Developmental Writing: Need a topic?

General encyclopedia

Over 25,000 entries on a variety of topics. The database contains various images, offers brief biographies as well as information in a variety of subject areas. Updated annually, the encyclopedia provides students with easy-to-read encyclopedic entries written specifically for kids.

Topics are divided into categories and link to other university topic pages, creating a vast collection of ideas for papers, debate and/or research

Your best resource for research in American government, politics, history, public policy, current affairs, and data analysis for the social sciences.

Search millions of bibliographies and find links to the resources other students have used on a variety of topics.

Pro/con articles (found under "Viewpoints") on controversial issues such as abortion, obesity and guns. These articles can give you topic ideas and feature dozens of references of which the news sources can be freely accessed online. Your search in this database may also retrieve relevant news, magazine, and scholarly journal articles.

Contains many topics, each with an overview (objective background/description), point (argument) and counterpoint (opposing argument). For each topic, this database also offers a Guide to Critical Analysis, which helps the reader evaluate the controversial topics. Includes over 1,300 main essays, leading political magazines from all sides of the political spectrum, newspapers, radio & TV news transcripts, primary source documents and reference books. The database also offers guides for writing position papers, developing arguments and debating.

Covers social, political & economic issues, and other topics with controversial opinions and views.