Points of View Reference Center

SEARCHING POINTS OF VIEW

Points of View Reference Center is a library database that gives you material on a variety of controversial subjects, from censorship to outsourcing to violence in the media.

In Points of View, you will find "Point" and "Counterpoint" essays arguing both sides of a controversial topic. The database also contains magazine and newspaper articles, book chapters, radio and TV news transcripts, primary source documents, and more. However, the coverage in Points of View is rather limited, so students are strongly recommended to use this database mainly as a starting point to gain a better understanding of opposing arguments. Other databases in your subject area will have more complete and more scholarly material.

Here is what Points of View looks like when you first log in:

You can either choose a topic from the list, or use the Find box to search for a topic that interests you.

Results List

When you select a topic, or use the search function, you will see a list of results displayed like the one below. Notice the tabs from left to right listing All Results, Points of View, Periodicals, Newspapers, and so on. Each tab give you access to a specific kind of information on your topic.

Here is a description of what you will find under each tab.

• All Results gives you a long list containing every type of resource in all of the tabs
• Points of View provides overviews of your topic and point/counterpoints argumentative essays
• Periodicals contains articles from magazines and journals like Newsweek, National Review, Foreign Affairs, etc.
• Newspapers retrieves articles from newspapers across the United States
• Books contains information on your topic from published books
• Biographies gives you information on important people involved in your topic
• Radio & TV News Transcripts provides interview, analysis, and other info from new broadcasts
• Primary Source Documents include the text of laws, Supreme Court briefs and opinions, Congressional testimonies, historical documents, and other types of firsthand material on your topic. Primary source documents can help you trace the development of an issue and give you the chance to directly analyze important material yourself.
• Images are photographs, complete with explanatory caption, source, and date
• Videos contain comprehensive material from trustworthy sources like Video Encyclopedia of the 20th Century

Subject Terms - Narrowing Your Search

As you search in Points of View, you will often see in the left-hand column links that allow you to narrow your search, to focus on a particular aspect of your topic.