It is now time to look for in-depth sources of information about your topic. For this purpose, we will use the library's databases. Have you used the library's databases before? If not, then I suggest watching this brief video tutorial before you proceed.
Credo Reference is a database of reference books. It's a great place to begin many research tasks because the brief, concise articles in this database can teach you about your research topic before you explore more complex and detailed information sources about your topic. You can also use the articles in Credo Reference as sources of information for your research paper. The above video shows you how to search it.
Look down for a link to the database.
If your topic is a controversial one, such as a political or social controversy, then the database Issues & Controversies is a useful took for finding out the arguments on different sides of that controversy and evidence for them. You can find a tutorial video above. There's a link to database below.
Most of the library's resources, including news articles, journal articles, videos, ebooks, and print books, can be searched through this single search portal. This video shows you how to use it.
We have two excellent ebook databases. These let you read full-text books online. The interfaces can be confusing, so I have included a tutorial video for each one.
The video above shows you how to search the ebook database titled EBSCO eBook Collection.
The video above shows you how to search the database ProQuest EBook Central.
The above video shows you how to search the database Gale eBooks.
To search for print books in the library, use the catalog. This video shows you how.
Once you have the call number for a book from the catalog, you must locate the book within the library. This video shows you how.
You must cite your sources according to the MLA style of documentation.
This is our video that introduces MLA documentation. I urge you to watch the entire video carefully before starting to write your paper. It is much easier to cite correctly as you go along, rather than try to fix your documentation after you have written your paper.
This is our sample paper. You can model the formatting of your paper after this one. If you are unsure how to set up the formatting in Microsoft Word so that it fits the requirements for MLA formatting, you could instead download this blank Word document that has the formatting already set up for you.
This is our 2-page handout that summarizes the MLA style. It includes most of the types of sources that students commonly use.
