Helen Miller Bailey Library

East Los Angeles College

English 101

This research guide provides a list of resources and strategies which may prove helpful when you need to research materials for your assignments.

The resources covered in this guide will include some that are available through the ELAC Library, and others that are available freely on the Internet. This is only a starting point; for more detailed information come to the library and ask for a consultation at the Reference Desk.

Your research strategy might include some or all of the following:

Use reference sources to find an overview of your topic, or to find background information on your topic
Use the library's online catalog to find books on your topic
Use the library's licensed databases to find journal, magazine, newspaper, and other types of articles on your topic
Use the Internet to find credible web sources on your topic

How do I find an overview or background information about my topic?

Reference sources are a great place to start a research project. You can use reference sources to find topic summaries, overviews, and bibliographies for further reading on your topic. If you haven't decided on a point of view, an overview will help you focus your research and provide a context. Listed below are a few encyclopedias available through the ELAC Library:

Contemporary American Religion
            Reference Stacks (BL 2525 .C65 2000 v.1-2)

Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment
            Reference Stacks (HV 6017 .E524 2002 Volumes 1-4)

Encyclopedia of Education and Human Development
            Reference Stacks (LB 15 .E473 2005 Volumes 1-3)

Encyclopedia of Women and Gender
            Reference Stacks (HQ 1115 .E43 2001 Volumes 1-2)

Housing a Nation
            Reference Stacks (KF 5730 .C6)

Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States
            Reference Stacks (E 184 .S75 O97 2005 Volumes 1-4)

Profiles of America
            Reference Stacks (HT 123 .P7624 2003 Volumes 1A- 4B)

U.S. Military Service: A Reference Handbook
            Reference Stacks (UB 323 .W358 2007)

How do I find books on my topic?

If you want to locate specific books, or books on specific topics try using the library's online catalog. From the ELAC Library's web site, click the "Our Library Catalog" link to look for books on your topic. You can try typing your search words in the text box and clicking the "words or phrase" button (this is called a keyword Search).

Try typing some of the following search terms to see what you find:

racial profiling
prison sentences (prison violence)
outsourcing
health insurance
critical care
cancer/AIDS/HIV social aspects
homelessness (housing)
beauty culture (feminine beauty)
illegal immigration
age discrimination
discrimination education
education standards (educational accountability)
affirmative action education/ employment
multicultural education
minorities mass media
women priests
women military
same-sex marriage
homosexuality religious aspects
catholic church clergy

How do I find journal, magazine, newspaper, and other types of articles on my topic?

You can find full-text articles and biographical information by using these electronic databases:

Gale Virtual Reference--for information about a person or a topic.
CQ Researcher--for information on political and social issues.
Opposing Viewpoints--for articles and overviews showing diverse views on a variety of controversial social topics.
ProQuest--for articles from scholarly journals as well as popular magazines and newspapers.

Θ Important note: You will need a special username and password in order to access these databases remotely. Please come to the reference desk at the library to pick up the necessary access codes.

How do I find credible web sources on my topic?

In this section, "web pages" means the "free web"--web sites anyone can access--not web-based research tools like the databases that the library provides. The free web has a lot of great things to offer, but not all the sources found there are appropriate for academic research. How can you determine if the sources you've found are credible? Ask yourself the following questions:

Who created the site?
Can you determine if the author is an expert in the field?
What kind of an audience was the site created for? General adult population? Scientists? 3rd graders?
Can you determine if there is any kind of bias expressed in the site? Is the site trying to sell you a particular point of view?
When was the web page last revised?
What is the date range of the materials covered in the site?
What other resources (print & non-print) are available in this area?
What is the relative value of the web site in comparison to the range of information resources available on this topic?

Below are some credible web sources you can try:

California Department of Fair Employment and Housing
Read government/California state documents detailing tenant and worker rights, such as related to immigrants, expecting mothers, and discrimination based on race, religion, age disability, sexual preference, etc.
URL: http://www.dfeh.ca.gov/publications/publications.aspx

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
This government resource provides definitions, articles and resources for a variety of housing issues such as homelessness, fair housing, and renting. The site also offers a site index, which can link you directly to your topic.
URL: http://www.hud.gov/

Medline Plus
Provided to the public by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, this website provides resources such as articles and an online dictionary and encyclopedia which detail and define current health issues/diseases, affected population groups and medications.
URL: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthtopics.html

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
This web site features articles and essays on a whole variety of civil rights related issues that the ACLU has defended in court such as such as same-sex marriage, racial profiling, and prisoner’s rights.
URL: http://www.aclu.org/

The Affirmative Action and Diversity Project
Based out of the University of California, Santa Barbara, this web site offers an in depth objective analysis of the affirmative action debate through articles, essays, and policy documents.
URL: http://aad.english.ucsb.edu/

How do I get more help finding sources for my topic?

If you feel like you need help getting started, finding more detailed materials, or if you have any questions in general, please feel free to come to the library and ask a reference librarian for help.

Last uptated 09/25/08 JA
Gabi Torres & Billy Pashaie: 10/18/07

East Los Angeles College