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English Composition

Researching Controversial Issues

You may be asked to support one side of a controversial issue or to present both sides. These two databases present information on topics frequently discussed in news outlets. When you see something of interest, note the terminology that is used in the discussion. Try to isolate key concept words or key phrases to use when searching the online catalog and other electronic databases.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context
Information on social issues including articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, interactive maps, videos, and streaming audio.
CQ Researcher
Provides professionally fact-checked and footnoted reports on the most current and controversial issues of the day.

CQ Researcher Tutorial Video on You Tube

Locating Scholarly Articles

These databases feature a box you can check to limit your search to scholarly/peer-reviewed articles.

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Provides full text coverage to peer-reviewed titles in the social sciences, humanities, general science, multi-cultural studies, education and more.
Communication & Mass Media Complete
Content from CommSearch and Mass Media Articles Index along with other peer-reviewed journals in communication, mass media, and related fields of study.
Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text
Coverage includes film & television theory, preservation & restoration, screenwriting, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews.
MLA International Bibliography
Coverage is international and includes literature, language and linguistics, folklore, literary theory and criticism, dramatic arts, as well as the historical aspects of printing and publishing.
In addition, the MLA Directory of Periodicals and their proprietary thesaurus used to assign descriptors within the Bibliography are included.
PsycINFO
The American Psychological Association’s (APA) resource of peer-reviewed articles in psychology, behavioral science and mental health.

Researching Newspapers and Current Issues

Nexis Uni
Features news, business and legal sources from LexisNexis®—including U.S. Supreme Court decisions dating back to 1790. For help on how to use Nexis Uni, visit the research guide.This database is only available to current Pepperdine students, faculty, and staff.
Newspaper Source
National & international papers include: The Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Times (London), Toronto Star
Regional papers include: The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, The Miami Herald, Daily News (New York), San Jose Mercury News.
Television & radio news transcripts from CBS News, CNN, FOX News, NPR, and others.

Librarian

Elizabeth Parang

elizabeth.parang@pepperdine.edu

Contact:

Pepperdine University Libraries
24255 Pacific Coast Hwy
Malibu, CA 90263

310-506-4046

Subjects: African American Studies, American Studies, Art, Art History, Creative Writing, Education, Humanities, Music, Theatre Arts

Scholarly Databases

These databases contain scholarly journals in a wide variety of subjects.

JSTOR
Archive of interdisciplinary journals and books, covering the Arts, Business & Economics, History, Humanities, Law, Science & Mathematics, Social Sciences, and Religion.
Project MUSE
Full-text current and archival articles from scholarly journals covering literature and criticism, history, performing arts, cultural studies, education, philosophy, political science, gender studies, and more.

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