TCTC Library: English: Databases & Articles

Using databases

When using databases, several strategies will help you find relevant information on your research topic:

use keywords rather than full sentences or phrases – i.e., "exercise and benefits" rather than "what are the benefits of exercise"
try different combinations of keywords to see what different results appear
use the provided subject headings to repeat your search to find more resources on the same topic
remember to utilize the filters to narrow down your returns to only include the material you are looking for such as peer-reviewed articles, reference material, ebooks, etc.

You can find a comprehensive list of our databases on the Database A-Z List.

Controversial Issues Databases

Here are some resources that cover many important and controversial issues:

Opposing Viewpoints: Gale in Context This link opens in a new window
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Covers today's hottest social issues, from capital punishment to immigration to marijuana. This cross-curricular resource supports science, social studies, current events, and language arts classes. Includes viewpoints, reference articles, infographics, news, images, video, audio, etc. Periodical content covers current events, news and commentary, economics, environmental issues, political science,etc.
Points of View Reference Center This link opens in a new window
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Provides content to help assess and develop persuasive arguments and essays, better understand controversial issues and develop analytical thinking skills. This database assembles controversial information in a non-biased manner for evaluation by the patron.
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
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Broad subject general reference database searching hundreds of encyclopedias and other reference works. Provides subject/topic maps.

Database List

Academic OneFile: Gale This link opens in a new window
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A broad subject database which includes peer-reviewed journals, magazines, reference sets and podcasts covering the areas of criminal justice, history, economics, marketing, and psychology. Also includes podcasts and transcripts from NPR and CNN as well as videos from BBC Worldwide Learning.
Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
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Academic Search Complete offers an enormous collection of full-text journals, providing users access to critical information from many sources unique to this database. In addition, it includes peer-reviewed full text for STEM research, as well as for the social sciences and humanities. Scholarly content covers a broad range of important areas of academic study, including anthropology, engineering, law, sciences and more.

Topical Video Content
Academic Search Complete offers access to video content from the Associated Press, the world’s leading news agency. Videos relevant to the search terms will appear in a carousel in the result list. With footage from 1930 to the present and updated monthly, this collection of more than 75,000 videos covers a wide variety of topics.
Literature: Gale This link opens in a new window
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Offers broad and representative range of authors and their works, including full-text critical and literary analysis for literary studies. Researchers can find up-to-date analysis, biographical information, overviews, full-text literary criticism, and reviews on more than 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods, and from around the world.
Bloom's Literary Reference Online This link opens in a new window
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A resource for the study of literature. Edited and curated by Yale University professor Harold Bloom. Includes thousands of critical essays and discussion questions, author biographies, character analyses, full-length poems, and the full text of hundreds of reference books. Also contains full-length videos of classic plays and films, and more.
Literary Reference Center This link opens in a new window
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Full-text literary database covering all genres and time-frames. It includes thousands of synopses, critical essays, book reviews, literary journals and author biographies, plus full-text classic novels, short stories and poems. Also includes the Masterplots series and "Critical Insights" volumes.
Ebooks from Gale This link opens in a new window
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A broad ranging general reference collection of ebooks. Search thousands of authoritative reference sources across all fields and disciplines.