COM 103 Littleton: Finding Library Sources
General Questions and Reference Assistance
Anytime:
We'll respond within 24 hours of the start of our next business day.
During Library Hours:
Voice: (217) 373-3839.
Text: (217) 615-0079.
Chat:
Contact Jane
Office number: R234
(behind Research Help Desk)
janesmith@parkland.edu
Informative Speech
For your Informative Speech, look for unbiased articles or books that introduce a topic.
Use the links below to find different types of sources on a wide range of topics. We may have more specialized tools for specific subject areas--ask a librarian if you aren't having success.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowProvides access to a large number of encyclopedias. Good for introductory information, definitions, etc. An alternative to Wikipedia and you can cite it.
- Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new windowMulti-disciplinary database providing information for nearly every area of academic study. Includes an enormous collection of the most valuable peer-reviewed full text journals, as well as additional journals, magazines, newspapers and books.
- Associates Program Source Plus This link opens in a new window
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
- Newspaper Source This link opens in a new window
Persuasive Speech
For your Persuasive Speech, it can be useful to look at databases that focus on controversial issues.
These often contain examples of persuasive writing.
- Issues and Controversies This link opens in a new windowIssues & Controversies covers more than 800 hot topics in business, politics, government, education, and popular culture. Updated weekly, with links to a 12-year back-file, Issues & Controversies offers in-depth articles made to inspire thought-provoking debates.
- Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new windowOpposing Viewpoints is a rich resource for debaters and includes viewpoints, reference articles, infographics, news, images, video, audio, and more. A category on the National Debate Topic provides quick and easy access to content on frequently studied and discussed issues. Periodical content covers current events, news and commentary, economics, environmental issues, political science, and more.
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
Tips
Useful Tips
Research is an iterative process...you search for information, take it in, assess it for whether it covers your topic and meets your research needs, then you take what you learned from the first time and search for information again. Repeat as necessary.
Look beyond the first 10. The database tries to pull the most relevant results to the top, but the quality of that sort will vary by how well you've done your searching. Look around a bit, check out key words the database seems to be using, and get a better feel for your topic before you give up.
When you see something good, READ IT—look at the subject terms and abstract. Can these help you do a better search?
Click on the Subject Terms to narrow your results, use two subject terms to pull materials for both concepts together.
Email yourself the article, even if you also print it. In most databases, the citation will also be emailed, and you can't lose your research!
What if I can’t link to full text?
See a librarian! It may be in a different database, available in our paper subscriptions, or available from another library. We can help you navigate those choices.