When researching topics most of your information will come from articles. They are published more frequently and cover more topics than books. The information is often more current and is easier to locate using Library databases. Journal articles are particularly helpful when researching topics. They are scholarly research reports on topics written by experts. They are much more specific and in-depth than some books and other periodicals. Often journal articles list the sources used to write the article allowing you to find other related sources easliy.
You can search thousands of journals, magazines and newspapers for articles on your topic using the Library's databases. Each of the Library's databases indexes different sources letting you search using keywords. When searching the databases, you can type in your keywords and search the content of thousands of articles. The database will give you a list of articles that contain your keywords, and you can click on the title of the article to get more information. Most of the databases have a feature that allows you to email the article and the citation to yourself for your works cited page.
When searching the Library’s databases for resources on your topic, you want to choose your keywords carefully. These words will help you find the information you need quickly. Take a moment and think about your topic. Write down all the words and phrases you can think of. This Brainstorming will help you find and organize your information.
The Library subscribes to many databases which index articles, books and videos from thousands of sources. We have general, and subject databases to choose from. Take a moment and think about your topic, and where you might find information on it. This will help you choose where to start.
Click here to access the NSCC Criminal Justice Database.
For articles on a variety of topics try:
