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ENG 103/201: Composition

This guide will introduce you to the steps of the research process and resources relevant to College Reading & Writing students.

Starting your Search

There are a ton of different ways to start your search. Here are just a couple.

  • The main search box. This is a search aggregator that searches almost all of our databases, catalog, and subscriptions, but not everything. It's a broad search that casts a wide net. You can imagine this like going shoe shopping on Amazon, with tons of different sellers to sort through.
  • The subject guides. These are curated lists of resources put together by UNCW librarians for a particular class, topic, or major (you're on one right now). These usually include subject databases, book collections, and websites that will be relevant to that area. You can imagine this like going shoe shopping at the mall, with a select group of sellers in one place.
  • The databases list. This is a list of all of our database subscriptions. If you're looking for a specific database (like JSTOR, Web of Science, or Access World News), you can find it here. We also have databases sorted by type, like Newspaper Resources and Reference Resources. You can imagine this like going shoe shopping at Vans, only buying shoes directly from one seller.

Below is a list of resources that will be most helpful as you do your research. Databases are often pretty specific, so which you'll want to use will depend on your topic. If you're ever in doubt, ask a librarian!

Databases are also just 'bases' where 'data' live; some of that data is the full-text of an article, while sometimes it's just the abstract. We do have access to millions of sources, but we don't subscribe to everything. That said, we can get you access to just about anything pretty quickly. If you see a source that looks perfect but we do not have the full-text, visit the Interlibrary Loan link at the bottom of this page to request it!

Subject Guides

Popular Sources

This is just a small listing of newspaper, magazine, and trade publication database subscriptions you have access to through UNCW. Use the tutorial below to locate a specific title!

Scholarly Sources

This is an assortment of broadly useful databases for finding peer-reviewed journal articles (among other things). To find a subject-specific database, refer back to the Subject Guides!

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)