Gaithersburg High School

GHS Home

Montgomery County Public Schools

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.com

Researching Controversial Issues

Literacy Skills

The student will be able to:

locate resources to meet an information need
evaluate resources to determine accuracy and relevancy of content
gather information from appropriate resources using effective search terminology and strategies
organize and manage information found in print, non-print, and computer/online resources
interpret information to generate new understandings and knowledge
communicate findings by producing materials in an appropriate format

Online Resources

Databases

Access the following databases for valuable information for this project. Links to the databases can be found on the Gaithersburg High School website. Click on Media Center then on Online Resources for an alphabetical list. You can use these databases from home as well. The passwords are available in the media center and are posted on Edline.

ABC-CLIO Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society
Issues & Controversies
Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context
Proquest Platinum (for home use)
Issues Researcher (SIRS)

Search Hints:

Keywords are an important part of researching. Spend a few minutes jotting down keywords, and synonyms of your keywords, for your research question. You can also broaden or narrow your topic by using terms that are more general or more specific. For instance, the Science Resource Center shows how to choose more specific search terms by clicking on Research Tools and then How to Choose a Topic. Look at the illustration below:

Works Cited Resources

Bibliography Guidelines for Print Sources

Bibliography Guidelines for Online Sources

Duke University Libraries: Assembling a List of Works Cited in Your Paper

The Owl at Purdue

Sometimes good information can be found at government sites (.gov) and organization sites (.org) which you can count on being reliable and credible. See some topics below and the links we have found that give good information about them. Tell us about any good sites you have found for your topic, but remember to check to see who or what organization is in charge of the information on the website. The information may be wrong, or may be biased.

Other Resources