Finding Topics & Background Sources - EXSC 3050 - Pasley - Library Research Guides at Georgia Gwinnett College

Background / Topic Databases

Look at background materials to find key terms for your topic

and identify important people, organizations, and points of view.


Credo Reference	Oxford English Dictionary

Opposing Viewpoints	Global Issues in Context

The Merck Manual (Professional Edition)	Points of View Reference Center

Credo Reference Online This link opens in a new window
Full-text online reference service.
Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
Guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words from across the English-speaking world.
GALE in Context: Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window
Includes pro/con viewpoints, reference articles, interactive maps, infographics, and more.
GALE in Context: Global Issues This link opens in a new window
Global perspectives on issues of international importance and current world events and topics in the news.
The Merck Manual (Professional Edition) This link opens in a new window
The Merck Manuals Professional Edition offers trusted, concise and correct discussions of diagnosis and therapy. Content is updated monthly to keep current with changes in medical care.
Points of View Reference Center This link opens in a new window
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.