LibGuides: English Composition / First Year Writing: Find Sources

Steps to Research: Help Tools

Steps to Research: PDF Describes 6 easy-to-follow steps for doing research.

OneSearch

Excellent place to start your research.
Source Types: eBooks, eBook chapters, articles.

OneSearch: Basic Article Search How to do a basic search for an article in OneSearch.
OneSearch: Advanced Article Search How to do an advanced search to find articles.
OneSearch: Books and eBooks A step-by-step guide (with pictures) on how to search for a book by title or find books by keywords.
Worksheet 1: Getting Started and Using OneSearch

General Databases

Databases are specialized search tools that the library subscribes to. They are powerful online platforms that enable you to search for sources and access articles and other materials not available through Google.

The databases below are great places to begin and find articles:

Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window Contains contextual information and opinions on hundreds of today's hottest social issues. Features continuously updated viewpoints, topic overviews, full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, statistics, images, videos, audio files, and links to vetted websites.

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window A great starting place for any research topic. Includes a wealth of peer-reviewed and non-scholarly articles on a wide range of topics and disciplinary areas.

Subject Databases

Search for articles within a specific subject, such as engineering, sociology, or education.

Business Source Premier This link opens in a new window The most widely used business research database. Includes peer-reviewed articles and non-scholarly articles on a wide range of topics, including accounting, banking, economics, finance, international trade, marketing, and more.
Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text This link opens in a new window Peer-reviewed and non-scholarly articles in criminal justice, forensic science, law enforcement, corrections, and more.
The subjects covered represent the entire range of criminal justice topics including: criminal law and behavioral sciences, criminal procedure, corrections, search and seizure, evidence, family law, forensic sciences, policing practices and procedures, quantitative issues and research methods, social science issues and law enforcement, trends and innovations in law enforcement, victims' rights, etc. Coverage: Varies; most titles from 1986 - the present. A variety of help options are available:
Education Full Text This link opens in a new window Peer-reviewed and non-scholarly articles in the fields of education administration, teaching methods, literacy, funding, and more.
Engineering Village This link opens in a new window Peer-reviewed articles and conference proceedings focused on scientific and technical engineering research, covering all engineering disciplines.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window Peer-reviewed articles across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, as well as select ebooks and other materials.
PsycInfo This link opens in a new window The core psychology database, with peer-reviewed and non-scholarly articles on all aspects of human psychology.  
PubMed This link opens in a new window Citations and abstracts for peer-reviewed research in health sciences, mental health, public health, and a wide range of biomedical research areas. Can be used to find eBooks, clinical trials results, systematic reviews, meta-analysis, randomized controlled trials, and case studies.
SocIndex with Full Text This link opens in a new window Peer-reviewed articles on all aspects of sociology, including gender studies, criminal justice, social psychology, religion, racial studies and social work. Includes citations to books, conference papers, and other types of sources.

More Databases or Help

The library has 300+ databases.

To browse databases by subject, go to the A-Z Database List and select your subject from the drop-down menu.

Having trouble?

Contact a Librarian
Use the chat icon (via any library webpage) to chat with a Cal State LA Librarian
- Monday through Thursday from 10am - 6pm, Friday 10am - 5pm.
- After hours, you will be connected with our partner librarians across the globe

GoogleScholar

GoogleScholar searches the entire web for scholarly materials.

Downside of using Google Scholar:

There is no way to search for only peer-reviewed articles in academic journals.
It lists unpublished works, such as dissertations or theses, without a way to filter them out.
You will get millions of results organized by popularity (highest cited).

Upsides of using Google Scholar:

You can easily search for an article by title.
You can press the "cited by" button to find similar articles and to see who else has cited the article.
Google Scholar can recognize you as a Cal State LA student so you have better access to articles (see below)

How to get Google Scholar to recognize you are a Cal State LA Student:

If Google Scholar knows you are a Cal State LA student, you will see "Find it @ Cal State LA" links, pictured below.

If you are on-campus, access Google Scholar from the library home page to ensure you are connected to Cal State LA's articles.

If you are off-campus, access Google Scholar from the library home page. If you do not go through the library homepage, make sure you add Cal State LA to your institutions:

Statistics

Sage Data This link opens in a new window
Provides access to the Data-Planet repository of standardized and structured statistical data. Users can search and browse 25 billion data points in over 4.3 billion datasets sourced from over 75 authoritative government and private sources.
The database allows users to manipulate datasets, compare multiple indicators, chart trends over time and spatially represent data without requiring additional software programs. Multiple export options are provided. LibGuides: http://data-planet.libguides.com

There are over 250 LibGuides on a variety of states, countries, and content.
Homeland Security Digital Library This link opens in a new window
U.S. policy documents, presidential directives, and national strategy documents, as well as specialized resources from universities, organizations, and local and state agencies. The bulk of documents are from 2002 to the present, the collection includes documents relevant to issues of Homeland Security throughout the entirety of US history.