Making the Most of This Database 3/21/2008Created By Mitch Lawson.

Making the Most of This Database

3/21/2008Created By Mitch Lawson

Research controversial topics

Easily access all sides of hot topics

Find the most up-to-date resources

Begin Searching

Or select from the list of popular topics

There are several types of searches:•Basic•Subject Guide•Publication•Advanced•Curriculum Standards

Opposing Viewpoints is best used to search for controversial topics.

A search for “Robert Frost Poetry” (a noncontroversial topic) will yield very limited results.

A Basic Search still provides the user with many options.

•To begin, enter search terms in the box and click “Search”.

•Limit your search terms to specific key words or phrases.

You can limit your search by:

•Subject

•Keyword

•Entire documentThis search option determines whether the search term will be found in the subject, keyword, or entire document.

This is a Keyword search for Iraq. As you can see, it returned 299 results on this tab.

A Subject search for the same term returned 188 results.

An Entire Document search on this topic yielded 500 results on this tab.

You also choose to limit the results to:

• documents with images

•By content levelBasic searches give more introductory information and are generally written for readers up to the eighth gradeIntermediate searches contain information with more detail and are written at a higher reading level (recommended search for High School students)Advanced searches address scholarly and professional information for those looking for more in-depth research

•Or by content type

A search for “Iraq” provides 188 Viewpoints results.

Suggested Subject Terms for narrowing your search

Colored tabs indicate the type of resource:

•Viewpoints•Reference•Magazines•Academic Journals•News•Primary Sources •Statistics•Multimedia•Websites

Yellow square indicates an Intermediate result

“Mark” box will allow you to select results you would like to evaluate further

“Full-text” indicates that you can read this article in its entirety

“How to Cite” provides crucial citation information

Title, author, publication information, and passages where the search term is found

As you go through the results of your search, you can Mark records to revisit later. This is a good idea on your initial search. Evaluate sources first and then go back to the Marked items to review and take notes.

The Marked Items folder contains all of the results you have selected.

Your Marked Items folder keeps track of the results you want to look at further.

You can download all of them, or look at them each individually.

One of the most helpful tools is the How to Cite link.

After clicking How to Cite, this pop-up window helps in creating citations.

To create an MLA citation, click Save.

A new pop-up window will open with the citation.

The MLA citation comes up in the new window.

Just select it, and copy it into your text document.

If the Basic search returns too many results, or if you are looking for specific information, consider using one of the Advanced Search features:

•Subject Guide•Publication•Advanced•Curriculum Standards

When completing a Subject Guide search, you have all the same options as a Basic Search, but can also limit your search by specific dates or by Publication title.

A Publication search also allows you the option to search a particular publication. Additionally, you can limit the search to:

•Peer-reviewed publications•By content level•By publication format•By publication date

The Advanced Search tab offers the opportunity to limit your search in many ways. This search is not recommended for most high school users, but is a way to limit search results if there is something particular you are looking for.

A search for Iraq results in 188 Viewpoints returned, as well as returns in every other category.

One way to limit your search is by selecting one of the Subject Terms on the left – for example, Iraq Prisoner Abuse Scandal 2004.

Another way to limit your search is to use specific search terms, in this example - Iraq Prisoner Abuse Scandal.

The results are fewer, and in fewer categories, but are specific to the terms searched.

The grayed tabs have no results. However, the colored tabs provide results specific to this search.

Each of these tabs provides different types of resources.

•Viewpoints provides articles specific to the topic.•Reference deals with the legal issues involved in the topic.•Magazines includes only magazine articles•Academic Journals are also articles, but only those that have been published in scholarly journals.•News includes articles that have been published in newspapers.•Primary Sources are firsthand accounts on the topic.•Statistics are links to statistical information.•Multimedia are links to broadcasts on the topic.•Websites is a tab that provides links to addition websites with information.

In addition to the search features, Opposing Viewpoints offers users many helpful options.

The Dictionary and Toolbox are both tools to help users do more with the information found on this site.

Clicking the Dictionary link brings up a pop-up box which allows the user to search for definitions from Meriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary

The Toolbox link also provides many options that the novice user might find helpful, such as creating a Concept Web or Reading and Interpreting graphs.

It also provides tools for wrapping up your research, such as a link to Citing Sources and Building an Argument.

Finally, if you have specific questions that haven’t been answered here, check the Help menu. It has wonderful, easy-to-use menus to help you find the answers to all of your questions.