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Learn about NC LIVE, find its most popular resources, and get tips and strategies for searching databases.

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Sources for a research assignment

  • Articles from newspapers and magazines are good for general (not academic) information, especially about current events, political topics, and social issues. If you're researching events in the past, it may also help to see what journalists reported about them at the time.

Search for newspaper & magazine articles:

  • Articles from scholarly journals (or academic journals) are detailed research reports written by experts in a specific field. Typically, your instructor will tell you if you're required to use these for an assignment.

Search for scholarly articles:

  • Books can be useful when you want a lot of information about a topic, or when you want to consult an original, notable work. Books called anthologies collect essays and scholarly articles from several different authors, and you may need just one of the pieces included. Some books, like textbooks, aim to provide introductions to or overviews of complex topics for non-experts.

Search for e-books:

Pro/con arguments about a controversial issue

  • There are databases specifically designed to help students understand controversial political and social issues. They'll give you an overview of the issue, plus offer arguments from opposing sides.

Browse or search by issue:

Background information about a topic

  • Encyclopedias are a good place to start researching an unfamiliar topic or to find biographical information about people.

Look up a topic:

Practice tests & study help

Streaming videos

  • Check out documentary videos to learn more about a topic, training videos to build your skills, interviews, performances, and more. You may also find clips to show when presenting to a class.

Books to read for pleasure

All websites, articles, images, videos, etc., linked on this site are provided for informational purposes only. External content is not maintained by James Sprunt Community College, nor does it represent the views of the College or its employees. Please notify the library staff if you have concerns about linked content. Students are expected to evaluate all web and print resources and to determine their appropriate academic uses. A hyperlink to a resource or article from these LibGuides does not constitute an endorsement of that resource or article by the library.

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James Sprunt Community College, P.O. Box 398, 133 James Sprunt Drive, Kenansville, NC 28349 | (910) 296-2400