Research Guides: English 231: Young Adult Literature: Researching the Issues

Getting Started

Need an overview of the issues involved in your case?
CQ Researcher provides summaries of issues relevant to the American public:

CQ Researcher
Find pro/con essays and background information about current events.

Scholarly Sources

Need a scientific study to back up a claim? Want to impart some academic authority into your discussion?
Find some scholarly literature on these databases:
Hint: Use a database that has a subject that matches what you need (i.e. media's effect on children? Try something with communication or psychology)

If you are unsure where to look, use a multidisciplinary database.

Communication Studies

Communication & Mass Media Complete

Citations to articles from journals covering the fields of communication studies, journalism, and mass media.

English

MLA International Bibliography with Full Text

The Modern Language Association International Bibliography covers scholarship in a broad range of Humanities disciplines related to global literature's and languages.

Education Studies

ERIC

Indexes articles in over 775 journals as well as reports, conference proceedings, and curriculum guides in education and related areas.

Psychology

PsycINFO

This database contains peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health.

Religious Studies

ATLA Religion Database: 1949 - present
Citations to articles, books, doctoral dissertations, and book reviews on all aspects of religion and theology.

Sociology

ASSIA: Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts
Citations to articles on topics related to health, economics, education, psychology, race relations, social services, and sociology.
Sociological Abstracts
Citations to articles in sociology and social and behavioral sciences journals; also indexes reviews, monographs, and conference reports.

Multidisciplinary Databases

JSTOR
JSTOR is an online library of journals, academic ebooks, images, and primary sources. Includes ArtStor licensed images. AI interactive research tool available when logged into your JSTOR account.
ProQuest Research Tools
Multidisciplinary collection of journal, magazine, and newspaper articles, e-books, dissertations, and more. Search includes all of the Davidson College Library ProQuest databases.

Find more Article Databases on our Databases by Subject Page

Demographics and Data

Want to get a sense of the shared values of the community your case involves?
Start with some data sources:

Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)

ICPSR is an archive of behavioral and social science data; most datasets are raw, primary data drawn from surveys, censuses, and administrative records.

To download datasets you must set up an account using your Davidson email. Davidson is a member of ICPSR; use of the data is restricted to Davidson students, faculty and staff engaged in non-commercial research projects.

Social Explorer
Generate demographic reports and tables using data from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey, and various Religious Surveys.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
Includes surveys, demographic information, and other types of religious research conducted in the United States and internationally.
The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA)
Gathers surveys and reigion from various sources and provides information on church membership and religious groups

Government Resources

The Federal Government has a stake in reporting on issues that matter to American citizens.
You might find information on your issue in government resources:

USA.gov
The U.S. Government's official Web portal.

Legal Sources

Does your case intersect with legal issues? Consult some of these resources:

Legal Information Institute
The full text of U.S. Supreme Court Opinions (1990 to present), federal and state court decisions, the current U.S. Code, the U.S. Constitution, and state constitutions and codes. Also provides background information on a variety of legal topics allowing users from outside the legal profession to more easily access and understand the laws that govern them.
Nexis Uni
Coverage of news and current events, government, business, medical, and legal topics, as well as general reference information is included.

Use is restricted to current faculty and staff and currently-enrolled students of Davidson College only.
WestLaw Campus Research

WestSearch examines all core legal content for the jurisdiction you choose.
Note: Usage is unlimited however document delivery is limited. Recommended best practice is to bookmark documents in your browser rather than download.