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- Ask A Librarian
1: FIND YOUR TOPIC : Use "Issues" Compilations from Research FAQs
http://www.cod.edu/library/research/faq/started2.htm
Useful titles:
Opposing Viewpoints
Issues and Controversies on File
CQ Researcher
Also this website:
Seven Biological Challenges
http://www.actionbioscience.org
2: USE BOOKS AND VIDEOS
Click on COD Library Catalog (http://lrc.cod.edu) and choose Subject search for your topic.
Click Search.
Both books and audiovisual materials will be listed in the catalog. Be sure to note related topics.
3: RESEARCH YOUR TOPIC IN MAGAZINES, JOURNALS AND NEWSPAPERS
Click onDatabases from top bar of Library home page.
Click on Expanded Academic Index (InfoTrac).
Type topic in Subject Guide Search box and search. Watch for titles with "Text", "PDF" and, if Abstract only, "Library holdings".
Can limit to only Full Text articles and Refereed Journals (research articles) .
Other useful databases:
Academic Search Premier
Periodicals Abstracts
Health Reference Center (medical topics)
Health Source Academic (medical topics)
Wilson Select FullText
National Newspapers Simultaneously searches the indexes of the Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post
4:THE INTERNET
Genetics Research Guide
http://www.cod.edu/library/libweb/Peters/BIOLOGY/GENETICS.HTM
Environment/Ecology Research Guide
http://www.cod.edu/library/libweb/Peters/BIOLOGY/ECOLOGY.HTM
Yahoo is an example of a human-indexed directory of the internet, along with search engine features http://dir.yahoo.com
Look at lower left. Choose Science. Type in term and click button for "Just this category." or use Society> Environment and Nature
Search engines, such as Google or ask.com match key words via software programs called "robots" or "spiders". See links from Library Home Page. Most programs only require the entry of all terms wanted--it only returns pages that include all of your search terms. For a better search, use quotation marks ("....") around phrases.
Go to Yahoo at http://video.yahoo.com. Enter term(s)you want presented in video. Be sure to watch the timing --some of these streaming videos are over one hour in length.
Go to Blinkx at http://www.blinkx.com and type in term(s) you wish to match. Click on the thumbnail of videos you wish to see. Sometimes ads precede the content if on an advertiser-sponsored channel (Fox and others).
Use Google's advanced video search:http://video.google.com/videoadvancedsearch Enter words or a phrase to search. Click the radio button for specific genres. Choose such types as Educational, Health and Fitness, Nature, News or Political.
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