We recommend that you start your research with library databases for several reasons:
1) They are consistent in describing publications; you don't have to worry about finding a citation that's missing a volume or page number.
2) They are clear about what they do - you know the time period covered, the journal titles included, etc.
3) They usually have clear links - via the Article Linker button - to the online full text that USM Libraries has purchased.
4) Contrary to what a lot of people think, there is a lot of information that isn't on the open web. And some of that information IS in our subscription databases.
These indexes and databases help you identify journal articles and other publications relevant to your research topic.
If you need background/overview, try CQ Researcher.
If you are hoping for articles that take a position or lay out the controversy, try Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
If you have no idea which discipline is the best match, you want multidisciplinary sources, or you're just not finding anything in a single database, try Onesearch
Watch this video to better understand how to get the full-text of an article, when you see the article linker icon.