Starting Research

Start with things that give broad overviews in a reader-friendly style.

CQ Researcher
Feature-length articles on broad policy issues.  Great overview in one single place.

• Best for ongoing issues and topics in the news.
• Good for choosing a topic

ProCon.org
Broad articles on hotly debated topics. Features both sides of an argument.  Poor search engine, so browse the list for best results.

• Topic ideas for persuasive papers

Credo
Wikipedia-like articles but with sources you can cite.  Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and images.

• Good for basic information without overwhelming details.
• The "academic wikipedia"

GoogleGov
Search credible research from the federal government.  Many topics covered.

• Very easy to use
• Not just government and politics
• Good for sources that support your main points.

OneSearch
For when you need more details.

• Too technical results?  Filter format to ebooks or to magazines.