Cambridge Campus Library General Research Pathfinder  
 http://www.anokaramsey.edu/resources/Success/Library/CambridgeLibrary.aspx

1.     Pick a topic which interests you. __________________________  Scanning current periodicals can help. American Demographics and Futurist are magazines designed particularly to look at trends in modern society.  (To browse either in FullText: Select: Academic Search Premier/ Advanced/ enter: Futurist (select: Jrnl name) / Search) Or scan news topics in: www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/docnews.html from Univ. of Michigan.
 

2.     What other subject terms relate to your topic?  ___________   __________  _________ Scanning articles in either print or online encyclopedias to find background information on your topic will help you get the “big picture” for formulating your argumentative statement. * Subject encyclopedias in your topic area are usually more helpful than general ones.  Jot down key words which will be useful in online searching.     
 Ency title_________________________________________________________________________________

*Subject Encyclopedias & Reference Sources: (just a few examples of the many available in print & online)
 
 Encyclopedia of Ethics
    Ref BJ63.E45 1992 (in the library) 		 Ency of World Cultures Ref GN307.E53 or:
 Country Watch
 Macmillan Ency of Philosophy Ref B41.E5
or:  Internet Ency of Philosophy 		 McGraw-Hill Ency of Science & Tech
    Ref Q121.M3 2007
 Ency of Religion Ref BL31.E46 
or:  Catholic Ency  Catholic Church 		 Ency of Addictions & Addictive Behaviors  Ref RC564.G95
 Ency of Psychology  Ref BF 31.E52 
or: Ency of Psychology Jacksonville SU		  Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center
 Ency of the Renaissance
    Ref CB361.E52		  
 CQ Researcher  Ref H35.E35 (print in lib or online)
 *For online printing, choose PDF--fewer pages for the same info!!)		  General Encyclopedias: (use these only when your topic is NOT academic)
 Encyclopedia of Drugs & Alcohol
    Ref HV5804.E53   		 Encyclopaedia Britannica Ref AE5.E363 
 (online or print in the library) Remote login: Barcode & pw=your last name
 West's Ency of American Law Ref KF154.W47 or:
 Legal Information Institute Cornell U		  Columbia Encyclopedia (Bartleby.com /
    Select Reference)
 Ency of Bioethics Ref QH332.E52
 or:National Ref Ctr for Bioethics Lit  		Encyclopedia Americana  Ref AE5.E333


3.  Formulate your Argumentative statement *(see 2 above).  _____________________________________________________________________
 

4.   Although Facts & Statistics can be found anywhere, Reference sources like Almanacs, Atlases & Abstracts provide extensive indexing for ease in finding bits of information to back up your argument.   They may be available in print (located by LC number in our library) or online.  For example:

World Almanac RefAY67.N5W7

Infoplease (Time) Almanac   Ref AY64.I55 print in lib & online

Statesman's Yearbook          
 Ref JA51.S7

CIA World Factbook    
 Ref G122.U56 

Statistical Abstract  Ref HA202 .S82    
 

FedStats (Stat Abst, Metro Area Databk, Health US, Educ Stats, Rept of the Amer Workforce, & Nat Transportation Stats)

Almanac of the 50 States  Ref A214.A44

Criminal Justice Statistics

County & City Data Book 
Ref HA202.A36 (print in library & online)

U.S. Census Statistics 2010 homepage
 

Northstar: MN Government   State of MN info

FirstGov  Federal Resources

Congressional Qtrly Almanac Ref JK1.C66

FRED: Federal Reserve Economic Data

Martindale's Ref Desk 

Librarian's Index to the Internet
  Thomas Legislative Information Lib Congress access to federal bills & laws

Injury Facts   Ref HA217.A4  or
NSC.org  National Safety Council

World Climate 

citation______________________________________________________________

5.  Dictionaries & other Reference sources may help you understand what you read or direct you to other sources. 

Acronyms, Initialisms &  Abbrev. (define SCUBA) Ref P365.A28 

Acronyma (can't find it here? Check AI&A in print in lib)

Allusions--Cultural, Literary, Biblical & Historical Ref PN43.A4 

Glossary of Literary Terms

American Heritage dictionary
Ref PE1625 .A24

Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary & Thesaurus
Cambridge Dictionary  U.S. Government Documents

Contemporary authors Ref Z1224.C158 or
Literature Resource Center GALE Literary criticism & biography

Chambers dictionary of quotations          
 Ref PN6081.C43

Refdesk.com 
 

Oxford English dictionary OED Ref PE1625.M87 word origins
or AskOxford.com (selected words)

 

 

 



6.   Search online & print Periodical Indexes:  magazines, professional journals & newspapers.  Cambridge Campus Library has access to these indexes--many include full text of articles.  Need help?  Ask the Librarian!
 
General Periodical Indexes  (many w/ full text):  Specific indexes: (many w/ full text):
   
  Business Source Premier   EBSCOhost 

 

CINAHL  Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health-EbscoHost

Acad SearchPremier EBSCOhost

ERIC Education Index  Select Advanced / Search is on lower left / some fulltext (Check Thesaurus for search terms)

 Proquest Newspapers Fulltext (StarTrib, WSJ, NYT, LATimes, WashPost)

Ethnic Newswatch    Newpapers and magazines from ethnic, minority & native press in the US

  HWWilson Art Index Jrnls & Magazines in Art

JSTOR Academic journals in Music, Arts & Sciences

 

Psyc Journals * Proquest Social Science Journals 

 

DOAJ Directory of Open Access Jrnls Approx 1/4 fulltext

* Remote/Off-campus access: Login w/ barcode on back of your Lib/ID card / pw= your last name.

GALE/CENGAGE Ed Reference


Include the complete citation for the article  (MLA). Although there is a wide range of depth, audience, authority and bias, most periodicals indexed in standard sources are reasonably reliable.  ___________________________________________________________________  

7.  To support your argument, use the online library catalog MnPALS to find circulating books on your topic. (You may need to try related terms or use truncation (*)  for words which may appear in multiple forms:  (teen* for teenage, teenager, teenagers).  Also try: MnPALSPLUS
Location number & citation___________________________________________________________
--Cambridge Campus Electronic books ( >>Select a Lib >>Cambridge Electronic Enter topic >>Search >>selected title >>Electronic Resources link >>View this book (Remote access: Login w/ barcode & pw (your last name) Questions?  Ask the Librarian!
--MN Documents: >Advanced >Select: all MnPALS >Type: Minn Doc on one line & your topic on the next >Search) Searches any State of MN documents on your topic which may be available either online or in fiche in CCLibrary (note the MN Doc# to access older documents in microfiche).
 

 8.  Although many of them are now being published directly on the web, print documents & brochures too small for cataloging individually are often maintained in the Vertical File. Look to see if there is a file on your topic. (Can’t find any?  Be sure to check all of your search terms). _______________________________________________________
9.  Do a general search for your topic on the internet.  There are many search engines (basically keyword indexes) to choose from.  Since almost all search engines are supported by advertising, most do little to evaluate for quality & reliability. None search more than 15% of the internet.

Yahoo.com

Includes a general directory to help narrow your search

Lycos.com

AND in caps requires all terms, +nospaces requires one term in search (+Mille+Lacs+Band) 

AskJeeves (ask.com)

Allows questions in sentence form, one topic at a time.

Google.com

User-friendly.  Includes image & advanced search / (Truncation=* (ex. bird*= bird or birds)

Altavista.com

Advanced searching provides image & domain searching / Truncation* 

Select a website on your topic that you might want to use in your paper.  Copy the web address (URL) as well as the standard citation information for the type of resource. *Documents, brochures, periodical articles, reference sources, even monographs may be accessible in print or online.   Just as you look for publication information on the title page of books or inside the front cover of periodicals (usually), reliable web sites will include information regarding timeliness, authority, possible bias and reliability of the source.  Look for: About Us or Home if the information isn't on the first page.   
 url & name___________________________________________________________  Is this an online periodical or reference source?  An organization's promotional brochure?  A government document? ________________ What organization or individual created the site? _________________  When was it last updated?________ You might find Internet Detective helpful in evaluating online sources.

10.  All of the resources which you use in your paper (words & ideas) must be cited to give credit to the creators of those documents. For help in using correct MLA format:
   --Research & Documentation Online by Diana Hacker & Barbara Fister Bedford St. Martins Press
   --Citing Sources Duke Univ. Library Guide
    --A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker is available in the Reference section.
 And That’s it.  You’re researching!  Questions using CCLibrary?  Ask the Librarian!

Cambridge Campus Library  of Anoka Ramsey Community College 
                 300 Spirit River Dr. S   Cambridge, MN  55008  763-433-1807
updated 9-14-09 BBoese