Library Guides: ENGL 015: Rhetoric and Composition: Home

Reference Sources: Exploring a Topic

These specialized databases focus on helping you explore the debates around specific social issues.

Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window
research and background information on social issues.
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center provides research and background information on social issues. The database contains the essays from the Opposing Viewpoints series, supplemented by statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles. Keywords: hot topics, current events, social issues, social trends, English 15, CAS 100, background information, general interest, contemporary issues, overviews.
CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
reports covering political and social issues
The CQ Researcher is a collection of reports covering political and social issues, with regular reports on topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy. Keywords: hot topics, current events, social issues, social trends, archive, English 15, CAS 100, background information, general interest, contemporary issues, overviews. CQ Global Researcher (formerly a stand alone DB) content was merged into CQ Researcher.

Reference Sources: General Databases

Use this box to search for articles across our online reference resources, all in one place.

Specific reference titles or series can often be found by searching the regular catalog, or by browsing some of the publishers' reference databases directly. Here are links to the most useful databases.

Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) This link opens in a new window
A collection of over 1000 reference resources.
A collection of over 2000 reference resources.
Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
facts, figures, definitions, and translations
Oxford Reference Online consists of a wealth of facts, figures, definitions, and translations found in dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press.
SAGE Reference Online This link opens in a new window
encyclopedias and handbooks
A gateway to those SAGE reference publications (encyclopedias and handbooks) Penn State has acquired.

Academic Sources: General Databases

Academic Search Complete (Ebsco) This link opens in a new window
scholarly, multi-disciplinary articles
Academic Search Complete is a comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 5,300 full-text periodicals, including 4,400 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 9,300 journals and a total of 10,900 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc. The database features PDF content going back as far as 1865, with the majority of full text titles in native (searchable) PDF format.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
archive of important scholarly journals and a selection of scholarly books.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit organization that provides a trusted archive of important scholarly journals and a selection of scholarly books. Content in JSTOR spans many disciplines, primarily in the humanities and social sciences. While indexing for JSTOR articles is covered in LionSearch, the full text of the articles is not searched in LionSearch. Search JSTOR itself to ensure detailed coverage of full texts.
LionSearch This link opens in a new window
an integrated search of books, e-books, research articles, newspaper articles, and other publications.

When using LionSearch, be sure to click the "Peer Reviewed Publications" checkbox!

Academic Sources: Other Strategies

University Press books are considered equivalent to peer-reviewed sources. Search for them in our regular Catalog.
Many items can be most easily found, or even only be found, by looking in subject-specific databases. The best way to learn which databases are most useful for your topic is by checking the relevant Subject Guides.

Penn State University Libraries

ENGL 015: Rhetoric and Composition

Student Engagement and Outreach Librarian

Reference Sources: Exploring a Topic

Reference Sources: General Databases

Academic Sources: General Databases

Academic Sources: Other Strategies