Using Articles in Research: Analysis
Ideally when doing research, you will be looking at a particular object of study (in this case, a particular conflict) and asking questions about the scholarship already done on that object. Below are some recommended databases where you can find scholarly articles that might be able to use to analyze your object of study and other research tips.
Remember that your Research Paper assignment should be an analysis of the conflict at hand, attempting to work to find a resolution acceptable to each side through information in your outline of the conflict. This is not an argumentative research paper where you are expected to take sides on the conflict and argue only to one end. Focus on gaining information about various factors that contribute to the ongoing conflict you're researching.
Databases to Search for Journal Articles
- Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new window
Academic Search Ultimate offers access to an unprecedented collection of resources including journals, magazines, reports, books, and videos. Many are peer-reviewed and full-text. Subjects range from astronomy to zoology.
- JSTOR (including ARTSTOR) This link opens in a new windowProvides full-text access to a broad range of resources about the humanities, sciences, and social sciences, including primary sources, images, articles, and books. Does not contain the most recent journal articles.
- Social Sciences Abstracts This link opens in a new windowProvides indexing and abstracts for more than 520 publications with some links to full-text in other EBSCO databases.
- SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new windowThis full-text research database covers sociology and related disciplines. It features hundreds of full-text journals and millions of records with subject headings from a sociological thesaurus.
Find It Button
...WHAT DOES THAT CUTE LITTLE FIND IT BUTTON DO, ANYWAY?
It's a bit like magic, really. The Find It button does three things:
- Looks in all of our databases to see if the document you want is available full-text in another of our databases. If so, it links you directly to it!
- Links you to the library catalog when we have the item you want in print or microform.
- Links you to ILLiad (interlibrary loan account) so you can borrow the item from another library if we don't have access electronically or in print.
The Find It Button is YOUR FRIEND!
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PRO TIP: Subject Searching
A good way to refine your search is to use the subjects provided by the database. Here is an example of the subject list that appears in Academic Search Ultimate for a search using the keywords <conflict analysis>.
You will only see the top six, so make sure to click on the show more link to see all of the subjects provided. This can benefit your search strategy by helping you think of other ways to phrase the information you are looking for, and also open your eyes to relevant subjects you may not have thought of otherwise.