LibGuides: FYS 1010: Overview

Top Library Databases

Academic Search Premier (EBSCO)
Academic Search is a good all around database. It has a ton of academic sources. One can do a preliminary search on a topic to see what current research there is or what potential sources there are. Did you know? Adding "empirical research" (in Ebsco databases) as a subject term will limit results to articles with empirical research.
ProQuest Central
ProQuest Central has a lot of "Professor Approved" articles. One can find academic journals, news and magazine articles, encyclopedia articles and other resources in this database. If you need to see your topic from multiple perspectives, then ProQuest Central is the place to start. Need a quick and dirty search? Add the term "study" to your search and it will limit results to research studies, including empirical research.
Proquest Social Science Journals
This database is worth a look ... it offers current, peer-reviewed resources from top journals in the Social sciences. Researchers often cite journal articles that have empirical research. The hallmark of empirical research is original results. Avoid journal articles or studies that review research or literature. A quick way to narrow to empirical research is "case study" in advance search. Advance search is available in ProQuest and EBSCO databases.

Search a Database worksheet!
Use the worksheet to take notes about your academic database search.

Finding a topic?

CREDO reference
- This link opens in a new window
Credo Reference is a "Professor Approved" alternative to Wikipedia. It has tons of encyclopedia articles that can help you understand your research topic! Credo Reference also offers journal article links to library databases like ProQuest and Ebsco. Note - Credo can only be accessed on-campus!
Gale Virtual Reference Collection
Encyclopedias are credible academic sources you can use at every stage of research. Get an overview of an unfamiliar topic, find a bibliography of important sources and gather more in-depth information. Go beyond Wikipedia start with academic databases from the library. Its a great place begin researching!

Gale Virtual Reference Collection is part of Gale Group. It is available both on-campus and off-campus. Access GVRC from the Find Books and Articles section of the library homepage.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context (Gale)
This database provides in-depth information and academic sources on wide ranging topics. Its a great place to get the creative juices flowing.
US Newsstream (ProQuest)
Did you know? Reading a newspaper article can help you began asking questions.

Pre-search worksheet
Use this worksheet to help organize ideas about a research topic

Journal Article citations

Journal Article - MLA

Reeve, Charles. "Andy Warhol's Death's and the Assembly Line Autobiography." Biography: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly 34. (2011): 657-75. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13, Feb. 2013.

Journal Article - APA

Ludeke, S., Johnson, W., McGue, M., & Iacono, W. G. (2013). Genetic amplification and individualization of the parent-child relationship across adolescence. Psychological Medicine, 43(2), 413-422. doi: 10.1017/S0033291712001201

Journal Article - Chicago

Phillips-Fein, Kim. 2011. Conservatism: A state of the field. The Journal of American History 98 (3): 723-43.

Did you know? Library databases listed in this guide provide citations in all three formats

NoodleTools Express
Just need one or two quick citations? Simply generate them in NoodleTools Express and copy and paste what you need into your document.
NoodleTools
This resource can help you manage citations and create an MLA works cited page. Ask your CSM librarian for details!

FYS 1010

Contact Us

Library Services

Ask a Librarian: Library@csmd.edu

La Plata: 301-934-7676

Leonardtown: 240-725-5360

Prince Frederick: 443-550-6060

Helpful library guides

Top Library Databases

Finding a topic?

Journal Article citations

Did you know? Library databases listed in this guide provide citations in all three formats