Hot Paper Topics
Web links on common student research topics organized by a librarian.
The Annenberg Public Policy Center (AAPC)
"APPC conducts ongoing research in the areas of political discourse, children and media, the Internet, and health communications." Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania.
Brookings Institution: Research Topics Brookings Institution is an independent nonprofit research organization.
Frontline
Frontline is a PBS television series that explores issues in public affairs. Each program since the 1995-96 season has a companion web site including a transcript, in-depth reports, and viewer comments.
The Gallup Organization
This web site includes the results of opinion polls conducted in the United States. Much of the information is free, but there is also a premium subscription area.
Public Agenda Online
Through public opinion polls and in-depth reports, Public Agenda seeks to inform legislators about public points of view and to educate citizens about policy issues. Overviews of critical issues and arguments for different sides of the issue are included as well as opinion polling results and statistics.
Documents in the News
This site is produced and maintained by the University of Michigan Documents Center. The site identifies issues making headlines and provides web sources with additional information.
Fedstats
Links to statistics from over 100 U.S. federal agencies.
USA.gov
"The U.S. government's official web portal" provides access to government information at all levels.
Wikipedia can be a good place to start your research when you know nothing about a topic. Occasionally, you can even find good sources among the References and External Links listed on Wikipedia pages -- where the Wikipedia authors found out their information.
However, it is rarely acceptable to use Wikipedia as a source in an academic paper. Ask your instructor if you are unsure.
