Dominican Studies: LibGuide

Welcome to the FIQWS: Politics of Education LibGuide!

This research guide is intended to help you design effective research strategies and locate print and electronic resources for your research paper. Resources introduced here are accessible in the CCNY libraries, as well as from off-campus.

 

 

Research Steps:

1. Define your research topic 

What are you interested in? What do you want to find out? What do you intend to demonstrate/argue/prove in your paper?

...Looking for topics? Browse topics in:

• Opposing Viewpoints
• CQ Researcher

 

2. Get overview & Identify key terms

Get an overview and background information of the topic. Use print & online subject specific encyclopedias, and be familiar with your topic and keywords to use. Refine and narrow down your topic. 

• Gale Virtual Reference Library (online database)
• Oxford Reference (online database)
• Encyclopedia of education / ed. by Guthrie, James W. (Print & eBook)
• World education encyclopedia: a survey of educational systems worldwide / ed. by Rebecca Marlow-Ferguson (eBook & Print)
• Social issues in America : an encyclopedia / ed. by Climent James (print, available at CCNY)

...etc.

Search more titles in the Library Catalog.

 

3. Outline your paper & Identify resources you need

What is your thesis? What information do you need to support your argument? Are you focusing on ethical/economical/psychological/religious/historical aspects of the subject?

Identify the types of resources you need (print/electronic? books? journal/magazine/newspaper articles? images? video clips? statistics? interviews? sound clips?)

 

4. Search for information

Search for information in online catalogs and databases. 

• Books & eBooks --- Library Catalog, WorldCat
  • The power in/of language (eBook)
  • Learning discourses and the discourses of learning (eBook)
  • Identity in narrative : a study of immigrant discourse / by Anna De Fina (eBook)
  • Critical discourse analysis and cognitive science : new perspectives on immigration discourse / by Christopher Hart (eBook)

... etc.

• Journal articles --- Online databases
  • Academic Search Complete
  • ERIC (Education Resources Information Center)
  • Education Research Complete
  • JSTOR
  • SocINDEX with Full Text
  • MLA International Bibliography (find citations)
  • Google Scholar

... etc.

• Magazine articles --- Online databases
  • Opposing Viewpoints (also includes newspaper articles and statistics)
  • CQ Researcher
  • Ethnic NewsWatch (also includes newspaper and scholarly articles)

... etc.

• Court cases and Newspaper articles --- Online databases
  • Lexis-Nexis

... etc.      

• Statistics --- Online databases        
  • American Fact Finder (United States Census)
  • United States Census
  • CIA World Factbook
  • OECD iLibrary       

        ... etc. 

A complete list of databases is available under Databases A to Z.

For subject guides in specific areas of study, see the complete list here.

 

5. Evaluate information & sources

Is the information accurate? Are the sources appropriate for academic research paper?

 

6. Apply information & Cite sources

Cite your sources accordingly (MLA, APA, Chicago style, etc.).

Utilize "Cite" functions available in online databases, or refer to online or print citation guides.

• MLA
  • MLA Format & Style Guide (Purdue University)
  • MLA handbook for writers of research papers (7th ed.) [LB2369 .G53 2009] Available at CCNY.

 

*Books (Print)

Last name, First name. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Publication year. Print.

Obama, Barack. The Audacity of Hope : Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. New York: Crown Publishers, 2006. Print.

 

*eJournal articles

Last name, First name. “Article Title.” Publication Title: Issue# (publication year): page#. Name of database. Web. Date accessed. 

Dansieh, Solomon Ali. "SMS Texting And Its Potential Impacts On Students' Written Communication Skills." International Journal Of English Linguistics 1.2 (2011): 222-229. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 28 Sept. 2013.

• APA
  • APA Format & Style Guide (Purdue University)
  • Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) [BF76.7 .P83 2010] Available at Cohen Reference Desk.

• Chicago
  • A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations : Chicago style for students and researchers (7th ed.) [LB2369 .T8 2007] Available at Cohen Reference Desk.

 

***********************************************************************************

Need research assistance?

...Ask a librarian!

Come find me/us at the reference desk in the Cohen Library.

 

Need writing assistance?

...Visit the Writing Center!

They offer one-on-one tutoring services.

 

 

 Image: "[Teacher standing in front of class showing pictures at day school.]." Wikimedia Commons.

To Request Articles

1. From any database use to determine the availability of the journal article you are looking for, or, if you are not already within a database, search for online access in the Journal Title List or the Catalog for print access to determine whether City College owns the journal title, volume, and issue you need.
2. If a journal is available at City College, do not request article via Interlibrary loan
3. If a journal is unavailable at City College, request article via Interlibrary loan 
4. If a City College paper journal issue or volume is missing, request it via ILL with note.
5. Articles and book chapters are delivered in PDF format.
6. Include the ISSN number for fastest ILL delivery.