ENGL 127 Research Writing: Social Sciences (Beals)

The Rogerian Argument: This guide is for students in Emily Beals' English 127

Holman Library Catalog

Use Holman Library One Search to Find Books

Use the link below to access One Search and search by topic or keyword to see articles from various source types. 

(click on image to enlarge)

catalog search page showing the advanced search options

 
Wondering what to type in the search box?
Search by simple keywords or keyword phrases.
  • Connect them with AND or OR. 

    • Ex: Social Media AND (politics OR elections)

Search by subject term.

Try searching by Subject Terms or combinations of Subjects and keywords.  

  • To do so, change Any Field to Subject at the Advanced Search screen.

sample subject terms to try searching
sex role social classes
family mass media
work and family
family--United States--Psychological aspects criminal justice 
marriage

Why use Books?

Why Use Books?

Books...
  • can get you a historical perspective on your topic to see how it has evolved over time
  • often are written by authors who are experts or have taken the time to do research on a particular subject
  • help you understand the complexity your topic
When you find a book...
  • you do not have to read the whole book! Instead look at the table of contents in the front to find which chapters will be most helpful to you
  • look in the back of the book.  Often there is a list of sources that the author consulted when he or she wrote the book.  You might want to use these sources for your research, too!

Is a "good" book for your research? Be sure you evaluate it!

eBooks at Holman Library

Searching Ebook Collections

The next step in the process is to find evidence to support your own argument. Books are a great place to browse for more evidence. Holman Library has a collection of over 25,000 electronic books that you can read online.

  • You can search for these electronic books, or eBooks, in the library catalog (see instructions below), or you can try searching your topic in ebook databases directly.