How Do I Find Credible Sources on School Uniforms?
Answer
This is a topic that comes up frequently, but the good news is, that means there are lots of books, articles and other sources for you to use for your assignment!
When we talk about "sources," we are talking about the actual item that you read (magazine article, book chapter, etc.) that you use to help write your paper. Opposing Viewpoints (Gale in Context) is a database - a collection of articles, book chapters, statistics, etc. that you can search through to find your sources. It's more like the tool that you use to find your sources.
Try searching a combination of these keywords:
- "school uniform"
- "dress code"
- mandatory
- children OR teens
For Print Books, search the Catalog using the keywords above.
For Articles and eBooks, follow these steps to use the library's databases to search for sources:
- Go to the library homepage
- Click on Articles to see a list of the library's research databases (both articles and eBooks).
- Choose a database to begin your search (the list of Popular Databases on the right-hand side is a great place to start)
- Click on the name of the database you would like to use, and if off-campus, enter your HFC username and password
You're ready to search! You can search for articles, ebooks, etc. using keywords that best describe your topic. Be sure to check the full-text box and click any tabs at the top of the screen to switch from Academic Journals to Magazines to Newspapers (some databases don't do this, but it's always smart to check!).
Here are a few databases that should be helpful to search for this topic:
- Gale eBooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) - This is a collection of specialized encyclopedias that give good basic, background information on a topic. There are a few entries that come up when searching school uniforms that could be useful to read before searching for articles and other sources.
- Opposing Viewpoints (Gale in Context) - If you click on the light bulb on the right-hand side of the screen that says Browse Issues, you should see a list of topics. If you click on the School Uniforms link, you should get a list of various sources, including Academic Journals, Magazines, and Viewpoints.
- Gale Power Search - This database should have a variety of types of sources. You may want to add another keyword about school uniforms to help narrow down your search.
If you need additional assistance, please contact your HFC Librarian.