIST. If you search off campus you will need to provide your Cougar ID to see all the journal subscriptions and locations.

Requesting photocopies of articlesIn most cases you will be able to locate a full-text of an article either in the print journal available in the library collection or through a database. However, when none of the above options provides you with the copy of the article, you need to submit an interlibrary photocopy request. The electronic submission form is available on the Library's website. Allow several days for the copy to arrive to our library. You will keep the copy of the article and generally there is no charge for the copy.

Click the DATABASES link on the library home page and go to the Newspaper Source database or Lexis-Nexis database.