LAC 101E- Critical Thinking

Introduction | Reference Sources | Indexes & Databases | Internet Resources | Writing the Paper

For further research assistance, please contact Evelyn Greenlaw (evelyng@usm.maine.edu; 753-6541), Natural & Applied Sciences Liaison, or Maureen Perry (mperry@usm.maine.edu; 753-6546), Social & Behavioral Sciences Liaison, at Lewiston-Auburn College Library, University of Southern Maine.

In order to find books, journal titles, videos, government documents and other materials held in the University of Maine System you will need to consult URSUS, the online catalog. Because journal article citations are not individually included in URSUS, you will need to use a discipline-specific index to find this information (see Resources by Subject).

If you do not know the exact subject heading describing the topic you need, try doing a keyword search using other word/s related to that topic and then click on the subject heading links found within the relevant records to find additional, useful resources.

The following are a listing of URSUS related subject headings:

Bioethics
Critical thinking
Education--Aims and objectives
Environmental protection
Ethics
Globalization
Right and left (Political science)
Thought and thinking
United States--Economic policy

To obtain materials not located at your USM campus, but within URSUS, you will need to click on the Request button on the URSUS screen and enter your name and barcode number (found under the barcode on your USM Card, always beginning with 25022....). Your barcode will first need to be activated at the Circulation Desk.

If the item is not available through the University of Maine System (URSUS) or Maine InfoNet you can request it via Interlibrary Loan (Illiad).

Reference sources are useful tools to obtain background information and to develop a vocabulary of possible search terms. The following items are print resources available within the University of Southern Maine system.

Tuesday Section

Criminal justice : opposing viewpoints
LEW Stacks HV9950 .C7445 1998

Taking sides : clashing views on controversial environmental issues
GOR Stacks  QH75 .T27  & LEW Stacks TD170 T34

Thursday Section

Taking sides: clashing views on controversial bioethical issues
LEW & POR Stacks R724 .T35

Taking sides: clashing views on controversial issues in health and society
LEW Stacks RA776.9 .T35 1996

Because of the lengthy publishing cycle for a book, information in a book is not always current. Periodical articles are current sources of information. There are two main types of periodicals: scholarly and popular. Scholarly periodicals are usually referred to as journals. Articles in journals contain reports of primary research; the articles are written by experts in the field and for other researchers/scholars; use terms and language specific to that discipline; may include graphs, charts, etc. related to the topic; most often are peer reviewed via an editorial board; are published by professional organization or society, university, research centers, scholarly presses; and often include a bibliography. Popular periodical articles contain general information; are written using easily understood language that appeals to a varied audience; are usually written by journalists or others who are not experts in the field; do not include citations; has a limited or non-existent editorial review board; and may contain glossy photographs. The Finding Articles tutorial provides more information on how to find articles.

To find scholarly articles it is necessary to consult a discipline-specific electronic or print index/database. The following are electronic indexing sources available to the University of Southern Maine community.

Resources for Both Sections

Academic Search Premier
For date and title coverage click here
Provides full text for nearly 4,000 scholarly publications of which 3,100 are peer reviewed. Academic areas of study include: social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies.

Alternative Press Index
Indexes journals covering cultural, economic, political & social change

Communication and Mass Media Complete
Offers full text coverage for more than 160 titles; indexes additional journals, major journalism reviews, recent encyclopedias, and handbooks.

CQ Researcher
Date coverage: 1991-present
Explores a single hot issue in the news in depth each week. Topics range from social and teen issues to environment, health, education and science and technology. There are 44 reports produced each year including four expanded reports.

FactSearch
Coverage from 1984
Facts and statistics on current issues. Guide to statistical statements on current social, economic, political, environmental and health issues. Includes information from Christian Science Monitor, Congressional Record, congressional hearings, White House Press briefings, and briefings from the U.S. departments of state and defense, as well as debates in the Australian, British, and Canadian Parliaments.

PAIS International
Coverage from 1972
Index to the literature of public and social policy, and other aspects of social sciences. Includes journal articles, serials, books, government documents, directories, and public, intergovernmental, and private organization reports. Updated monthly.

ProQuest Newsstand
Full text of more than 500 U.S. and international news sources. Includes The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, and the Times of London, plus hundreds of other news sources and news wires. Years of coverage vary by title. Maine papers included: Bangor Daily News (1992+), Portland Press Herald (1995+), and selected business coverage from Maine Times (1994-2002) and Central Maine Morning Sentinel (1993-1997).

PsycINFO
Coverage from 1887
Index to the professional and academic literature in psychology and related disciplines, including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, and other areas. Coverage includes references and abstracts to over 1,300 journals in more than 20 languages, and to book chapters and books in the English language. The database includes information from empirical studies, case studies, surveys, bibliographies, literature reviews, discussion articles, conference reports and dissertations.

Sociological Abstracts
Coverage from 1974
Covers sociology and related disciplines including anthropology, criminology, demography, education, gerontology, mental health, minority studies, political science, public health, social psychology, social work, urban studies, welfare programs, and women's studies. Comprehensive and international in scope.

Statistical Universe
Searchable index to more than 100,000 United States government and privately published statistical sources. Also includes searchable, full-text access to the Statistical Abstract of the United States.

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
Coverage from 1975
This database supplies citations, abstracts, and indexing of the international serials literature in political science and its complementary fields, including international relations, law and public administration/policy.

Resources for Tuesday Section

New Orleans Question

ASCE Civil Engineering Database

EconLit
Coverage from 1969
Provides comprehensive information on accounting, capital markets, econometrics, economic forecasting, government regulations, labor economics, monetary theory, urban economics and much more.

Methamphetamine Policy Question

Criminal Justice Abstracts
Coverage from 1968
Indexes international journals, books, reports, dissertations, and unpublished papers on criminology and related disciplines. Areas covered include trends, crime prevention and deterrence, juvenile delinquency, juvenile justice, police courts, punishment, and sentencing.

HeinOnline
Full text online access to legal journals

Resources for Thursday Section

Case of Terri Schiavo

CINAHL
Coverage from 1982
Premier database for nursing and allied health literature. Includes references to journals, American Nurses' Association and National League for Nursing publications, nursing standards of practice, and critical paths. Updated monthly.

Philosopher's Index
Coverage from 1940 for U.S. references, 1967 for non-U.S. references
Provides indexing and abstracts from books and over 270 journals on philosophy and related interdisciplinary fields published in the U.S. and the Western World.

Role of Medical Research

Medline
Coverage from 1966
Index to more than 3,600 journals covering all areas of clinical and experimental medicine, nursing, dentistry and health administration. Updated weekly.

PubMed
Coverage from 1966
Developed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), PubMed is a major medical database. It provides access to bibliographic/abstracting information from MEDLINE, plus out-of-scope citations from certain MEDLINE journals; citations that precede the date that a journal was selected for MEDLINE indexing; and some additional life science journals that submit full-text and receive a qualitative review by NLM. Included are links to many sites with full-text articles.

There is no authority control for the Internet. In choosing Internet resources it is imperative to evaluate the authenticity of the source. Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources (UCLA College Library) provides excellent evaluation criteria. The following selected resources have been chosen because of authenticity and comprehensiveness of coverage.

Resources for Both Sections

Current Events (Univ. of Michigan)

Firstgov (search engine & topical guide)

GPO Access (numerous legis., exec., & judicial sources)

Thomas (Congressional info.)

Resources for Tuesday Section

New Orleans Question

American Red Cross

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Methamphetamine Laws Question

National Library of Medicine

Office of National Drug Control Policy

United States Drug Enforcement Administration

Resources for Thursday Section

Case of Terri Schiavo

American Bar Association

American Nurses Association

Hastings Center

Role of Medical Research

American Medical Association

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

World Health Organization

This category contains information on how to write the paper. In using resources it is imperative that they be used ethically and legally. The sources listed here provide assistance in this process.

USM has a site license for Endnote, a personal reference database program. The main functions of this program include maintenance of a database of references, downloading references from other databases, using the database to link to references in word-processed document, and generating a bibliography in the correct style for publications. See the Endnote Help for further information.

Writing Handbooks

St. Martin's Handbook
POR Reference PE1112 .L86 1989
Contains sections on the writing process, sentence construction, punctuation, doing research, and academic writing.

A Writer's Reference, 3rd Edition
POR Reference PE1408 .H2778 1995
Includes sections on composing and revising, design, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, writing, and documentation.

Citation Styles: MLA

Citing Sources (MLA) (Indiana University)

MLA (University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center)

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th edition
POR Reference LB2369 .G53 2003
Also available at Sanford Center on reserve

Using Modern Language Association (MLA) Format (Purdue University Online Writing Center)

Citation Styles: APA

APA Documentation (University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center)

APA Style.org

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition
POR and GOR Reference BF76.7 .P83 2001; LEW Reserve BF76.7 .P83 2001

Online: A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources

Using American Psychological Association (APA) Format (Updated to 5th Edition) (Purdue University Online Writing Lab)

Plagiarism

Plagiarism-The Do's and Don'ts: Guidelines for Avoiding Plagiarism (University of California-Davis)

Plagiarism Examples (Indiana University School of Education)

USM Academic Integrity Policy

Last update: 09.28.05 mp
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