Need to pick a topic for a research paper but have no idea where to start? Do you have a vague idea for a topic, or none at all? This guide will help you find and refine a topic by introducing you to some essential library resources.

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION.

Reference books (primarily encyclopedias and statistical reports) are the ideal starting point for doing research. Reference sources provide you with the necessary background information to give you a fundamental understanding of a topic. They can also help you develop a topic, whether it's something that needs to be refined, narrowed, or focused in any way. At Pierce, we collect subject-specific encyclopedias, so you can get background information on specific topics across nearly all fields of study. Some important reference books include:

• Information Plus (call numbers vary). Information Plus publishes books every two years on a variety of political and social topics, including the environment, abortion, education, welfare, sports, animal rights, and dozens of others. Each book contains chapters on specific aspects of each topic, statistics to support the authors' claims, and unbiased coverage that often presents both sides of the issue equally.
  
  
• Social Issues in America (REF HN57. S624 2006). This eight volume encyclopedia contains entries about more than 100 controversial societal issues. Each entry includes both the historical background and an examination of the issue in contemporary American society. A unique feature of this encyclopedia is that each entry includes a primary source. 
  
  
• The reference collection has hundreds of encyclopedias on a variety of specific subjects. Browse the shelves for some resources, and reference librarians are stationed nearby for assistance. 
  
  

You can also find reference articles and background information from several databases that you can access on campus or at home. Some of these databases include:

• CQ Researcher.  This database features weekly reports that provide in-depth, unbiased coverage issues in the news, including health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy. Each report is 24 pages and contains an introductory overview; background and chronology on the topic; an assessment of the current situation; tables and maps; pro/con statements from representatives of opposing positions; and bibliographies of key sources.

• Gale Virtual Reference Library. The GVRL contains more than 20,000 reference articles from dozens of encyclopedias across all major disciplines, including the online versions of some of our print resources, like Information Plus. An advantage of using the GVRL is that it can provide you with background information from several different sources that provide a variety of perspectives.
  
  
• Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. The OVRC features reference and pro/con viewpoint articles on a variety of popular political and social issues. It also contains useful links to statistics and multimedia (mostly news reports from NPR); you can also find links to articles from newspapers and periodicals, though it is somewhat limited.
  

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BOOKS, PERIODICALS, AND MORE IN-DEPTH INFORMATION.

Once you've found general, background information on your topic, it's time to find more in-depth information. One way is to find circulating books (books that you can check out). You can search the library catalog for books by doing a keyword search. The library has more than 60,000 books that you can check out at both campuses.

You can also browse the shelves by finding the best call numbers about your topic. You can use the Library of Congress Subject guide for help identifying the call numbers you need. You can also search for information in an Opposing Viewpoints book (the same as the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center). Sometimes, it's easier to see the pro/con articles side by side, and the books come in handy. There are hundreds of Opposing Viewpoints books, you can download the Opposing Viewpoints Title List, arranged by call number and by title.

Another option is ebrary, which is a collection of more than 18,000 electronic books (or "e-books") that you can read online. All major disciplines are represented in ebrary. 

The library's article databases (also called periodical databases) are ideal places for finding articles. You can find articles from popular magazines (written for a general audience); news magazines and newspapers; and scholarly journals, which are written for an academic audience. 

Not sure what a scholarly journal is or how to find scholarly articles?  Click here for guide to finding scholarly journals.

The two main periodical databases are:

• ProQuest. This database contains millions of articles from thousands of publications. ProQuest has an emphasis on newspapers and news magazines, so you will find information on the most current events. It also includes a helpful "Suggested Topics" feature that assists you in refining your search. Click here for tips on searching the ProQuest database
  

• EBSCOhost's Academic Search Premier. This database is similar to ProQuest, but has a greater emphasis on scholarly, peer-reviewd journals. Click here for tips on searching the EBSCO databas
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Tip: Use the Suggested Topics (ProQuest) or Narrow Results by Subject (EBSCO) features for results using different keywords.

Tip: To focus on scholarly articles, you can choose the Scholarly Journal checkbox in each database before you hit search, or sort your results by Scholarly Journals in ProQuest or Academic Journals in EBSCO once you have your list of results. 

Tip: The first results are the most recent. Make sure to browse several pages of results. You may change the sort to relevance to change the order for your results; however, relevance is a relative term and does not always yield the results you would expect. 

Tip: Limit your search to full text only if you’re interested in finding articles that are immediately available. However, this does not link you to articles we may have in print or articles that you can order from other libraries.