Research a Topic

"Quick Search" key digital holdings here

Access our primary digital research holdings through these two links:

Foundational, peer-reviewed scholarship across disciplines: Enter Here

Access thousands of academic journals, ebooks, and primary sources through JSTOR—one of the most trusted digital libraries for scholarly content across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Whether you're conducting in-depth research or exploring new ideas, JSTOR offers reliable, peer-reviewed sources anytime, anywhere.

Access the full range of research resources your library offers through our all-in-one EBSCO link! This single access point connects you to everything we subscribe to from EBSCO, including Academic Search Premier, Education Research Source, Business Source Premier, APA PsycInfo, and SportDiscus. Whether you're writing a paper, exploring peer-reviewed journals, or diving deep into subject-specific databases, this link makes it easy to start your research with trusted, scholarly content—all in one place.

Using Google & Google Scholar

Google Scholar is a great tool for getting a broad view of what’s been published on a topic—including research that may not be in our library’s databases. It’s perfect for discovery and finding open access articles, but never pay for an article—if you hit a paywall, just contact a librarian and we’ll get it for you, fast and free.

To get the most out of Google Scholar, connect it to our library in your own browser settings:

Go to scholar.google.com
Click the ☰ menu (top left) > Settings > Library Links
Type Southwestern College and check the box next to it
Click Save
This will show links to full-text articles that the library subscribes to—right in your search results.

Questions? Email Emily at emily.hedges@sckans.edu

Need Help Selecting a Topic?

We've got some great resources for helping you select a topic. Click here!

Pro/Con Articles

Issues & Controversies (State Library of Kansas)

Current topics with articles from multiple viewpoints, easy to navigate to popular topics and search for subjects.

Opposing Viewpoints (Gale in Context)

Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints is the premier online resource covering today's hottest social issues, from capital punishment to immigration to marijuana. This cross-curricular resource supports science, social studies, current events, and language arts classes. Informed, differing views help learners develop critical-thinking skills and draw their own conclusions. Opposing Viewpoints is a rich resource for debaters and includes viewpoints, reference articles, infographics, news, images, video, audio, and more. A category on the National Debate Topic provides quick and easy access to content on frequently studied and discussed issues. Periodical content covers current events, news and commentary, economics, environmental issues, political science, and more. Vendor: Gale

Access databases here:

Research Starters

Points you to easy-to-use resources, great starting places for background information, clear explanations, and overviews before diving into more advanced research.

By Subject/Discipline

Searching databases by subject or discipline narrows results to the most relevant journals and articles in your field. It saves time, improves quality, and connects you with specialized sources you might not find in a general search.

For Ebooks

Access thousands of high-quality academic books from leading publishers, all available through the main JSTOR platform. These books cover a wide range of disciplines and are fully integrated with JSTOR’s journals, so you can search, read, and download individual chapters just like articles. The collection is updated regularly, and what’s available to our library may change based on usage and selections made throughout the year.

By Journal Title

Searching by journal title helps you quickly see if the library has access to a specific publication. It’s the fastest way to go directly to the journal you need without sorting through unrelated results.

Databases A-Z

Searching databases A–Z lets you browse the full list of what the library offers. It’s useful if you already know the name of a database, want to explore all options, or discover resources outside your usual subject area.

By Database Vendor

Searching by vendor lets you explore everything available from a specific provider, like JSTOR, EBSCO, Gale, or ProQuest. It’s helpful if you’re already comfortable with a platform’s layout or want to search across all the subjects that vendor covers at once.

Need a quick example? Researching can be a little like shopping for sneakers... Click here for an example to help explain how to navigate the choices above.