English 101 - Research Yourself 

  SFCC Library Homepage http://library.spokanefalls.edu/

Book & Video Catalog

Connects you to a catalog of materials at SFCC and Spokane Community College (SCC) and E-books.

Articles & Databases - (Magazine/Journal/Newspaper Indexes and Reference Books & E-books Online)

Connects you to full-text articles from newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals such as Academic Search Complete, Proquest , CQ Researcher & Opposing Viewpoints

Internet Resources  Connects you to academic Internet subject directories and SFCC favorite Subjects

 Citing Sources   Links to MLA and APA formatting for bibliographies

Getting started

You can "pre-search" your topic in general or specialized encyclopedias. Encyclopedia articles often have a history and a summary of previous research done on your subject. Encyclopedias should never be the only source for your research. Remember unique information from Wikipedia must be verified by at least one other reputable source. 

General Encyclopedia http://library.spokanefalls.edu/onlinereference/index.stm

Encyclopedia Britannica Online. to search on campus to search off-campus  

Specialized Encyclopedias Online http://library.spokanefalls.edu/onlinereference.stm

Alternative Energy   Articles written by scientists

Biotechnology: Changing Life Through Science 

Climate Change in Context

Gale Encyclopedia of Children"s Health: Infancy through Adolescence

The librarian can make suggestions either in person or via Qwidget (the chat box on the homepage).

Why can't I just use Wikipedia?  Like other encyclopedias Wikipedia is usually a good source for looking up a quick fact or finding some general background information on a topic. Unlike other encyclopedias authors of Wikipedia articles have names like: Anonmoos, Mrvain68, and billobob.  Authors are sometimes very passionate about their subjects and may not be educated or objective.  One other issue is that Wikipedia articles can easily be changed by anyone quickly for a short period of time.     

 In many ways Wikipedia is a social network; check out these Wikipedia authors:  Vincecate;  ReelExterminator