Background Research
Before Trying the Scholarly Databases, Look for Background Information
Before Trying the Scholarly Databases, look for Background Information
Google Smart Searching strategies
To do a Google Smart search, go to the search bar and type in your keyword [ex. environmental justice] space followed by site:.edu (or .gov, .org). This type of search narrows your results to specific types of sources (academic, non-profit, or government-related), which can be helpful in locating credible information.
Longform Journalism
Longform Journalism
For students gathering background information and developing foundational knowledge on a research topic, longform journalism sources can be valuable for distilling critical ideas and formulating research questions.
Lengthier than your average newspaper article, longform journalism integrates various multimedia tools including video and interactive graphics and data to propel feature storytelling and engage readers. Longform tends to be substantive in content, underscoring immersion reporting, investigative techniques, and sustained narrative (Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications).
Longform Article Examples
Here We Abandon All Destinations
The Everything Town in the Middle of Nowhere
Why Is It So Hard to Stop People from Dying of Snakebite?
Longform Periodicals
These longform periodical titles are freely available on the Internet (limited article access) and via the CSUSM Library's databases.
The Atlantic Monthly (Internet) / The Atlantic Monthly (CSUSM Library) Covers news, culture, politics, technology, and more through multimedia content, articles, and its flagship magazine.
The Economist (CSUSM Library) News and opinion on international politics, business, finance, science, and technology.
The Nation (Internet) / The Nation (CSUSM Library) Established in 1865, one of the oldest, progressive news sources covering a variety of political and social issues.
The New Yorker (Internet) / The New Yorker (CSUSM Library) Features journalism on politics and social issues; includes incisive cartoons in each issue.
New York Times Magazine (Internet) / New York Times Magazine (CSUSM Library) Features longer articles than those typically found in the newspaper.
Longform Websites
The Conversation Independent news source from the academic and research community curated for the general public. (Note: These are not peer-reviewed, scholarly journal articles)
Epic Magazine Immersive narrative non-fiction articles.
Guernica Focuses on the intersection of art and politics. Content includes memoir, investigative reporting, commentary, and multimedia journalism that explores identity, conflict, culture, justice, science, and more.
JSTOR Daily Provides background information on a variety of topics in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Articles contextualize current events with academic scholarship. (Note: JSTOR Daily does not contain scholarly articles; you will find those in the JSTOR library database).
Longform Sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh's writing program, this site recommends new and classic non-fiction from around the web.
Longreads Gathers stories from all over the web and also produces original content which includes in-depth profiles and feature articles.
Mosaic Longform articles on science-related topics.
Pacific Standard Publishes investigative pieces focusing on social and environmental justice.
ProPublica Nonprofit newsroom producing investigative journalism pieces focusing on government and politics, business, criminal justice, the environment, education, healthcare, immigration, and technology.
The Verge Focuses on culture and technology.
Additional resources
Gathering Research Sources (differentiating between scholarly / substantive (longform) / editorial)
GBST 100: Identify and find a scholarly article?
GBST 100 Identify a scholarly article
A scholarly article is how researchers (scholars) communicate the findings and analysis of their research. Scholarly articles:
- Provide original research and analysis - these articles are based on studies or experiments, or analyze an artifact or event. Every scholarly article presents something new about the world we didn't know before.
- Are written by scholars - scholars tend to hold PhDs, or other advanced degrees and are professors at universities.
- Are published in peer-reviewed journals - These are generally accessed via library databases.
- Might be hard to read - they act as the primary conversation between scholars about a field of study. Since they are written by scholars, for scholars, they contain specialized language that might be hard for the lay person to understand.
Credit: Allison Carr
WATCH: What is a scholarly article?
TUTORIAL: Find a scholarly article using CSUSM library databases
Popular, Scholarly, and Trade Sources (knowing the difference) (University of Texas Libraries)
GBST 100 Find a scholarly article
Tips on searching the databases
Here are some general tips on searching for articles for your report:
| Tip | Examples |
| Use keywords, not long search phrases |
Instead of searching for "how is globalization impacting indigenous culture protection" break down your search into the main keywords: globalization, indigenous culture |
| Use AND to combine different keywords | globalization AND indigenous culture |
| Use OR to combine similar keywords | globalization OR economic or cultural | preservation OR protection OR conservation |
| Use quotation marks (" ") to keep phrases together | globalization AND "cultural appropriation" AND indigenous culture |
| Look for ways to limit your search in the database | You can often limit by type of article (scholarly and peer-reviewed), year of publication, subject |
Use the library databases for Global Studies research
Most Useful
| Database | Full Text | Coverage | Scholarly |
|---|---|---|---|
| AnthroSource
Access to the latest research in core anthropology journals, including social and cultural studies. |
Full-text | current to current | All |
| Campbell Collaboration
Systematic reviews on the effects of social interventions in the areas of education, crime and justice, social welfare and international development. |
Full-text | 2004 to present | |
| Ethnic NewsWatch
Full-text ethnic newspapers, searchable in English or Spanish. |
Some full-text; plus links to full-text via Get-It | 1992 to current | None |
| European Views of the Americas
Index to materials published in Europe from the late 15th through mid-18th centuries concerning the New World. |
1493 to 1750 | ||
| Factiva
Covers news and business information, including Dow Jones and Reuters newswires and The Wall Street Journal, plus more than 8,000 other sources providing current news. |
Full-text | 1975 to current | Some |
| GenderWatch
GenderWatch contains publications which focus on how gender impacts a broad spectrum of subject areas. GenderWatch is a repository of an important historical perspective on the evolution of the women’s movement and the changes in gender roles. |
Full-text | 1970 to current | All |
| GreenFILE
All aspects of human impact to the environment. Its collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles includes content on the environmental effects of individuals, corporations and local/national governments, and what can be done at each level to minimize these effects. |
Some full-text; plus links to full-text via Get-It | 1948 to current | Most |
| Historical Abstracts
Historical coverage of the world from 1450 to the present. |
Links to full-text via Get-It | 1973 to current | All |
| ICPSR: Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research
Download social science datasets for use with statistical software, such as SPSS. |
Full-text | 1992 to current | All |
| International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text
This database is the definitive research tool for theatre and dance studies. In addition to all the comprehensive indexing of the International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance (IBTD), it contains full text for top performing arts journals. |
Full-text | 1936 - Current to current | Most |
| Kanopy Video Library
Kanopy provides streaming on-demand access to thousands of documentaries, feature and independent films, and training videos. Licensing partners include Criterion Collection, Universal Paramount, The Great Courses, New Day Films, California Newsreel, PBS, First Run Features, Media Education Foundation, Documentary Educational Resources, and others. Kanopy videos can be viewed on a range of devices and platforms including Apple, Android, and Windows. |
Full-text | current | |
| NewsBank
NewsBank is a provider of several databases containing primary source documents, including current and historical newspapers, books, pamphlets, government publications and more. This link provides access to all library databases provided by NewsBank, including America’s News (which contains current access to the San Diego Union-Tribune and several thousand other US newspapers), the Archive of Americana, a historical primary source and newspaper collection, the America’s Historical Newspapers collection, American State Papers and the U.S. Congressional Serial Set. |
Full-text | 1789 to Current | Some |
| PAIS
An important index to political, economic, and social issues in current debate. |
Links to full-text via Get-It | 1972 to current | All |
| ProQuest Global Newsstream (formerly Newsstand)
Global Newsstream enables users to search the most recent global news content, as well as archives which stretch back into the 1980s featuring content from newspapers, newswires, and news sites in active full-text format. This product provides one of the largest collections of news from the US, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Australia. |
Full-text | 1980 to current | None |
| ProQuest - News & Newspapers
Search among ProQuest’s News & Newspapers databases |
Some full-text; plus links to full-text via Get-It | 1985 to current | None |
| Sociological Abstracts
Provides access to the latest international findings in theoretical and applied sociology, social science, and political science.
|
Links to full-text via Get-It | 1963 to current | All |
| Women's Studies International
Includes over 204,000 records drawn from a variety of essential women's studies databases. |
Links to full-text via Get-It | 1972 to current | Most |
Also Useful
| Database | Full Text | Coverage | Scholarly |
|---|---|---|---|
| JSTOR
Contains (EXCEPT for the latest five years) core scholarly journals in sociology, history, economics, political science, mathematics, African-American & Asian studies, literature, humanities, music, and biological, health & general sciences. |
Full-text | 1838 to most recent five years | Most |
| Academic Search Premier
This scholarly collection offers information in nearly every area of academic study including: computer sciences, engineering, physics, chemistry, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, ethnic studies, and many more. |
Some full-text; plus links to full-text via Get-It | 1975 to current | Most |
| Google Scholar CSUSM
Link to citations and full-text from your CSUSM Library databases and beyond! |
Some full-text; plus links to full-text via Get-It | current to current | All |
Citing Your Sources
GBST 100: Citing Your Sources (Randerson)
APA
- In Text Citations by APA (Video)
- APA Formatting and Style Guide by Purdue Online Writing Lab (Comprehensive online guide with examples)
- APA Sample Paper by Purdue Online Writing Lab (PDF)
Need Help?
Lalitha Nataraj
Social Sciences Librarian
