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an integrated search of books, e-books, research articles, newspaper articles, and other publications.
For full text items, click the "full text online" link to go to the full text of the article.
If you see the Penn State "GetIt" menu and you need to click the word "article" to get to the full text.
If there is no "article" link, click the word "journal" to get to the journal page and look for the correct year, volume, issue and pages for the article you need.
Tip: Save the relevant sources into the LionSearch temporary folder by clicking on the small folder icon to right side of the item. When you are finished compiling your sources, click on the folder icon at the top of the screen and email or print (which allows you to copy into your clipboard) the references so you can easily add them to your project.
CAVEAT: computer systems make mistakes when auto-formatting.
Double check your final paper against the appropriate Citation Style!
Don’t lose your work! Unless you sign up for Refworks, items are saved in LionSearch ONLY for your current session. You won’t be able to go back later and see a list of saved items.
the list of what is owned by Penn State Libraries.
This is the online catalog of materials owned by Penn State Libraries. All formats (books, journals, audiovisuals, maps, recordings, etc.) are included. Circulation status for individual items is also provided. Coverage: Presently contains about 7 million records. Updates: Continuous up-to-the-minute as new records are added.
Use the Keyword function and combine terms to search on a topic then use the subject headings from relevant books for additional search terms.
Write down the call number and location for any book you want. If the item is not at your campus use the "I Want It" button to request it.
For electronic books, click the link under the words "online content" to access the full text
Best for: research and news articles
News (reporting and opinion), magazine, and research articles from thousands of publications, searchable in one location.
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.
Best for: background info; pro/con
Contains reports providing overviews of major policy issues. The reports are designed to provide a full briefing on the topic from background, pros/cons, maps/charts, and links to relevant resources.
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.
Best for: pro/con essays; background info; selected articles
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.
Best for: background info
Provides access to the fulltext of various encyclopedias and reference works. For example, a search for “oil spills” will result in entries from an environmental encyclopedia, a disasters reference book, and others.
Search the Libraries' catalog - this casts a wider net for your topic than the databases.
Choosing a Research Topic
Choose a topic that interests you and corresponds to your assignment. Researching something that you have a passion about will make the work more fulfilling in the end.
Try using background information to help focus on the topic. General reference works such as encyclopedias and dictionaries, and your textbook can help with this.
Identify the main concepts of your topic and start composing a list of keywords or search terms for your searches. Use these search terms to research your topic in the library's online catalog, reference books, periodical indexes, and on the Web.
Research topics aren't set in stone and choosing a research topic isn't always a straightforward process. As you begin to look for articles on your initial topic, your research idea may evolve along a new path. That's okay! It's all part of the research process.