Communication - Old Course Guides

When searching in any of the above resources, use the following terms/tools to create your search:

AND (searches for ALL the words or phrases)
ex. "stand your ground" AND "racial profiling"

OR (searches for ANY of the words or phrases)
ex. children or teenagers or adolescents

NOT (eliminates results containing certain words or phrases)
ex. Pistorius NOT shooting

* truncation symbol to find alternate word endings
ex. farm* will retrieve farm, farmers, farming, etc.

Note: In LexisNexis Academic, the truncation symbol is an exclamation point (!), not an asterisk (*). And the iPoll uses the percent sign (%).

"quotation marks" to search a phrase
ex. "body image"

(parentheses) to make one portion of search string operate together
ex. (fracking or "hydraulic fracturing") AND "environmental impact"

Monsanto and genetically modified crops: Check out CQ Researcher for a lengthy background report on your topic. 

Stand your ground laws: SIRS is probably a good place to start. 

Photoshopping celebrity bodies on magazine covers: It might make sense to just search for a specific, recent controversy (e.g. Lena Dunham and Vogue) and draw from the ensuing debate. For a broader perspective, try a Consort search on "body image" AND "women in mass media."

Fracking: Check out CQ Researcher for a useful report on your topic. 

Legality of activist photographing of factory farm abuses: Relevant legislation has been nicknamed "Ag Gag." Don't forget to do a Law Review search in LexisNexis Academic.

Fairness of prosthetic limbs in Olympic competitions: It might make sense to focus on specific case, such as Oscar Pistorius. (Perhaps a Law Review search in LexisNexis Academic?) For a broader search on this topic, try SPORTDiscus, one of the EBSCO/Academic Search Complete databases. 

Parental pressure on children competing too early in athletics: SPORTDiscus, one of the EBSCO/Academic Search Complete databases, would be a good place to start. A Consort search of sports AND children could also be worthwhile.

Keep these criteria in mind -  Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose.

For some of the questions you should be asking, see the CRAAP Test.