The three subscription databases listed below are great for getting topic ideas, as well as finding opinion-type of sources, broad overviews, and background information on topics. These do not always provide scholarly, peer-reviewed sources! There are some peer-reviewed articles in these databases, but not everything is inherently scholarly. Use the "Finding Articles" page for some suggestions.
All of these resources are all accessible from off-campus with your Miami ID and password.
Points of View Reference Center
You'll need to enter your Miami Unique ID and password to access this resource from off-campus.
Enter your keywords in the search box at the top of the page, or browse topics by clicking on "Browse Categories". Be sure to pay attention to the date the articles were published.
Once you have settled on a category, on the left-hand side of the screen is a section titled 'Related Information. Here you will find hyperlinks directing you to:
within the database(s) that are related to your subject area. These will most likely be scholarly in nature, but should still be evaluated before use in your paper.
On the right-hand side of the screen, you will see a section titled Related Items. Here you will find a Point, Counter Point, and Guide to Critical Analysis. These are a summation of multiple viewpoints, not in-depth scholarly research, and should be used as such.
Opposing Viewpoints You'll need to enter your Miami Unique ID and password to access this resource from off-campus.
You can enter your keywords in the search box or click on "Browse Issues" to browse topics.
On the results page, focus on the boxes titled "Featured Viewpoints" and "Viewpoints". Click on the category title to view all of the viewpoints in that category.
Click on the title to view the full text of the article.
At the top of each article, you will see options to:
CQ Researcher
Enter your keywords in the search box at the top of the page, or browse topics by clicking on "Browse Topics". Be sure to pay attention to the date the articles were published. Many of these topics require current information and the articles in this database were published as far back as the 1970s.
On the left-hand side of each report is a list of all the sections. You can read the entire report, or click on a section heading to jump to that section. The "Pro/Con" section will be particularly helpful for your assignment. In it, a question about the article topic is posed to two experts and they each respond, one with a "yes" and the other with a "no." Other useful sections are the chronology for a history of the topic, the maps and graphs for helpful visuals and statistics, and the bibliography which can help you identify additional sources.
At the top of each report, you'll see options to:
All of these options are for the full article or a section of the report. (So, you can print or email just the "Pro/Con" section if you would like.)