The library's Databases (Find Articles) page is a good place to start your research.
From the WVC homepage, click on Library (1), then click on Databases (Find Articles) (2) from the left navigation bar:
CQ Researcher and Facts on File are just two of the databases to gather background knowledge on your topic. You will find them under the "Pro/Con" category under the "All Database Types" pull-down:
Other Pro/Con databases in this category are:
Below are instructions on how to search CQ Researcher and Facts on File:
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After gathering background knowledge from one of the Pro/Con databases, visit Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) to search for magazine and scholarly journal articles. It is the second database listed on the main Databases (Find Articles) page:
Here's a video that specifically reviews how to search the Academic Search Complete database.
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For your research assignment, you will need to gather both scholarly articles and popular magazine articles. Scholarly articles are also called "academic journal articles" or "peer-reviewed articles". These names are all synonyms of one another.
Popular magazines are also called periodicals because they are published on a weekly or monthly basis whereas most scholarly journal articles are published quarterly or annually.
| Criteria | Scholarly Journal | Popular Magazine |
|---|---|---|
| Sample Cover |  |
 |
| Content |
In-depth, primary account of original findings with the goal of scholarly communication. |
Secondary discussion of someone else's research; general information; personal narratives; to entertain or inform. |
| Audience | Scholars, researchers, students | General public, non-specialists |
| Author | Author has subject expertise (usually a PhD) in the field of research. Credentials are usually provided. | Author is frequently a journalist paid by the publication to write the article. May or not be a subject expert. |
| References (Works Cited) | With the exception of editorials, all articles have a references list at the end of the article. | Very rare. There may be links to other resources for further reading. |
| Language | High level of disciplinary jargon. | Vocabulary for the general reader. Easy enough for someone with an interest in the topic to understand |
| Graphics | Graphs, charts and tables. Few photographs. | Glossy advertising, photographs and graphs and charts to show easily understandable data. |
| Review | Evaluated by peer-reviewers or experts in the field. Edited for content, format and style. | Evaluated by editorial staff, not experts in the field. Edited for format and style. |