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First-Year Composition

For all first-year composition classes: ENG 101, ENG 107, ENG 102, ENG 108, ENG 105.

Step Five

FIND ARTICLES AND INFORMATION ON LIBRARY RESEARCH DATABASES

You can combine Boolean operators with the keywords you gathered while finding background information to find materials on your topic. If the item is available online, be sure to copy the permalink URL to the item record, create a citation, and download your article. If the item is a physical book or journal, note the location information (call number and specific ASU library) so you can find it or request an item pick-up. Once you have your article or book, you can find additional sources by looking at the works cited page or bibliography.

You will find different resources in different databases: the database you choose will depend on your chose research topic. Also, depending on the information you need, you may use more than one database during your research process. General databases are good starting places for research, since they cover a broad range of topics from many different perspectives. Disciplinary databases are good for finding more specific information that often relate to the specific departments and majors on campus, such as psychology, music, and engineering. They are generally used in the middle or end of your research, as your topic narrows.

One Search

Library One Search

Find most ASU Libraries' books, articles from newspapers, journals, magazines and more – with just one search!

Google Scholar

If you are not finding appropriate articles from the databases above, try Google Scholar. It is an index to scholarly literature, books and journals, from all subject fields. ASU Library's link to Google Scholar supplies links to the online collections, allowing you to skip paywalls and additional log-in steps.

Article Databases

These general databases are all good starting points for English Composition students.

  • Academic Search Ultimate is a great starting place for any topic. It covers all subject areas, has full-text options, and includes articles from popular magazines and scholarly journals. Depending on your topic, you may be able to find everything you need in Academic Search Ultimate.
  • Opposing Viewpoints provides clearly identified pro and con sources for each topic. You can browse the most popular topics on the homepage, or search for other topics by keywords. Opposing Viewpoints has relevant information from both academic and popular sources, but many popular sources are based on opinions rather than facts, so you should also visit other databases for information on your topic.
  • CQ Researcher is an excellent source for comprehensive, balanced, unbiased overviews of current issues in the news. The information you find there is meant to educate rather than influence researchers. The link takes you to the CQ Library; from there, select CQ Researcher.
  • Access World News offers newspaper coverage from around the US and around the world (and easier to use than NexisUni). 
  • Arizona Republic is our local newspaper and has articles from 1999 to present available. It can be harder to find local information than national information, so contact Ask a Librarian if you need help.
  • Alt-PressWatch is a full-text database of selected independent newspapers, magazines, and journals of the alternative press that provides an alternative to mainstream media perspectives on local, national, and international issues.
  • Ethnic NewsWatch brings full-text coverage of ethnic and minority presses from around the United States, providing viewpoints and resources you may not find anywhere else!

The ASU Library acknowledges the twenty-three Native Nations that have inhabited this land for centuries. Arizona State University's four campuses are located in the Salt River Valley on ancestral territories of Indigenous peoples, including the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) Indian Communities, whose care and keeping of these lands allows us to be here today. ASU Library acknowledges the sovereignty of these nations and seeks to foster an environment of success and possibility for Native American students and patrons. We are advocates for the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge systems and research methodologies within contemporary library practice. ASU Library welcomes members of the Akimel O’odham and Pee Posh, and all Native nations to the Library.