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COMM 103 - US Immigration Policy - Trickett - Spring 2024: Gathering Information

What is a Database?

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A library database is both an electronic catalog and the access point to information from published works, such as magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias, journals and other resources.

• Library databases provide access to authoritative information sources.

• Library databases provide access to resources across a wide spectrum of topic and subject areas.

• Library databases provide access to many years worth of published information at no cost to students.

• Library databases allow you to to limit or expand your search results by using the Boolean operators AND, OR, NOT.

• Library databases give you citation information to help you locate and cite the articles.

• Library databases give you an abstract or summary to tell you what the article is about.

• Most Library databases provide articles in full-text or PDF format.

Which One Do I Use?

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Journals?  
Magazines?
Newspapers?

When doing research, it is useful to know what these different publications are and what kind of information they contain.

Journal articles are more scholarly or professional while magazine articles tend to be shorter and more general.

• Magazine articles appeal to the general reader and usually have relatively short articles are written in non-technical language are easy to understand

Newspaper articles, while not usually scholarly or professional, can give you the most current news and some additional facts on your topic.

Government and Political Science Databases

Useful Databases for Research on Current Issues and Events

Listed below are several databases where you will find articles about the what's going on right now in Ukraine.

Remember:

  • Always search databases using only the keywords that best describe your topic
  • Keywords can be combined into a search string with the operators "and" , "or", "not"

Below are links to some of the specific sources recommended by your professor.

Here are some resources you can use to get background or historical information on Russia and Ukraine.

Finding Information Using Library Databases

Get Up-to-Date Info on Russia & Ukraine

Learn how to search US Major Dailies to see coverage of what's happening now in Ukraine.  Contains stories from 20 major US newspapers.

How to Use Sources Recommended by Your Professor

Learn how to get to resources recommended by your professor: The Economist, Foreign Policy, & Foreign Affairs.

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