1. Opposing Viewpoints Sullivan University Library

2. What is Opposing Viewpoints? • Opposing Viewpoints is made up of two comprehensive, full-text databases providing differing points of view on current social issues, such as affirmative action, censorship, ecology, and mental health.

3. What is the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center? • Information may include: • Essays offering different points of view from more than 170 titles of the print Opposing Viewpoints and other Greenhaven series. • Government data, court cases, and statistics. • Organizational profiles. • Newspaper and magazine articles. • Links to subject-related web sites.

4. How to Get to the OVRC • Go to the Sullivan University Library web page at http://library.sullivan.edu • Click Articles and E-Books. • Click Login to Databases. • Using the instructions below the link, enter your login information (off-campus only). • Click Opposing Viewpoints.

5. OVRC – Critical Thinking • You can find sources by: • Performing a search • Selecting a topic from the list of popular topics

6. OVRC – Critical Thinking • A basic search allows you to search by: • Subject • Keyword • Entire document

7. OVRC – Critical Thinking • A basic search is performed by: • Placing search word(s) in the Basic Search box. • Selecting SUBJECT, KEYWORD, or ENTIRE DOCUMENT. • Clicking the blue SEARCH button.

8. OVRC – Critical Thinking • After a basic search of any type, a listing of articles (or documents) will appear. • The TAB above the results indicates what type of data the documents are.

9. OVRC – Critical Thinking • The data types from a Basic Search include: • Viewpoints • Reference • Statistics • Web Sites • Images • Other Types of Data • Magazines & Newspapers • NOTE: If a tab is grayed-out, that data type is not available.

10. OVRC – Critical Thinking • The results of a SUBJECT or KEYWORDS BASIC SEARCH also include a listing of SUBJECT TERMS on the left-side of the page.

11. OVRC – Critical Thinking • The Boolean operators: • AND • OR • NOT • …can be used in a BASIC SEARCH

12. OVRC – Critical Thinking • An Advanced Search is very similar to a Basic Search but allows you to search fields. • Fields include: • Document Title • Keyword • Subject • Place Name • Person Name

13. OVRC – Critical Thinking • To go to the Advanced Search screen, click on the blue ADVANCED SEARCH button.

14. OVRC – Critical Thinking • The OVRC main screen provides a listing of topical issues that can be selected. • This list is located beside the BASIC SEARCH box . • By clicking on an issue, you can conduct a Basic Subject Search on the selected Issue (Topic).

15. Also Available From OVRC • Toolbox: Provides outlines, worksheets, and other resources on how to choose topics and organize information.

16. Also Available From OVRC • Help Menu: Contains information about OVRC.

17. Also Available From OVRC • Several dictionaries can be accessed from OVRC. These include: • The Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary • The Merriam-Webster’s Biographical Dictionary • The Merriam-Webster’s Geographical Dictionary

18. Opposing Viewpoints in Context • Gale’s Opposing Viewpoints in Context provides an alternative interface for searching the Opposing Viewpoints databases.

19. Opposing Viewpoints in Context • Gale’s Opposing Viewpoints in Context provides an alternative interface for searching the Opposing Viewpoints databases.

20. Opposing Viewpoints in Context • Users can search find resources by Issue or do a simple keyword search. • Like Opposing Viewpoints: Critical Thinking, results are divided into Viewpoints, academic journals, and other selected formats.

21. Conclusion • The Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (OVRC) is a very useful database for information on current social issues. • Please ask the library staff if you have any questions about OVRC.