LibGuides: Getting Started with Research: Some Basics

Know Your Search Tools

1. Find a Topic

Need help finding a topic for your paper or project? Try one of these suggested sources.

NY Times Topics Page
Assembled by staff at the New York Times, the Times Topics pages gathers news. reference, and media files on a wide range of topics.

Points of View Reference Source This link opens in a new window
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A full-text database designed to provide students with a series of essays that present multiple sides of a current issue.

2. Do Background Research

Once you've identified your topic, it is helpful to gather background information. Background information helps you get an overview of your topic and determine questions or perspectives about it.

CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
Often the first source that librarians recommend when researchers seek original, comprehensive reporting and analysis on issues in the news. Founded in 1923 as Editorial Research Reports. CQ Researcher is noted for its award-winning in-depth, unbiased coverage of health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy. Reports are published online 44 times a year by CQ Press, an imprint of Sage Publications.
Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window
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Database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. Search a single eBook or across an entire eBook collection.

3. Find Library Resources

In addition to background information, you may also want more detailed sources about your topic such as articles, book chapters, and books.

You can find scholarly, magazine and news articles by using one of the Library's databases such as Academic Search Premier.

Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new window
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Provides scholarly and popular periodicals from most academic areas of study and includes many full-text articles.

You can find books and other materials that are in the NMSU Library by visiting the Library Catalog.

Library Catalog (Primo)
Provides access to books, paper journals and other Library collections.

Click this link to see our guide to using Primo: