Use this guide to get help with APA citations and formatting: APA Citation Guide.
An important first step in the research process is exploring the different viewpoints on a topic, by doing preliminary research. The purpose of preliminary or exploratory research is not to find your sources but to see what is out there. Look for themes, common words or phrases, and different opinions on a topic.
Try searching for your topic in these databases to help you identify the different viewpoints on your topic.
General purpose collection of articles detailing different viewpoints on controversial topics.
General purpose collection of articles featuring overviews, histories, and pro and con perspectives on issues in contemporary politics and society. A great atlernative to Wikipedia.
Instead of using Wikipedia or Google, use these databases to find definitions of terms you don't know:
General Reference database that includes general and subject-specific encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, atlases and many other reference materials in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
Use these library databases to look for peer-reviewed articles. Most databases have a check box that will allow you to select peer-reviewed. Those check boxes will limit your results to articles from peer-reviewed journals.
General-purpose collection of scholarly journals in the social and health sciences.
For tips and more help using OneSearch, check out our OneSearch guide:
Watch this video to learn how to search OneSearch more effectively.
Try the new AI-powered OneSearch Research Assistant