Evaluating & Finding All Types of Sources

To find interesting articles on current issues, search for articles in the publications linked below.

If articles are behind a paywall, see if we own the publication in our Journal Search. 

Articles on current Issues: (TIP: try searching for your topic and the name of a publication using Google)
National Review,

Wall Street Journal,

The Atlantic,

The New York Times,  

Reason, 

Psychology Today 

The Economist 

For Christian perspectives and issues, try these:

First Things,
The Lamp: Catholic Magazine of the Arts, Literature, Science

Christianity Today,

Relevant,

The Gospel Coalition, 

Christ & Pop Culture,

US Council of Catholic Bishops Issues Statements

For ethical and family-related issues, try:

Discovery Institute

Heritage Foundation

Family Research Council

Ethics & Public Policy Center

Focus on the Family

For education issues, try:

James G. Martin Center for Educational Renewal, 

Fordham Institute, 

Chalkboard Review,

The Grade, 

Chronicle of Higher Education,

Sold a Story (Science of Reading),

Inside Classical Education

Education Week

Hechinger Report

History & The Arts
Claremont Review of Books

Smithsonian Magazine

The Rest is History

The Imaginative Conservative

Christianity Today Book Reviews

The New Criterion Book & Culture Reviews

The Times Literary Supplement

For political & cultural issues, try these influential think tanks:

Ethics & Public Policy Center (Religious approach to current issues)

Manhattan Institute (Conservative) and City Journal

AEI See "Centers" (Conservative/libertarian)

Cato (Libertarian)

Pew Society (Non-partisan)

Brookings (Non-partisan/liberal)

Hoover Institution (Conservative/libertarian)

Be aware that each organization has a certain worldview or political goal and also that Google boosts certain sites. To find articles from a certain point-of-view, try Googling your topic plus the name of a publication. If you run into a paywall, use the Journal Search to see if we own the publication. Don't pay for an article!

Also try influential Think Tanks and the websites for non-profits like political advocacy groups, churches/denominations, universities, museums, and public archives. Here is our library page on think tanks & policy organizations. 

Check the political leanings of a think tank or publication at All Sides bias checker. Also, look for sixteen indicators of bias.

Databases for Finding a Topic & Pro-Con Articles
 

To learn what is being discussed in our culture or find current events & opinions, "popular press" articles are where it's at. Use Google to look up your topic just to see what pops up, and also use Google to search for the name of a publication (such as those suggested below) plus your topic. 

Try opinion, feature, & news articles in publications like National Review, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The New York Times,  Reason, and Psychology Today for political and cultural issues.

It's important to try different perspectives. For example, National Review is conservative while Reason is libertarian and The Atlantic is progressive. Google will often emphasize certain political perspectives, which is why it's helpful to search by publication title plus your topic to ensure you get different perspectives.
 

For Christian perspectives & issues, try magazines online:  First Things, Christianity Today, Relevant, The Gospel Coalition, Charisma, and Christ & Pop Culture.

Recommended Library Tools:

• Browse the "front pages" of newspapers and magazines online as a way to find a good issue to research, and get LibKey Nomad to easily link back to our databases when you hit a paywall.
• Also browse our Factiva database & click "Switch Factiva" for the "front page" newspaper experience for WSJ, NYT, & WaPo with full access to articles. 
• Look through CQ Researcher database or procon.org on the web for collected articles on both sides of issues.
• Visit our popular magazines section in the front of library. 
• If you can't find the article you need through the library, email a librarian (use the Ask a Librarian page) or our ILL/Fulfillment Services, or fill out a from-scratch ILL (inter library loan) request form (see above).