"Do your own research" is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot these days, and one of the good parts about being a college student at Southern is you have access to "the research"!
As we move into our Final Research Essay, one thing to note is that a requirement will be to find a resource that is "not online" — or in plain terms something that is not found on the internet simply by Googling around or checking websites.
However, as a student at Southern, you have access to a few different scholarly databases of published work and archives. Though you can access these databases online, they are not classified as an "online source" because they do not come from a website or news journal but an archive of scholarly articles and peer-reviewed publications.
One such database is EBSCO Host.
Use the instructions below to navigate EBSCO Host and find an research article you're interested in. (NOTE: I will have a walkthrough video for this up shortly if you'd like to wait!)
This does not have to be your choice in topic for your Final Research paper, it is simply a means of learning to navigate this service.
EBSCOHost (Southern students only — a vast Library database shared across tons of universities — lots of very good research material here — ***to access it, read below***)
1. After you click the link above, sign in with your Southern ID
2. Scroll down and click LIBRARY RESOURCE MENU
This will provide you with multiple shared databases — EBSCO Host is a general bank of good research and scholarly articles, Consumer Health Complete will provide you with health and medical-related research, and Points of View provides articles from multiple perspectives on issues
3. Click EBSCO HOST LIBRARY DATABASE SEARCH (or use another database if you prefer)
4. There will be various databases that you can use to search, but it's simplest to click "SELECT ALL" and then "CONTINUE"
5. Locate a source using the search bar just as you would on any other search engine. You won't have access to every source that's provided, but there should be many different options to choose from.
PROMPTS:
1. What is the central thesis of the source you found on EBSCO Host (or other database)? Provide a quote in in-text MLA format to substantiate your answer. — (NOTE: once you click a source, you should be able to click "CITE" on the right side of the screen to access a complete MLA citation)
2. Do you agree or disagree with the text? Why or why not? What is the most convincing aspect of the text's analysis of the subjects involved? Provide a quote in in-text MLA format to substantiate your answer.
4. Cite this source in MLA format. (NOTE: once again, after you click a source, you should be able to click "CITE" on the right side of the screen to access a complete MLA citation)
