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Library Instruction
Controversial Issues Research


DEFINE TOPIC

This first part is designed to assist you in limiting or defining your research topic. These sources are some of the SAC reference materials that can be used to do research.

Ref AE5 .E333Encyclopedia Americana
Ref AE5 .E363New Encyclopaedia Britannica
  
Ref BF1556 .G86 2005Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters
Ref BF1566 .E56 2006Encyclopedia of Witchcraft : the Western Tradition
Ref BL65 .P7 E53 2007Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion
Ref BL98 .E53 2006Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements
  
Ref D25 .A2 P49 2004Encyclopedia of Wars
Ref GF90 .O87 2006Our Earth's Changing Land : an Encyclopedia of Land-use and Land-cover Change
Ref GT3020 .T594 2005Tobacco in History and Culture : an Encyclopedia
Ref HF5387 .E53 2008Encyclopedia of Business Ethics and Society
  
Ref HM626 .E53 2006Encyclopedia of Human Development
Ref HN90.R3 E975 2006Extremist Groups : Information for Students
Ref HQ76.96 .R68 2006Routledge International Encyclopedia of Queer Culture
Ref HQ1115 .W644 2006Women's Movement Today
Ref HV6322.7 .E532 2005Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity
Ref HV6433.3 .E53 2005Encyclopedia of Bioterrorism Defense
Ref HV6626 .E534 2007Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence
Ref HV6773 .N48 2004Encyclopedia of High-tech Crime and Crime-fighting
  
Ref JA61 .E54 2005Encyclopedia of Politics : the Left and the Right
Ref JF1525.I6 E64 2005Encyclopedia of Intelligence and Counterintelligence
Ref JZ1318 .E63 2007Encyclopedia of Globalization
Ref LB1027.55.E523 2005Encyclopedia of School Psychology
  
Ref PN4855 .E53 2008Encyclopedia of American Journalism
Ref QB136 .A55 2006Encyclopedia of Space and Astronomy
Ref QC981.8.G56 J643 2006Global Warming in the 21st Century
Ref QH360.2 .R53 2007Encyclopedia of Evolution
  
Ref RA777.6 .E534 2007Encyclopedia of Health and Aging
Ref RA649 .E53 2008Encyclopedia of Plague and Pestilence : from Ancient Times to the Present
Ref RC437 .K34 2008Encyclopedia of Mental Health
Ref RC552 .E18 C37 2006Encyclopedia of Obesity and Eating Disorders
Ref RC564 .G95 2006Encyclopedia of Addictions and Addictive Behaviors
Ref TX370 .S63 2006Encyclopedia of Junk Food and Fast Food
  

DEVISE STRATEGY

Once you have defined your topic, you will need to know where to search for additional information. The sources you use are often determined by the instructor or assignment. You will need to make a list of keywords to search the library catalog, databases, and the Web.

SEARCH SOURCES

Begin at the library's home page at http://www.accd.edu/sac/library/

Searching these sources can be as easy as using the index of a book or it may involve advanced searching methods used in the catalog, databases, or Web search engines. Use your list of keywords to search in the following:

Click on Books & Media to search the catalog for books, government documents, microforms, audiovisuals, and electronic/digital resources. You may search by author, title, subject, and keyword. On the keyword search page on the right are examples of boolean operators (and, or, and not) and wildcards (*) (**) (?).

Examples of keyword searches:

  • advertising and wom?n
  • caregiv* and (aging or elderly or old)
  • encyc** and genocide
  • global warming or greenhouse effect
  • gun control or fire arms
  • iraq and united states
  • stem cell research

To access eBooks go to netLibrary.

Click on Articles & Reference to search for magazine, journal, newspaper articles, reference, and more. The following databases may be helpful for your assignment:

If you have not selected a topic for your research, you may want to look at the following databases:

Full text articles may be emailed to your address, downloaded, or printed after purchasing a print card. If an article is not full text it may be available in another database or in paper or microfilm on the 4th floor. Check Journals by Title to see if the article appears in another SAC database, or do a title search in the catalog to see if the library subscribes to the journal you need.

Click on Web Guides to find additional sources on the Web.

San Antonio College, 1300 San Pedro Avenue, San Antonio, TX 78212-4299 Phone: 210/733-2000, Technology Hotline: 785-6031
One of the Alamo Community Colleges. The Alamo Community College District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
For special accommodations or an alternate format, contact the San Antonio College disABILITY Support Services at 733-2347