Learning More About Your Topic
Once you have selected a topic, it is helpful to find additional background information. What to look for when learning more about the topic:
- Definitions
- Keywords
- Concepts
- Events, people, and key dates
- Facts surrounding the topic
What is Mind Mapping?
It is also known as brainstorming, and is very useful for generating topics and keywords for your writing. You can create a mind map by hand using pen and paper, or find an online tool.
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Credo ReferenceOver 600 reference books, including encyclopedias, dictionaries (English and foreign language), thesauri, books of quotations, as well as a range of subject-specific reference books.
The Research Process
Researching is messy and you'll feel like you are going in circles sometimes, which is okay! There are a lot of steps to go through before you start writing your paper. This visualization can help you navigate your way through the process.
Commonly Used Databases - Multi Subject
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Academic Search CompleteMulti-subject. database including history, political science, law, government and more
Coverage: 1887 to present -
Humanities SourceArea studies, theology, religion, performing arts, literary & political criticism, language & literature, music, philosophy, history, and classical studies, area studies, art, communications, dance, film, folklore, gender studies, and journalism.
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JSTORMulti-Subject. -- Access begins with the first volume for many journal titles, but usually does not have the newest volumes of each journal.
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MasterFILE CompleteMulti-Subject. This is a collection of the most popular full-text magazines, journals, and other highly-regarded sources from the world's leading publishers, covering virtually every subject area of general interest such as business, education, health, general science, and multi-cultural issues. Also contains more than 1.2 million photos, maps, and flags; more than 55,000 primary source documents; almost 1000 reference books, and thousands of biographies.