Find Evidence to Support your Opinion

Find Evidence to Support your Opinion

Scholarly Articles

You will need 2-3 scholarly articles to provide evidence for your position. Rather than searching the name of your bill, try searching for the issue the bill is addressing, such as immigration or pollution. The following are databases you can use for finding scholarly articles:

OneSearch
Use the searchbox on the library homepage, then click the option for Peer Reviewed Journals on the left side of the screen.

Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new window
An excellent starting point for any topic, Academic Search Ultimate contains nearly 13,000 academic journals, magazines, and newspapers. Content covers all subject areas with material from 1887 to the present.

Controversial Topic Resources

The library subscribes to resources that specifically focus on controversial issues, including:

Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window
Thousands of full-text viewpoint essays on current controversial topics. Also includes academic articles, statistics, news, primary sources, and more
CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
Provides in-depth reports on controversial issues. Topics include social issues, environment, science, crime, education, and more.

Newspapers

You may be able to find opinion or information articles on your bill or issue in newspapers. Try any of the following resources:

U.S. Newsstream This link opens in a new window
A great resource for current news, Proquest Newstand includes over 1,800 U.S. and international newspapers and other news sources, many in full text. Coverage from 1980-present. Major newspapers include New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, and many others.

Google News
Google News includes current news articles from a number of sources

Statistics

Statistics can be a good way to strengthen your argument. Try searching Google for your issue, along with the word statistics. The following are some good statistical sources:

US Census Data
From the Census Bureau, contains data on population, housing, economic and geographic information for the United States.
Bureau of Labor Statistcs
The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor is the principal Federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data
Data and statistics on a number of health related topics.
Data.gov
Federal open government data site. Contains data on climate, consumers, education, energy, health, and much more.
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program
The UCR Program's primary objective is to generate reliable information for use in law enforcement administration, operation, and management; over the years, however, the data have become one of the country’s leading social indicators.
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) collects, analyzes and makes available data related to education in the U.S. and other nations.
US Economic Census
The Economic Census is the U.S. Government's official five-year measure of American business and the economy.