Subject Guide to Current Issues and Controversies

Back to Guides

If you need help, don't hesitate to ask at the reference desk, or contact Reference Librarians Linda Moore or Mark Maier.

Try these encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference guides to get started. Click on the link to see the call number.
1. General encyclopedias:
     Britannica
     World Book
     Americana   All in Ref AE 5
2. Specific encyclopedias:
     Encyclopedia of Bioethics  Ref QH 332 .E52 1995
3. Facts:
     Facts on File Backfiles in Ref D 410 .F3;  recent issues online
4. Statistics:
     Statistical Abstract of the United States  Ref HA 202 .A38

Moving to the next step: finding books
1. Search in the Mossey Library Catalog under "Subjects," for example: cloning, which will also lead to the related subject heading "Human cloning."
2. To find the proper subject headings, use the Library of Congress Subject Headings, the five "big red books" near the Reference Desk. If you need help either locating or using them, just ask at the reference desk.
3. There are several hundred books on current issues and controversies in the following series. Search under "Title," for the following series:

Issues and Controversies on File
  Opposing Viewpoints Series
Current Controversies
Contemporary World Issues
The Reference Shelf
At Issue
  Ideas in Conflict

4. Use MeLCat to request books and audio-visual materials directly from other Michigan libraries over the web. Use OCLC WorldCat to search the holdings of over 3000 libraries worldwide in a single search. You will have to use interlibrary loan to obtain copies of these books.

Continuing on: the best places to find articles
Newspaper Articles
1. Newspaper Abstracts
Full-text articles and editorial opinion from 50 major national newspapers. To find editorials, choose "Advanced Search" and then choose "Editorial" from the "Article Type" pull-down menu.
2. InfoTrac Newspaper Collection
Full-text articles and editorial opinion from 150 regional newspapers.
3. Lexis/Nexis Academic
A comprehensive database of full-text articles and opinion from several hundred newspapers around the USA and from other countries.
To find editorials, choose "Lexis/Nexis "Academic" from the drop-down menu of "Featured Databases."
Go to the Guided News search form and select a news category and news source in steps 1 and 2.
Type terms related to your topic in the Keyword box, such as cloning AND ethics.
In the next box, enter opinion OR editorial OR op-ed, or any other headings under which you would expect to find opinion articles and change the pull-down list to full text.
Please keep in mind that, since news sources have varying names for editorials, this search method is not guaranteed to retrieve every opinion piece written about a subject.
4. Issues and Controversies - Facts on File: Contains up-to-date, in-depth information on the most prominent and hotly debated issues of the day since 1995.

Journal Articles
1. Click on "Find Journal Articles " from the Mossey Library homepage.
2. Choose "Subject Specific Databases" and select the database appropriate to your topic.
3. Type in your topic in the "Search for" box and press enter.
4. Click on title of article to get full bibliographic record.
5. To locate the article in Mossey Library, note the date of the article. Then click on:
"Search the catalog at Mossey Library."
6. Note where the article is located in the "Lib. Has" statement. The article may be in microform, on the current journal shelves, with the bound journals on the lowest level or it may be available electronically.

Internet Resources
1. See the Debatabase sponsored by the International Debate Education Association. This site lists pro and con arguments on dozens of topics as well as many useful links.
2. Choose CQ Weekly from the listed " Featured Databases." Excellent information on contemporary issues and controversies.