How to Choose a Topic
 

• Unless pre-assigned by your professor, choose something that interests you.
  
  
• Choose a focus that fits the assignment. Is it a five- or a twenty-page paper? Is your topic too narrow or too broad for the size of the project?
  
  
• If you need assistance choosing a topic, try the ProQuest Topic Guide (you will have to log in to view this document).
  
  
• Identify the main concepts of your topic. Generate a list of key search terms for each concept (see below).
  
  
• Using a dictionary may help you come up with key search terms. You will find these two dictionaries in the Reference Section of the Alvin Sherman Library:
  • McGraw-Hill Dictionary Of Scientific And Technical Terms.
    Q123 .M15 2003
  • Dictionary Of Computer Science, Engineering, And Technology.
    QA76.15 D5258 2001
    
    
• There are several useful online tools you can use to try and find IT terms and/or synonyms:
  • Whatis.com: The leading IT encyclopedia and learning center: http://whatis.techtarget.com/
  • Roget’s II The New Thesaurus: http://www.bartleby.com/62/

Activity #1

1. Enter your topic:
   

2. Enter your key search terms:
   

How to Find Journal and Newspaper Articles:
 

• Start with a general interest database, such as Research Library, Expanded Academic ASAP, or Reader's Guide Full Text, which can be found in the alphabetical listing of databases.
  
  
• A subject search is usually more focused than a keyword or text search. Start with a keyword search (in ProQuest, Citation and Article Text; in Reader's Guide and Expanded Academic, Keyword), then try using the subjects assigned to the records you retrieve to focus your search.
  
  
• If you find one article that focuses well on your topic, check out the references or works cited at the end of the article. The referenced articles are usually a great resource for further research and study.
  
  
• To find other databases for your topic, consult the databases by subject area.
  
  
• Is your article from a scholarly journal or a popular magazine? Try our help sheet on Distinguishing Sources.
  
  
• If the full text of your article is available in the database you are searching in, a link will be provided to print or email the full text. If not, you can search across all databases using the Full-Text Journal Title Search. Simply type into the search box provided the title of the journal, newspaper, or magazine. If the title is available full text in any of NSU's databases, a link to that database will appear on the page. Click on the link to proceed to the full-text database, then type in the information from your citation in the search boxes provided.
  
  
• If no electronic full-text is available for your article, you may do a Title search in NovaCat to see whether the NSU Libraries own a print version of the journal, newspaper, or magazine.
  
  
• If an article you need is not available full text online nor in NovaCat, the article can be ordered through the Document Delivery/Interlibrary Loan Department.

Activity #2

• Access one of the following databases from the Electronic Resources Database List at http://www.nova.edu/library/eleclib/:
  • Research Library (ProQuest)
  • Reader's Guide Full Text (WilsonWeb)
  • Expanded Academic ASAP (Gale)
• Using one or all of your key search terms from Activity One, perform a Keyword search.
• Find an article that is NO MORE THAN 5 years old.
• Print or Email one article related to your topic by following the instructions within the database.
• Enter the article information below:

How to Cite Articles Retrieved from Online Databases

Journal and newspaper articles that are retrieved full text online need to include a retrieval statement in the citation.

For example:

Tunon, J. (2003). Innovations in robotics. Frontiers of Research, 32(2), 22-45. Retrieved October 1, 2003, from Wilson Web Applied Science Full Text database.

For additional examples of how to format journal and newspaper articles obtained online from NSU databases and/or other NSU resources, take a look at http://www.nova.edu/library/dils/lessons/apa/