WR 121 Landwehr: Research
Debunking Urban Legends
Depending on your topic, you might find that you have a lot of crossover with some Urban legends.
Glassner has an entire chapter on moms.
Did a woman really microwave her baby? Yes she did.
She also put it in the fridge, you can read about that in The Houston Chronicle. 23 May 2007 (pl B3).
How do we know? Look it up on Snopes.
What are Databases?
Databases
Remember that databases are really literal.
Remember the full-text box. Otherwise you might find a lot of summaries but no actual articles.
Can't think of a topic?
Try searching in a database for the title of the book: the Culture of Fear.
Read a few reviews or related articles, see if something shakes loose.
Also, check this Wikipedia article on Culture of Fear. Remember that Wikipedia is not a great source for most research papers, but can lead you to some potentially useful resources.
- Academic OneFile (Gale) This link opens in a new windowAcademic OneFile is a starting point for peer-reviewed, full-text articles from the world's leading journals and reference sources. Covering the physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, literature and other subjects, it contains millions of articles available in full-text. Includes full-text New York Times content from 1995 to present.
- Communications and Mass Media (Gale OneFile) This link opens in a new windowOver 250 journals focused on all aspects of the communications field. Key subjects include advertising and public relations, linguistics, and literature.
- Communication and Mass Media Complete This link opens in a new windowFull-text articles relating to all aspects of communication and mass media.
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new windowTopical, full text reports on controversial issues. Each report features a summary, chronology, and bibliography. Updated weekly.
- General OneFile (Gale) This link opens in a new windowGeneral OneFile is a periodical resource with over 6500 full text titles, many dating back as far as 1980. It contains popular, business and professional journals, NPR audio files complete with transcripts, and Fodor's travel guides.
- MasterFILE Premier This link opens in a new windowFull text of general interest magazine articles, reference and travel books, biographies, primary source documents, photos, maps, and flags.
- New York Times (Articles Only) This link opens in a new windowFull text searchable content from nytimes.com and New York Times blogs from 1980 to the present.
- Opposing Viewpoints (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new windowA one-stop source for information on current social issues. Includes viewpoint articles on both sides of an issue, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full text magazine and newspaper articles. View the Opposing Viewpoints handout [pdf]