Choose a topic - background information - UGS 303: Playing and Writing / Lynn - LibGuides at University of Texas at Austin

Choosing a topic is research

You may have a broad topic idea when you walk into class today - and it may be as broad as

'prayer'

and that's ok. Choosing a topic is part of the research process. You're coming up with an IDEA which you then do some SEARCHing around and then you REFORMULATE your idea based upon what you have learned. You may go through this cycle a few times in different resources before you settle in on a topic you want to write about.

Try these databases to test out your topic.

Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
hundreds of encyclopedias from different subject areas.
Updated regularly. A database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources. Fully searchable across all files.

For more information on ebooks see the Ebook Guide
SAGE Knowledge This link opens in a new window
Selected titles. Unlimited users.
Platform for Sage book and reference content, including scholarly monographs, reference works, handbooks, series, professional development titles, and more. Only select book titles purchased by the UT Libraries are fully accessible.
For more information on ebooks see the Ebook Guide
Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window
See below for information about this database which has many types of information.
Updated daily. Provides full text access to differing points of view on current social issues. Brings together viewpoint articles, contextual topic overviews, government and organizational statistics, biographies of social activists, court cases, profiles of government agencies and special interest groups, newspaper and magazine articles, as well as links to more than 1,800 reviewed and subject-indexed web sites.

Opposing Viewpoints - What will I find here?
You'll find multiple viewpoints on an issue in essays- rarely just pro and con.
These essays are excerpted from a source (journal, magazine, newspaper, report, government publication, website, blog, etc.). The articles are rarely strict reproductions of the original source -- they have been trimmed down considerably, edited, reformatted, and section titles have often been added that were not in the original document.
You'll also find journal articles, news articles, statistics and more.

How do I find the original document?
At the end of every entry you will see the citation:

Now I know that this essay was published first in the Huffington Post under a different title. I can find that original article if I like and read the whole thing.