PAID 112 Section 11 - Weldon (Spring 2025)
In this Guide
Welcome to your Paideia research guide!
In this guide, you will find a selection of resources as a place to get started with research on your section's topic. If you have questions or need help finding something, please ask at the library Circulation Desk or contact the librarian working with your section.
Return to Paideia 112 Research Guide
Image: The Writer, by Mary Bradish Titcomb c.1912 National Gallery of Art.
Resources
You're not on your own! We've already collected here several reference sources, databases, and other resources that contain information you may need for your research project. Some are available online, while others are available in physical formats at Preus Library. Click on the tabs below to view links to these resources:
A reference source summarizes facts and concepts on a topic and provides useful background information. Reference sources include dictionaries and encyclopedias. Reference sources are a great place to start when you're trying to choose or narrow a topic. They'll help you learn the language of the topic you're interested in, and help you gather:
- basic facts or established information on your topic
- key concepts, terms, and people
- related topics, and more places to search
Online Reference Databases:
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
An online collection of over 600 full-text reference works, including encyclopedias, dictionaries, and more. - Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window
A collection of over 3,000 reference works, covering all disciplines. - Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
This online source provides access to subject and language reference works from Oxford University Press. In addition to text, access is provided to maps and illustrations, timelines, web sites, and bibliographies.
A database is a collection of scholarly journals and articles that lets us search many potential sources at once. Databases can be general and cover many subjects, or be specific to one or several subjects.
- Academic Search Elite (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
An excellent starting point for research across a broad stretch of academic subjects with thousands of full-text journals and abstracted and indexed journals. This database is sourced with PDF images for the great majority of journals; many of these PDFs are native (searchable) or scanned-in-color. - JSTOR This link opens in a new window
A full-text collection of over 3,400 major scholarly journals and over 100,000 scholarly monographs. The digitized archive includes the first issue published for each journal (some are from 1665 to the present); but excludes the most recent 2 to 5 years for most journals. - Project Muse This link opens in a new window
Full text access is available to over 380 journals and over 13,000 scholarly books in the humanities and social sciences. Managed by the Johns Hopkins University Press. Coverage from 1993 - present. - ERIC [Education Resource Information Center] (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Provides access to education literature and research, including information from journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index. Content includes journal articles, research reports, curriculum and teaching guides, conference papers, dissertations and theses, and books dating back to 1966.
Preus Library subscribes several databases in order to provide access to a large variety of newspapers and other news material.
- US Newsstream (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Full-text access to over 950 US news publications, including The Des Moines Register, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, & Washington Post. 1980-present. - Newspaper Source Plus This link opens in a new windowIncludes more than 860 full-text newspapers, along with television and radio news transcripts.
- News, Policy & Politics Magazine Archive This link opens in a new windowIncludes the backfiles of 15 major magazines (including the Newsweek archive), spanning areas including current events, international relations, and public policy. These titles offer multiple perspectives on the contemporary contexts of the major events, trends, and interests in these fields throughout the twentieth century. The collection will provide valuable primary source content for researchers in fields ranging from history and political science, through to law and economics. Coverage from 1918 - 2015
- New York Times (NYTimes.com) This link opens in a new window
Full access to the New York Times online (1851-present). Includes international edition and Spanish and Chinese language editions. For full access and no monthly article limits, create an account using your Luther email address or register your account here: http://proxy.luther.edu/login?url=https://ezmyaccount.nytimes.com/grouppass/redir.
For more information about setting up your special New York Times subscription, please view our guide.
- New York Times, Historical plus Index (ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowProQuest Historical Newspapers: the New York Times provides the full image of articles published in the New York Times from its first issue in 1851. It is searchable by keyword, author, article title, and first paragraph (abstract). You can browse issues by clicking Publications at the top of the screen. It includes illustrations and advertisements. The title changed from the New York Daily Times to the New York Times in 1857.
Primary sources provide direct evidence or firsthand testimony about the period or subject you’re researching. Interviews, speeches, letters, photographs, and even novels can be primary sources. Learn more about primary sources here.
Ask your professor or a librarian if you have questions about identifying primary sources.
Interlibrary Loan and Technical Services Librarian
Get In Touch
