Use Acorn to look for books on your topic. Books can provide in-depth coverage of a topic, background information, and can lead readers to other related research and reference sources. Tips for using Acorn are below. Use databases to locate articles. Articles provide current information, will cover specific topics, can be scholarly or popular and are generally not found for free on the internet. Additional sources of information for debate topics can be found in places such as government documents, political action group policy statements, think tanks, and statistical sources.

Opposing Viewpoints
Access viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper article. Topics include social issues, such as Gun Control, Genetic Engineering, Censorship, Endangered Species, and Terrorism. It takes its name from the Opposing Viewpoints print series located in the Reference Room on Bookcase #1.

Pro/Con Online
Pro & Con includes excerpts of pro and con statements (1) by members of Congress, representatives of international organizations or other countries, and interest group representatives, and (2) from Supreme Court briefs. Covers civil rights and the judiciary, economic and environmental policy, government and politics, and foreign policy. Each issue covers a single topic and features both sides of a single issue. Provides full-text access to the Congressional Digest, International Debates, and Supreme Court Debates.

CQ (Congressional Quarterly) Library
Included in this database are: CQ Researcher, comprehensive reporting and analysis on issues in the news. background and historical developments, the current situation, and the outlook for possible future developments; CQ Weekly news magazine that covering Congressional committee and floor activities, political campaigns, lobbying, and executive and judicial activities; CQ Public Affairs Collection primary source materials, statistical overviews, directory contact information, and web links on public policy issues; and CQ Historic Documents primary sources covering current events around the world from 1972 to present.

PAIS International (Public Affairs Information Service)
Current events, public policy issues, and the social sciences in general--including economic and social conditions, government and politics, and international relations. Indexes a broad range of materials--books, pamphlets, and publications of the U.S.  government and of international organizations as well as scholarly journals and opinion magazines.

America History & Life
Contains almost 500,000 records for English-language journal articles and book titles dealing with American and Canadian history and culture. Abstracts relevant articles from about 1,700 journals and provides citations to book reviews and to dissertations.  Social issues in a historical perspective.

ProQuest
Provides indexing, abstracts and selected full text or full images of articles in a wide range of magazines and journals. It includes general interest and news publications as well as selected scholarly journals.

  Use Acorn to locate books in the Vanderbilt collection.
  The default search in Acorn is a Keyword or WORDS anywhere search.
  Tips:
  - Narrowing a search: Connect different concepts with the word AND. Example: adoption AND race
  - Broadening a search: Use the truncation symbol ($) to pick up variants of a terms. Example: child$ will retrieve items with the terms: child's, children, children's, etc.
  - Connect similar concepts with the word OR. Example: (race OR interracial) and adoption

It may be necessary to try several searches, varying your key terms and combinations each time, in order to produce a  manageable list of relevant items.
Click on the DETAILS button to see more information about the book, including the Library of Congress subjects used to describe it. These subjects will often give you other terms to use in another search.  Or, click on the subjects to launch a new search.

Centers for Research & Policy Development List of think tanks, research and policy centers compiled by Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Statistical Resources
Sources include the the Statistical Abstract of the U.S., World Development Indicators, crime statistics, and much more.

Government Information
Government agencies, data, policy, regulations and more.

Issues and Controversies (Facts.com)
Collections of articles on controversial topics.

Popular Debate Topics
List of topics with resources compiled by Vanderbilt Librarians.

Opinion Polls
Gallup Brain has 100,000 questions--and millions of Americans' responses on current topics and issues.
iPoll Question-level summary data from public opinion polls from major survey research organizations.
Polling the Nations Questions and responses from national, state, local and special public opinion polls.