Books
Use NUcat (the
online catalog) to identify books that the library has, as well
as journal titles, microfilm, videos, and other catalogued
material. Books are excellent sources of overviews and substantial
material on a particular topic. NUcat will also tell you whether material
is in the main library or in another Northwestern University library.
Reference Resources
Reference resources are good ways to get basic and background information on a topic. These resources could include encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, etc., and may be in print or electronic. Most subject encyclopedias will also provide a short bibliography or works referenced after each entry.
Encyclopedia of Bioethics. 2004. 3rd edition. New York: MacMillan Reference USA
Call Number: Main Reference (Encyclopedia Case) 174.2 E56 2004
Encyclopedia of Ethical, Legal, and Policy Issues in Biotechnology. 2000. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Call Number: Main Reference 174.96606 E56
Encyclopedia of Ethics. 2001. 2nd edition. New York: Routledge
Call Number: Main Reference 170.3 E56 2001
Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics. 2005. Detroit: MacMillan Reference USA.
Call Number: Main Reference 503 E564
Medical Ethics: Codes, Opinions, and Statements. 2000. Washington D.C.: Bureau of National Affairs
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Online versions of subject encyclopedias from many different disciplines.
Selected Databases
Use databases to track down articles in journals.
Articles usually have a specific focus, are relatively short, and
are relatively current. Some databases, particularly the general
ones, ofteninclude the full text of the article.
General/Multidisciplinary Databases
Academic OneFile
Academic
Search Premier
Specialized or Subject Databases
CQ Researcher (current events)
General Science Abstracts
Medline
Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS)
Sociological Abstracts
Current News Databases
Access World News (full text newspapers and news magazines)
LexisNexis
Academic (full text newspapers and news magazines)
Find
other databases
by subject.

When searching article databases,
use this button to find the full article.
- If we have access to online full-text in any of our databases
it will link to it.
- If we don't have full-text online but have a print copy on
our shelves it will give you the call number.
Internet Resources
American Medical Association: Medical Ethics
Cite your material
in a standard format
Citation
Style for Research Paper: APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, etc.
Online!
Citation Styles
Reference Help
NU Library's Main Reference Department contact page
Jason Kruse
Reference Department
Email: jkruse@northwestern.edu
Office phone: 847.491.2171
Reference desk phone: 847.491.7656 |