Course Guides: UGS 303 - Widening Inequality and the American Dream - Green

• Lexis Nexis Academic: Click on News>All News, then check the box for Editorials & Opinions.  
• Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center: Viewpoint essays, topic overviews, statistics, biographies, court cases, and newspaper and magazines articles.
  
• Academic OneFile: Enter your search terms and add the word editorial. Example: Labor unions and editorial
   

Find more articles using these databases. 

Sample article 

Remember to think about the following when evaluating your opinion piece:

• Section: What section of the newspaper or magazine does the article come from? Viewpoints don't usually appear in a regular news section. If it is from the opinion/editorial section, or if it is labeled as a ‘column’ or ‘editorial’ it is likely to be a viewpoint.
• Author: Who is the author? A journalist or a researcher reporting facts? Or someone from an organization, a columnist or an expert who is representing a side of the controversy?  If there is no information on the author in the article, try searching in Google for more on that person. If the name is common one, use a keyword from the topic (ex. Susan Jones and National School Lunch Program)
• Audience: Who is the intended audience?  Who is the author addressing?
• Taking a side: Does the author present both sides of the controversy or just one? If just one side, is the article advocating that side, or simply reporting about it?  Is this author representative of that side? What gives them the authority to represent that side? (ex: is it the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture? A small farm owner? A reporter for a student newspaper?)
• Language: Does the author use language that indicates one side of a viewpoint? (ex. - anti-lunch program reform = affordable lunch program; pro-lunch program reform = sustainable lunch program)
• Source bias: Does the news source generally lean to a particular side of controversies (examples: liberal vs. conservative; free market economics vs. government regulated economy)?  For a sample list of liberal and conservative magazines, show the Find Opinions, Editorials and Opposing Viewpoints page.
   

If you're not very familiar with the topic you're writing on, look up some basic background information to give you an overview and help you identify keywords for searching. 

• Gale Virtual Reference Library : Searches 100s of subject-specific encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.
• CQ Researcher: In-depth reports on “hot” news topics written by journalists. Shows multiple sides of an issue.
  
• Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center: Viewpoint essays, topic overviews, statistics, biographies, court cases, and newspaper and magazines articles.
  

Because library article databases have to be searched differently than Google, it's best to start by brainstorming keywords. Choose keywords which represent the main concepts of your paper topic. Then for each concept, choose a number of keywords, including synonyms and related terms.

Here's an example to get you started:


Then combine them using AND and OR

• AND narrows your search by looking for articles with all of the words
• OR broadens your search by looking for articles with any of the word

                     
**Brainstorm or add to your own keywords using our keyword brainstorming tool**

How to Choose a Library Database:

Multi-disciplinary vs. Subject Databases

Some databases are multi-disciplinary and contain popular and scholarly articles from across disciplines. Others only cover material from a specific discipline or subject, such as philosophy or art.

Find a list of all databases at www.lib.utexas.edu/indexes, arranged alphabetically and by subject.  To find out what a database contains, click on the About link next to the database name.

Popular vs. Scholarly Sources

When choosing a database, consider whether you want scholarly or non-scholarly (or popular) articles.   Articles in scholarly, peer-reviewed sources are written by scholars and researchers for an audience of their peers - other scholars and researchers in their field of study. Before an article appears in a scholarly, peer-reviewed publication, an editorial board made up of other scholars and researchers reviews it. This is the peer-review process.  Articles in non-scholarly sources (such as popular newspapers and magazines) are written for the general reader.  

For more about distinguishing between scholarly and non-scholarly sources, see the Popular vs. Scholarly Guide.

Recommended Databases for This Course:

Multidisciplinary

• Academic Search Complete: Find popular and scholarly articles from across disciplines.
• LexisNexis Academic : Find newspaper articles, including The New York Times. Search Tips
• JSTOR: Find scholarly articles from across disciplines.

Subject

• Sociology: Sociological Abstracts
• Economics: EconLit
• Psychology: PsycINFO
• History: America: History and Life
• Political Science and Government: PAIS
• Databases by Subject: Choose a database by academic discipline to search the literature of that field.

Video Tutorial: How to Find Articles

Are these representative viewpoints that would help you map this controversy?  Why or why not?  

• Discuss the evaluation criteria in your group and note your thoughts in the worksheet.  
• Choose a group member to report out to the class on your evaluation.

Group 1
Article
Evaluation Worksheet

Group 2
Article
Evaluation Worksheet 

Group 3
Article
Evaluation Worksheet 

Group 4
Article
Evaluation Worksheet 

Evaluate Books and Articles - this decision tree helps you evaluate  books and articles.

Evaluate Web Sites - this grid helps you evaluate websites

• THOMAS: Legislative information from the Library of Congress at www.thomas.gov.
• Proquest Congressional: Find Congressional publications (1789-present), including Hearings, Committee Prints, Reports, Documents and Congressional Research Service Reports (CRS Reports).