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How-To VideosLearn how to navigate and use library resources, including searching, citing, saving, and requesting materials.
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Research ToolkitResearch Toolkit workshops are designed to address the most common challenges students face in doing college-level research, including navigating databases, locating relevant sources, and making sense of information once it is found.
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Ask a LibrarianAsk questions via chat, email, or schedule an appointment with your subject librarian.
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Subject LibrariansLearn which librarian specializes in your area of research.
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Whether you're already familiar with your topic or not, encyclopedia's give a great overview and can help you identify major issues, history of social movements and/or diverse perspectives on an issue.
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Sage ReferenceSearch and read entries from over one hundred social science and science specialized reference encyclopedias published by Sage.
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Points of View Reference CenterOrganized by topic this resource provides an issue overview, background facts, point and counterpoint representing different points of view. Includes a critical analysis to assist the reader to evaluate controversial topics. Also includes essays, leading political magazine articles from all sides of the political spectrum, newspapers, radio & TV news transcripts, primary source documents and reference books.
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QuickSearchQuickSearch combines results from many search tools for you to review in one list. Results come from the Wright State catalog and hundreds of library databases including all of our Ebscohost databases, JSTOR, the Web of Science, and others.
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WSU CatalogLooking for books? See what we have in the library by searching our catalog.
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OhioLINKRequest books from college and university libraries all over Ohio.
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SearchOhioBorrow from Ohio public libraries through SearchOhio.
Developing your topic
Finding the right level of research is an important first step. Consider whether your topic is too broad (you're getting too many results or they're not relevant enough to your topic) or too narrow (you're finding too few results).
Use these handouts to help you narrow or broaden your topic:
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Tips for Narrowing a Topic - HandoutUse this handout if you are getting too many results when searching.
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Tips for Broadening a Topic - HandoutUse this handout if you are getting too few results when searching.
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Library of Congress Subject Headings for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) TopicsGreat list of subject terms from Indiana University Libraries - Click on the S and check out the sexuality-related subject terms.
Identifying Quality Information
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All About Peer Review - CSUDH Library"Scholarly articles typically communicate original research or analysis for other researchers, and go through a peer review process before they are published by an academic journal. This brief video takes a closer look at that process and addresses some of its limitations."
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Evaluating Websites - ABCDFor tips on using the ABCD method to evaluate websites, watch this video from the Cuyahoga Community College Libraries.
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Does it pass the CRAAP test?CRAAP is an acronym for a variety of questions you can ask yourself about whether you should use information. It stands for: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy & Purpose. You should get in the habit of asking these types of questions about information before you use it.
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Evaluating Websites - CRAAPWatch this brief video on for more information on evaluating sources using the CRAAP method.
Using the Information You Find
Considering how you incorporate an article into your research can help you write a more professional, polished paper. Evaluate your use of the information you gather from you research with some of the questions on this worksheet.
Articles: best databases to use
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QuickSearchQuickSearch combines results from many search tools for you to review in one list. Results come from the Wright State catalog and hundreds of library databases including all of our Ebscohost databases, JSTOR, the Web of Science, and others.
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Gender Studies DatabaseGSD covers the full spectrum of gender-engaged scholarship inside and outside academia. Links to free and subscription based full-text articles. Includes professional journals, conference papers, books, government reports, discussion papers, theses and dissertations.
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LGBTQ+ SourceLGBTQ+ Source contains literature on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues. Indexes LGBTQ+ specific journals, magazines, regional newspapers, books, and reference works.
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Women's Studies InternationalDiscover literature from core disciplines in women's studies and the latest scholarship in feminist research. Search womens literature and selected bulletins, reports, dissertations, NGO studies, and grey literature. NISC produces the index.
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Google ScholarIndexes research literature across a wide range of disciplines and formats. Use the library connection to gScholar to get more attached full-text articles.
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Web of Science All DatabasesThis option will search a combination of all the available science databases produced by this publisher. The search will include familiar citation, biology, medicine, and patent databases. Once connected, review the "select a database" option for a complete list. Use this option if you are not sure which Clarivate database may offer the best results.
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SocINDEXSearch extensively indexed books, monographs, and conference papers. This index features citations with subject headings from a sociology-specific thesaurus designed by expert lexicographers. SocINDEX covers all subdisciplines of sociology such as anthropology, criminology, demography, ethnic, racial, and gender studies, marriage, family, and social structures, and social work.
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A - Z Database ListPull from other disciplines.
Primary Sources
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Women and Social Movements in the United StatesStudy the history of US women and their role in social change between 1600 and 2000. Search primary documents, reviews, archive notes, and teaching tools. Includes local, state, and federal level commission reports. The resource will be useful to anyone studying women's issues and curriculum developers.
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Independent VoicesRead from this digitized collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals produced from the 1960's through the 1980's. The collection includes small literary magazines, underground newspapers, LGBT periodicals, feminist journals, and minority, GI, and right-wing press publications.
Questions? Ask your librarian!
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