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CMST 220: Tembo, A. (Spring 2025): Finding articles

This guide provides starting point resources for students' information literacy assignments and speeches in this CMST 220 course.

Research starting point for articles: Try these multi-discipline library databases

Your TCC Library has some journals, magazines, and newspapers in print, but you have access to so many more articles in periodicals that are stored electronically in research databases.

IL Exercise #2 and Informative Speech: Try these search strategies and library databases

In this video, I explain and demo the 3 strategies detailed in this content box:

  1. Use databases with topic tools and resources to help you develop your topic
  2. Use databases with subject-specific resources
  3. Use the SuperSearch tool to combine all databases when searching

This video is accessible with captions and content shortcuts so you can review or skip to specific sections.

You can save time searching for potential resources and explore topics by using library databases that have topic tools built right in!

Watch this video tutorial about 3 library databases with topic tools (6:48 mins):

This TCC Library video tutorial highlights topic tools in 3 different library databases (Gale eBooks, Points of View Reference Center, and CQ Researcher) to help you explore potential topics -- and potential resources! -- at the same time.

Why might these 3 library databases be useful?

You can often save time by going straight to a library database that has resources focusing on:

  • a specific format or types of evidence, like e-books, streaming videos, or government publications.
  • a specific subject or discipline, like health, education, or sociology.

Watch this video tutorial about how to explore subject-specific databases (4:10 mins):

Shortcut link to the main Research Databases page:

Examples of education-related databases:

Examples of health-related databases:

Examples of business-related databases:

Examples of government-related databases:

What is SuperSearch?

SuperSearch is TCC Library’s discovery tool. SuperSearch searches the library catalog and most of the library’s research databases AT ONCE. So with one search, you can get lots of starting points for different types of resources and evidence, including: books, encyclopedia articles, magazine articles, newspaper articles, streaming videos, reports, and scholarly and peer-reviewed journal articles.

Where is SuperSearch?

  1. It's always on the library's home page!
  2. You can start typing in your search terms directly in the embedded search box

 

Try SuperSearch:

Use the search box below to perform a search in SuperSearch:

Video tutorial on how to use SuperSearch (3:24 mins):

Tip for finding different TYPES OF EVIDENCE using SuperSearch:

  1. On the SuperSearch page, first type in keywords in the search box and click the orange magnifying glass button.
  2. Review the "Content Type" filter on the left-hand column, and click "More" to view all the content type options. 
  3. Click the checkmark beside a content type, which are often also different types of evidence (like "streaming video" in this example). You can select more than one content type.
  4. Then click the "Apply" button to confirm your selection and narrow down your results.

Click the "content types" filter to narrow down your search to different types of evidence and content types

Persuasive Speech assignment: Try these tips

CQ Researcher database

Reports in the CQ Researcher database include a pro/con section. Two authors will debate one small question related to the larger topic.

Sample "Pro/Con" section in a CQ Research report:

Pro/con section in CQ Researcher report

Search the CQ Researcher database:

Points of View Reference Center database

Points of View Reference Center database explores current issues organized into categories. Each category has a "Points of View" section of resources. 

First, explore categories:

Points of View categories

Points of View resources

Then, once you've clicked on a category, click on the "Point of View" category in the "Related Information" box on an overview page's left-hand side.

Points of View category of resources

Search the Points of View Reference Center database:

Sometimes it is difficult to find multiple sides of an argument. Here are some keywords to try when you are searching databases. Try adding the words or phrases listed below -- usually one at a time, or separated by "OR" in-between words. Some keywords will be more useful than others depending on your topic. Try to imagine how authors might discuss the concept you are researching.

Pro Con Neutral Phrases
proponents opposed OR opponents OR opposition "moral aspects"
advocates critics OR criticism "ethical aspects"
support OR supporters resistance OR resistors "psychological aspects"
defenders enemies "psychological effects"
sponsors  damage OR costs OR burden "sociological aspects"
positive OR "positive effects" negative OR "negative effects" "sociological effects"
benefits dangers effects
advantages risks  

Search example using pro/con keywords in a library database:

Here's an example of a search you might use in ProQuest if you were having trouble finding articles opposed to beauty contests:

Screenshot of "con" keywords in database search

Newspaper databases

Use filters to narrow down to editorials

Look for search filters in library databases labeled "document type" or "source type" to narrow down results to editorials, which are likely to have pro/con arguments or opinions. 

The example below to narrow down to editorial document types is from the ProQuest database.

Document type filter in ProQuest database

 

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