FYS Spear: Conversations in Current Moral Issues

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In-depth, unbiased coverage of health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy. Each single-themed report is fact checked and footnoted. Each report provides researchers with an introductory overview, which poses and addresses relevant questions; a background and chronology on the topic; an assessment of the current situation; tables and maps; a pro/con debate by representatives of opposing positions; and bibliographies of key sources. Subscription.

Points of View Reference Center covers hundreds of topics, each with an overview (objective background / description), point (argument) and counterpoint (opposing argument). Each topic features a Guide to Critical Analysis which helps the reader evaluate the controversy and enhances students ability to read critically, develop their own perspective on the issues, and write or debate an effective argument on the topic. INSPIRE.

Credo Reference is a multidisciplinary collection of subject encyclopedias and dictionaries. Developed with beginning researchers in mind, it includes resources to help develop search terms, as well as bibliographies that directly link to the library catalog. A strength is the robust quality of the articles written, while a weakness is that it is missing obscure topics. Subscription.

Encyclopedia Britannica is the oldest general knowledge encyclopedia in the English language. Written by experts and carefully fact checked and edited, this is an authoritative reference resource. Also includes images, infographics and a dictionary. Subscription.

Academic Search Complete contains 18,000+ multidisciplinary titles indexed and abstracted (16,000+ are peer-reviewed) and 9,000+ full-text publications. Strength and weakness: very broad, so searchers are likely to find results, but may be overwhelmed by quantity. INSPIRE.