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Background Research to Find a Topic
Getting started with picking a topic can be a challenge, and one way to make it easier is to start by reading. You can think of a general subject that interests you and do some background reading on that subject. As you read, you can narrow the focus of what sparks your curiosity.
One way to get started with initial background reading is by browsing news sources and branching out from your regular go-to sources. Cal Maritime Library provides access to several news options. Let's try out a few of them from the box below.
Maritime News Online
Several maritime publications have websites where you can get a quick sense of what's happening in the maritime world - and maybe get inspiration for a research assignment!
- The Maritime ExecutiveMaritime news with an executive focus.
- Professional MarinerThis website for Professional Mariner magazine, "Journal of the Maritime Industry," provides news items. The printed magazine is available at the Library.
- gCaptainThis blog aggregates maritime news and provides commentary. Provide your email to get daily updates.
Browse Current News
Cal Maritime subscribes to the following publications. You should NEVER have to pay for articles. The links below are not the same as going to the website or searching via Google. Use your Cal Maritime ID and password for off campus access to databases.
- New York TimesBrowse the World, Business or other sections for ideas of current topics. To register for full access, go to www.nytimes.com/passes & log in with your Cal Maritime email for an academic pass.
- The EconomistWe have full access to The Economist, you can browse by issue/date or search for specific articles or topics.
- The Washington PostYou can browse by date/issue or search by title or topic. This is as current as yesterday.
- NPRA non-profit media organization providing simple facts, analysis and in-depth reporting.
- C-SPAN Video Library This link opens in a new windowAn open access collection of over 228,000 hours of programming. The Video Library records all three C-SPAN networks seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. Programs are extensively indexed.
Finding a Topic
Try out some of these library subscription databases and websites to read more about current events and issues impacting the world.
Library Subscription Databases for current events & global topics
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new windowContains original, comprehensive reporting and analysis on issues in the news including health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, the environment and the economy.
- CountryWatch This link opens in a new windowComprehensive and regularly updated reports on every country.
Websites for current events in science, society and government
- Science NewsExplore news from all fields of science, written for non-scientists.
- ProConRead pro and con arguments for and against controversial topics (free access)
- Congressional Research ServiceThis collection provides the public with access to research products produced by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) for the United States Congress. The products in this collection were created for the sole purpose of supporting Congress in its legislative, oversight, and representational duties. (free access)
- Pew Research CenterThe Pew Research Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan and nonadvocacy organization that conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, and other data-driven social science research. Topics covered include: U.S. politics and policy; journalism and media; internet, science and technology; religion and public life; Hispanic trends; global attitudes and trends; and U.S. social and demographic trends.
Online Reference Books for background information and historical context
- Britannica - Academic This link opens in a new windowCombining Encyclopædia Britannica plus Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, magazines and periodicals, Britannica - Academic provides reliable sources needed when conducting thorough collegiate research
- Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new windowFull text of over 100 reference books on all subjects.
Research in Steps
1. Plan: You need a topic and some good keywords
2. Search library databases. Your topic determines which databases you should search.
3. Read what you find.
4. Extract new search terms and a better understanding of your topic.
5. Repeat until you've got what you need. You should get closer with each iteration.
Spinning your wheels and getting nowhere?
See your librarian to adjust your research strategy.