Where Do I Find Statistical/Background Information?

1. Search the MxCC Library Catalog for print reference books including factbooks, almanacs and encyclopedias.

+ Tip: On the Basic Search screen, select "Book" from the "Limit To" drop-down menu. Sort by date in the results list to see the most recent titles.

2. Search the awesome e-reference databases found under 'Find Articles' - Reference Databases. These include Credo and Gale Virtual Reference.

3. Use our Recommended Websites to find quality information on your topic.

4. If you choose to search the web on your own, remember to evaluate websites for accuracy and currency.

+ Search Tip 1: Consider which organization(s) would be interested in researching your topic. For example, if your topic is 'affordable healthcare', a government agency or insurance association might be interested in tracking the scope of the problem. Limit your google search by site:gov or site:org (ex: healthcare site:gov). Site:edu is another great limiter.

+ Tip 2: If you find a website that is particularly useful and you want to search for web pages with similar content, limit your Google search by related:website address (ex: related:www.census.gov).

+ Tip 3: Try using a web subject directory such as Google Directory or Yahoo Directory where you can drill down your topic to specific websites. (you'll still need to evaluate what you find)

5. Look at the bibliographies (references) included within the text and at the end of the scholarly articles you find during the course of your research. What organizations are mentioned? What additional sources of info can you find?