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WRT 101S - Desert Vista - Controversial Issues - Burns: Find Articles

Top Article Databases

Controversial Issues Databases 

Other Article Databases:

Advanced Search

Try doing an advanced search.  The drop down boxes on the far right enable one to search by Keyword, AllText, Title, Author, Subject, and a variety of other fields.  Each database may vary.   The drop down boxes on the far left allow one to search with "AND", "OR" or "NOT".

Advanced Search

  • Search in
  •  
  •  
  •  
  in Keyword
And  in Document Title
And 

Special Search Strategy

Truncation: *

  • The asterisk * is a common symbol used to represent any number of letters at the ends of words

  • Helps find singulars, plurals, and variant endings of words

  • Example: docu* finds documents, document, documentation, documented

Limiters:

  • Most databases let you limit search results. Some limiters include:

    • Language  

    • Publication type..such as Peer-Reviewed or Scholarly Journals.

    • Date of Publication

​Phrases: " "

  • Enclose phrases in quotation marks when searching the Web or most databases

  • Phrase searching in individual databases may vary. 

  • Example: "sanctuary cities"

  • Example: "federal government"

Keyword Searching

State Your Topic as a Question:

  • For example, if you are interested in finding out about how sanctuary cities help immigrants, phrase your question: "How do sanctuary cities protect immigrants?
  • Identify the Keywords in your question. Here they are sanctuary cities, protect* and immigrants.

​​Too Much Information? 

  • If you are finding too many sources, narrow your topic by using the "and" operator.

For example: "sanctuary cities" and immigrants and protect*

Too Little Information?

  • You may need to broaden your topic or perhaps select a different one. Broaden your topic by linking similar words with the "or" operator.

MLA Style for Academic Work