ENG 102

Search Tips

Search for the keywords you found in your text. See if there are any subjects in the search that correlate with your keywords.
Use quotes when searching phrases.
Do not search full sentences - leave out articles (the, and, for, in... etc). Just search for the major keywords.
Build on your searches - piece by piece
If your keyword is too broad, think about subtopics instead. Example: Instead of searching for "essential programs", think about what programs would be included in that category: health, vocational, etc. Search for those topics instead.
Alternatively, if your keyword is too narrow, think about broader terms. Instead of Alzheimer's, you could try dementia, since Alzheimer's is a type of dementia.
Ask your friendly librarian for help! We are happy to assist you in your research. :)

Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
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The Oxford English Dictionary online - find the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over 600,000 words.
Gale's Topic Finder This link opens in a new window
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Find new topics or keywords and discover new connections found in the top results.
Visual Thesaurus This link opens in a new window
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Interactive dictionary & thesaurus which creates word maps that blossom with meanings and branch to related words.
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
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Over 550 multidisciplinary, scholarly reference titles. A great place to get an overview on a topic in order to more effectively research it. Includes images, video, and integration with other databases such as JSTOR, OmniFile Select, etc.
Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia This link opens in a new window
Indexes over 25,000 records, covering a wide array of topics. The database contains various images, offers brief biographies as well as information in a variety of subject areas.

Points of View Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Multiple perspectives on current events, issues, and controversies (point/counterpoint).
Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window
Multi-disciplinary online resource covering today’s social issues, from capital punishment to immigration, to violent video games.
Issues & Controversies This link opens in a new window
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Issues & Controversies offers in-depth articles and viewpoints on hundreds of hot topics in politics, business, government, crime, law, energy, education, health, family, science, foreign policy, race, rights, society, and culture. Updated weekly, with a wire-service newsfeed providing the latest headline stories.
Global Issues In Context This link opens in a new window
Offers international viewpoints on a broad spectrum of global issues, topics, & current events. Featured are hundreds of continuously updated issue and country portals that bring together a variety of specially selected, highly relevant sources for analysis of these issues. Rich multimedia - including podcasts, video, & interactive graphs - enhance each portal. Use Browse Issues & Topics, Country Finder, Basic Search or Advanced Search to explore the database.

AllSides This link opens in a new window
Unlike regular news services, AllSides exposes bias and provides multiple angles on the same story so you can quickly get the full picture, not just one slant.

Go to MEDIA BIAS and select "Media Bias Ratings".
Then, scroll down and choose "Center" under "News Source Bias" (to find only sources that try to report facts with no lean or bias).
Click on the title of the news source to learn more about the news source and the reason for the rating.
Find a news source you like? You can search for it in our Journal Finder (linked in the header of Western OneSearch).

Media Bias / Fact Check
A media bias resource with several thousand media sources listed in their database. Gives background on source, bias rating, and the level of factual reporting.

Academic Video Online This link opens in a new window
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Comprehensive video coverage, with nearly 70,000 titles spanning subject areas including anthropology, business, counseling, film, health, history, music, and more. Find documentaries, films, demonstrations, news brief, etc. within this database.
Docuseek2 This link opens in a new window
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Educational streaming access to content from Bullfrog Films, Collective Eye Films, Icarus Films, Kartemquin Films, the National Film Board of Canada, Scorpion TV Sincerely Films, Terra Nova Films and Villon Films. Registered users may preview and license content online.