Use OneSearch to search across almost all of the library's databases at once for newspaper, magazine, and scholarly journal articles, as well as books and DVDs.
Credo Reference
Use Credo Reference to get background information about your topic (such as an animal!).
Credo is a collection of over 800 encyclopedias and dictionaries covering virutally any topic. It's a great place to gain a solid understanding of your topic before you begin your research.
Available at Your Library
Atlas of the World's Strangest Animals by Call Number: Q 590 HAMISBN: 9780761479406Publication Date: 2010-09-01
Find magazine or journal articles
Start with the following databases to locate magazine, news and journal articles for your assignment and remember to use the following search tips:
- Limit results to full-text
- Select PDF format over HTML format.
- Check an article's reference lists and/or bibliographies at the end of a work (i.e. what information sources the author used) for further research.
DATABASES to start with:
- Academic OneFile This link opens in a new window
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Searches magazines, journals, and newspapers covering a variety of topics. - Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
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Articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers, covering a variety of subjects. One of our favorite places to start! - Birds of the World This link opens in a new window
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Comprehensive life histories, images, and videos for birds breeding in the USA and Canada. - Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window
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Pro/con viewpoint essays and topic overviews on hot social issues. Link to articles, reference entries, and primary sources supporting each argument.
Useful Websites
Check out some of the websites below for animal resources. Many zoos have some great educational information about their animals. You can do an Internet search for a particular zoo (such as San Diego Zoo or Columbus Zoo) if you want to look at more than what's here.
When searching online, don't forget to evaluate the information you find using the CRAAP test. Find a copy of the test below.
- CRAAP TestDownload a PDF of this guide to use in your online research
- Animal Diversity WebAnimal Diversity Web (ADW) is an online database of animal natural history, distribution, classification, and conservation biology at the University of Michigan with thousands of species and descriptions.
- Animal InfobooksSeaWorld/Busch Gardens' website offers zoological and educational resources, with a wealth of information about different wildlife creatures. Great place to start your research!
- Montana Field GuidesProvide information on identification, habitat, ecology, reproduction, range, and distribution of Montana's animals, plants, lichen, and ecological systems.
- National Zoo: Animals A-ZInformation about the diverse animals and creatures in the National Zoo. Also find web cams to watch the animals live, as well as information about conservation.
- Oakland Zoo: AnimalsGreat source of information about zoo animals from the Oakland Zoo. Choose from five categories: birds, amphibians, mammals, reptiles, and anthropods.
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Endangered SpeciesContains information about endangered species in each state, as well as documents relating to the determination of whether a species is to be listed as endangered, threatened, recovering, etc.
These websites can help you to understand all sides of an issue. You might find news articles, essays, reports and data, or even videos on these pages. It is important to understand all sides of an issue when you are building your own arguments for a paper.
- CRAAP TestDownload a PDF of this guide to use in your online research
- AllSidesThis site provides articles and an assessment of their bias, from left to right.
- Pew Research CenterInformation on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. The center conducts public opinion polling, demographic studies, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. It does not take positions on policy issues.
- ProCon.orgNonprofit, nonpartisan organization which researches controversial issues, providing a summary, pros, and cons for each.
- TED Talks"Ideas worth spreading." Talks are a maximum of 18 minutes and are delivered in an engaging storytelling manner, addressing a wide range of topics within the research and practice of science and culture.
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Help organizing your thoughts into an essay
Here is an interactive organizer that will help you "map" your essay by creating an outline.
Your outline will include an introductory statement, main ideas you want to discuss or describe, supporting details, and a conclusion that summarizes your main ideas. You can save, print, or email your essay "map" when you finished.
This organizer is from ReadWriteThink.org: "ReadWriteThink.org is a nonprofit website maintained by the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English, with support from the Verizon Foundation."