Penn State Harrisburg Librarians
Behavioral Sciences and Education:
Bernadette Lear
(BAL19@psu.edu or 717-948-6360)
Business:
Emily Mross
(ELM43@psu.edu or 717-948-6130)
Humanities:
Heidi Abbey Moyer
(HNA2@psu.edu or 717-948-6056)
Public Affairs and International Students:
Emily Reed
(emilyreed@psu.edu or 717-948-6373)
Science, Engineering, and Technology:
Andrea Pritt
(ALP5088@psu.edu or 717-948-6071)
Welcome!
Welcome to Penn State Harrisburg's research guide! Below are some resources for choosing a topic. To the left are links to help you find books, images, and other resources.
For information about our campus library's hours, equipment, and study spaces, see the Madlyn L. Hanes Library at Penn State Harrisburg site.
For library events which usually have FYS credit available, go to https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/HBGpaforward.
Advice and Tutorials
Do you need some advice on how to pick a topic?
The following tutorials can help you get started.
Resources
In addition to providing basic information, these databases and web sites have tools that enable you to brainstorm ideas.
- WikipediaNot a quotable resource for most assignments. But Wikipedia can help you identify keywords, narrow your topic, and explore related topics.
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new windowClick on "browse topics" to explore ideas. Each report typically includes background information, pro/con essays, and other resources.
- Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) This link opens in a new windowProvides brief encyclopedia articles.
- Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new windowClick on "browse issues" for hundreds of topic ideas. Also provides persuasive essays, news articles, and other resources for each topic.
- Global Issues This link opens in a new windowSimilar to Opposing Viewpoints and CQ Researcher, but looks at social issues outside of the United States.
- JSTOR DailyCommentary on current events that are popular in scholarly journals.