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• Learning Outcomes
• Gathering Background Information
• Looking for Books

• Locating Articles
• Finding Statistics
• Using Subject Directories
• Citing Sources

At the end of this session you will be able to:

• Use the Library catalog to perform simple searches to locate reference materials and taking sides/opposing viewpoints books on your topic
• Find full text print and/or electronic articles using various library databases
• Locate public opinion polls and other statistical information on your topic
• Use subject directories to locate relevant websites
• Locate APA style guide help sheets to assist you in properly citing materials

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Quick Links

Communication Portal

Just For Your Class
Comm105 Public Speaking
Comm 211 Communication Theory


Using Interlibrary Loan and UW-System Search

Communication Department homepage

Facts on File (REF D410.F3 1941-1999, D410.F23 2000-) is a permanent record of major news and issues as covered by national and international newspapers and news magazines. Emphasis is on factual information over analysis or opinion

Editorials on File (REF D839.E3 1993- ) reprints newspaper editorials from national and Canadian newspapers. Among newspapers indexed are Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin State Journal, Chicago Sun Times, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Washington Post, and Christian Science Monitor.

You may also want to try using a specialized encyclopedia for topic ideas and background information. Use the library catalog and try a search (use the QuickLimits to limit to Reference Materials) including the word encyclopedia and terms relating to your topic. For example:

encyclopedia and "political science"

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Books in this library : Use the Library Catalog to find books owned by the UWP library. Use one of the catalog's keyword search options. Then look at the subject headings used in the records you retrieve. Is there one that describes what you're looking for? If so, click on it to find other books on your topic.

The Library has two series of books on contemporary issues, called Taking Sides and Opposing Viewpoints. Some of these are listed below. Find others by looking in the Library Catalog. To find them all, choose the Keyword (and or not) search option, and enter the series titles as phrases (one at a time):

"taking sides"
"opposing viewpoints"

Click on a book title and browse its table of contents by clicking on "full view." This will allow you to get ideas for a topic and lots of background information.

Books in other libraries : To find books and other materials from public, school, and academic libraries across Wisconsin, search BadgerCat.

UW System Search: UW System Search/Universal Borrowing (UB) allows you make arrangements yourself to borrow materials from other UW libraries. All of the 13 UW libraries participate in this program. UB is built on the idea that the UW System libraries together are now one virtual library.

Using the UWP library catalog, you can simultaneously search other UW libraries to determine if the item you want is available. Simply select the "Multi Library Search" link at the top of our library's catalog and conduct your search. If the item is available from another UW library, you can complete an online request form, which will be transmitted directly to the owning library. The owning library will retrieve the material and send it to the UWP library. A courier service runs between the UW libraries five days a week and delivers the requested materials. You can use the UB service to request books and A/V materials, however, requests for periodical articles should still go through the regular interlibrary loan process.

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Step 1: Use an index to find citations to journal articles on your topic.

The periodical indexes listed below will help you find citations to journal articles and other publications. You may search for articles by subject headings, keywords, or by author. Note that many citations are NOT full-text. Therefore, you'll need to go on to step 2, below, once you have selected some citations.

Start with these indexes:

CQ Researcher is a weekly publication covering the most current and controversial issues of the day with complete summaries, insight into all sides of the issues, bibliographies and more. Users may browse through articles in the current issue or search for past articles using words, dates or other criteria.
Coverage: 1983 - present.

Academic Search Complete (Ebsco) Coverage of more than 4,600 journals in general academic, business, social sciences, humanities, general science, education and multicultural fields. There is full text for over 1,000 journals.

Other useful indexes and online resources available:

Academic Universe (Lexis Nexis) Full text coverage of 6000 English language sources, including newsletters, magazines, trade journals, wire services, broadcast transcripts (AP, New York Times, CNN), international news sources, business directories, SEC documents, corporate profiles, statutes, federal and state case law, law reviews and state legal materials. Coverage varies.

Are you looking for opinion/editorials on both sides of a current issue? Follow these instructions for doing so in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe:

Choose the appropriate search form and type terms related to the issue in the Keyword box, such as education AND property tax. In the Additional Terms box, enter opinion OR editorial OR op-ed, or any other headings under which you would expect to find opinion articles. Keep in mind that, since news sources have varying names for editorials, this search method is not guaranteed to retrieve every opinion piece written about a subject.

Ethnic News Watch Full text articles from newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press.

New York Times For coverage 1999 to the present: choose ProQuest Newsstand (then "Search Methods" and "Publications"). For access to the years 1851 - 1999: click here.

Wisconsin Newsstand Comprehensive full-text coverage of Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Wisconsin State Journal, Badger Plus, Capital Times, Daily Reporter, Milwaukee and Packer Plus. Selective coverage of Milwaukee Business Journal, Wisconsin Corporate Report, Kenosha News, LaCrosse Tribune, Marketplace Magazine, Marshfield News-Herald, Northeastern Wisconsin Business Review, Rhinelander Daily News, Sheboygan Press and Wausau Daily Herald. Coverage: Comprehensive titles 1995 - present: selective titles 1985 - present.

Reader's Guide Full Text Covers popular periodicals published in the US and Canada and covers current events and news, fine arts, fashion, education, business, sports, health and nutrition and consumer affairs.
Coverage: 1983 - present.

Step 2: Now that you have a citation to an article, does the Library own the journal?

After you've found a citation to a journal article in which you're interested, click the FindIt! button to see if the library has the journal in either print or electronic form.

Conversely, you can check the UWP Periodicals List to see if the Library subscribes to the journal in either print or electronic format.

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Polling the Nations: is an online database of public opinion polls containing the full text of 350,000 questions and responses from 14,000 surveys conducted from 1986 through the present in the U.S. and 80 other countries.

Statistical Abstract of the United States (REF HA 202 .A38)
County and City Databook (REF HA 202 .H36)
Crime in the United States (REF HV 6787 .A3)
The Gallup Poll 1935-2002 (REF HN90 .P8 G3)

Then try some of the other online statistical sources you will find on the Library's Statistics Reference Sources page.

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Although you can search the World Wide Web by keyword using a search engine, browsing the Web sites below can help you find more authoritative information.

Academic Info attempts to improve access to online educational resources by developing an easy to use subject directory covering academic disciplines. The site is intended for use by college level students.

Internet Public Library provides library services to Internet users. Included on this site is a directory of websites organized by subject.

Librarian's Index to the Internet is a searchable, annotated subject directory of more than 7,400 Internet resources selected and evaluated by librarians for their usefulness to users of public libraries. It's meant to be used by both librarians and non-librarians as a reliable and efficient guide to described and evaluated Internet resources.

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UWP Quick APA Reference Guide

UWP Quick MLA Reference Guide

UWP Quick Chicago (Turabian's) Reference Guide

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