Getting Started
When starting a project, there are a few simple guidelines to keep in mind:

Know the guidelines of the assignment.
Your topic should be specific or broad enough to be dealt with satisfactorily.
The topic should be of interest to both you and your audience.
Your topic and the statements you make about it should be supported with reliable information.

Plan ahead! Set a time line and allow for unexpected developments and planned revision.

When beginning, a good way to obtain background information and ideas to build on your topic area is with reference materials such as encyclopedias, almanacs, and abstracts. Once you have established your topic, state your thesis or theme in a sentence or two. From this sentence, identify the keywords and use them in your search statement.

Other suggested places to find background information:
CSA(database) - Hot Topics section link located near the top of the screen.
Congressional Universe (Lexis/Nexis database) - Hot Topics section covers relevant publications on key American public policy issues.
CQ Researcher - located in the current and bound periodical collection.

Using the Boolean search operators of AND & OR will define logical relationships between keywords in a search. You can use these operators to create a very broad or very narrow search. And combines search terms so that each search result contains all of the terms. For example, travel and Europe finds articles that contain both travel and Europe. Or combines search terms so that each search result contains at least one of the terms. For example, college or university finds results that contain either college or university. Each result contains all search terms. The search heart and lung finds items that contain both heart and lung. Each result contains at least onesearch term. The search heart or lung finds items that contain either heart or items that contain lung.

Library Catalog
Search for materials in Randall Library by using the online Library Catalog located on the Randall Library homepage at http://library.uncwil.edu. Searching the Library Catalog will give you call numbers and locations for books, maps, N. C. documents, U.S. Government documents, special collections, microforms, music scores, periodicals, audiovisual materials, and reserve materials.

Finding Articles
EBSCOhost-- Academic Search Premier & MasterFILE Premier
Coverage of 3,000 journals, covering the social sciences, humanities, general science, multi-cultural studies, general reference, business, health, education, and much more. Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe

News section can provide you with U.S. & international newspapers, magazines, newsletters & journals, transcripts from Television & radio news broadcasts, and student newspapers.
Reference section provides access to biographical info to politicians, business executives & more, Polls & Surveys from the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research and Quotations from over 10,000 quotes from the famous & not-so-famous.

CQ Researcher - explores a single "hot" issue in the news in depth each week. And offers many reports provided by Congressional Quarterly.

Communication and Mass Media Complete

Opposing Viewpoints

Web-Site Evaluation
The reliability and quality of information from Web sources has created much debate in the academic world. Researchers must always remember that the Web is a vast, unregulated information resource that ANYONE with the proper tools and a little money can create a site on the Web. When viewing a site for research purposes the three most important features to consider are:

Authority: Who's responsible for the page content? Are there any clues about that person's qualifications?
Content: Does it seem accurate? If you don't know much about the topic yet, consider these other questions. Are there citations to other works? Has the page been updated recently? Are there facts you could try to verify?
Audience/Objectivity: Who designed it? And for whom? Is there obvious (or not so obvious) bias? Is the page nothing more than a marketing tool? What level of audience is it designed for (e.g. children, adults, students, professionals)? If you choose to use a website as a source, don't forget the Evaluating Web Resources when evaluating the website.

Citation Style Guides

Helpful Links
Accessing Randall Library Databases from a Home Computer
Randall Library Homepage
UNCW Department of Communication Studies
Randall Library Reference Desk phone number - 962-3760

Last Update: March 31, 2006