Embedded Resources: SNC

On campus? Visit the JWU Writing Lab at either the Center for Academic Support at Downcity or Harborside for fast and easy help with assignments. Whether you're just getting started or need final editing advice, peer-to-peer and professional writing coaches are super kind and trained to help you at any stage of the writing process. For in-person tutoring, help with accommodations for students living with disabilities, and study-skills workshops, contact the Center for Academic Support, via USucceed in jwulink, Academics tab.

Top Tips for Working with the Writing Lab:

1.    Open 9 am - 9 pm.
2.    Walk-ins welcome; appointments strongly recommended.
3.    Book an appointment by phone: 401-598-1309
4.    Book an appointment online via USucceed: in jwulink, click Academic tab.

Did you know you can also submit your paper online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to Smarthinking for seriously awesome feedback within 24 -48 hours?  It's FREE!  Look for the link in jwulink, under the Academic tab, under Tutoring.

Wondering how to get started on your research paper?  No worries!  Your first challenge is to choose an interesting topic, and then focus in on the most fascinating angle.

Pro-Tip: Start with Academic Search Complete

Use Academic Search to search for articles on specific angles for your Cause & Effect research paper. For example, if your topic is "Texting while Driving", use the search box to find popular or scholarly articles on "Texting while Driving", along with your angle, such as a "Texting Ban" or the role of "alcohol".

• Enter in your basic search terms, such as "Texting while Driving"
• Limit to Full Text, so you can read articles online
• Check News, Magazines or Scholarly/Peer Reviewed for academic articles
• Scroll down the first page of articles, and click on the most interesting one
• Click on one of the Subject Terms (they're hyperlinked) and see where it takes you!

Use Opposing Viewpoints to search for controversial articles on specific angles for your research paper. For example, if your topic is "Environmental Impact of Tourism", use the search box to find different points of view on Eco-Tourism.  Looking at both sides of a topic makes whatever side you take even stronger, because you can argue a more balanced point of view.

Pro-Tip: Choose Browse Issues to choose from legit hundreds of topics.​

Looking for credible statistics? Use Statista for fast, compelling statistics to cite in your paper.  Statistics on 60,000 topics in just a click of a button!

Looking for research?  We can help!

Academic Search Complete

This is a great place to start:  

• Scholarly/ Peer Reviewed articles
• Trade Publications
• Magazines and News articles 
• Company Information 
• Statistics

Pro-Tip: Click Full Text on the left hand side so you can read everything online right away, and look for the Cite button on the right hand side to copy and paste citations (and save a ton of time!)  

CQ Researcher

Reporting & analysis of issues in the news

Opposing Viewpoints

Need research on controversial topics?  This database is your friend.  Support your point of view on a controversial issue with facts and statistics from primary and government documents, photos, and magazine & newspaper articles which have already argued your case.

Pro-Tip: Choose Browse Issues to choose from legit hundreds of topics.

Statista

Looking for statistics to quote, FAST?  Check out this awesome database!  Just toss in your search term, and you're good to go. 

Using Google can be really helpful when you're doing research, especially if you use these quick tips!

1. Change the "Domain"​

• Looking for Government information?  Use .gov in your search
  • If you search "Statistics on the economy" site:gov, you'll find government sites focusing on the economy, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Looking for Education resources?  Use .edu in your search
  • If you search "statistics on the economy" site:edu, you'll find academic sites focusing on the economy, such as articles from colleges and universities.
• Looking for Non-Profit research?  Use .org in your search
  • If you search "statistics on the economy" site:org, you'll find non-profit sites focusing on the economy, such as the United Nations Statistics division.

​2. Put your search in "Quotes"

• If you're searching for more than one word, use quotes to search as a phrase.
  • ​EX:  "Student Loans"

3. Google Scholar

• A Google Scholar search will bring you lots of academic results, and it is a great place to start.  
  • If you can't read the articles online, let us know and we'll find the Full Text for you!

Did you know you can copy and paste citations if you use the library's databases?

1. Save time -  look for the "Cite" Button or " " icon.

2. Scroll to the style you need (MLA, APA)

3. Copy and paste the full citation into your paper

Ta Da!  You're done!  Well, almost.  Sometimes weird formatting issues happen, so always double check your work.

Need help with in-text citations or more complicated citations?  Use the OWL!  It's super easy, and totally simple. This is also a really good time to make an appointment with a writing tutor to make sure your paper is totally perfect and all your citations are good to go.

Working on your Annotated Bibliography?  We can help!

An annotation is super simple - basically, it's a few sentences about the kind of source you're using.  Our friends at the OWL have some awesome, detailed tips!

An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation. Therefore, an annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources. Depending on your project or the assignment, your annotations may do one or more of the following.

1. Summarize: Some annotations merely summarize the source. What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say? The length of your annotations will determine how detailed your summary is.

   For more help, see our handout on paraphrasing sources.

2. Assess: After summarizing a source, it may be helpful to evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source?

   For more help, see our handouts on evaluating resources.

3. Reflect: Once you've summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?

Your annotated bibliography may include some of these, all of these, or even others. If you're doing this for a class, you should get specific guidelines from your instructor.

Welcome to First-Year Reads!  This year we are incredibly honored to welcome memoirist and non-fiction writer, Grace Talusan to JWU Wed, Sept 26th at 7 pm in Schneider Auditorium. Attendance earns extra credit. A Pilipino native and teacher of writing at Tufts University and Grub Street in Boston, Talusan recently won the 2017 Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing for Nonfiction for her new book, “The Body Papers.”

Talusan completed her undergraduate work at Tufts University, where she currently teaches writing, and her MFA at the University of California - Irvine.  Her research interests include Fiction, Narrative Non-Fiction, Expository Writing, and Asian American Studies.​

        Looking for the First-Year Reads links?  

        My Father's Noose, by Grace Talusan

        Alien Hand, by Grace Talusan

​        The Thing is, I'm Undocumented, by Grace Talusan

        How to Cross the Street in Manilla, by Grace Talusan

         For more information, explore Grace Talusan's other writings, via her portfolio.

The following articles explore themes addressed in Grace Talusan's piece, How to Cross the Street in Manilla. For more information, contact Sarah Naomi Campbell, librarian at Downcity at scampbell@jwu.edu or via our Ask a Librarian chat service on the library's homepage.

Photo 4/25/15 Victoria, Tarlac; PhillippinesL Gracve Acela Gamalinda Talusan looks out the window of her family home in Victoria, Tarlac Province on March 28, 2015.  (Photo by Alonso Nichols)

4/24/15 – Victoria, Tarlac; Philippines: Grace Acela Gamalinda Talusan looks out the window of her family home in Victoria, Tarlac Province on March 28, 2015. (Photo by Alonso Nichols)

WEI-JUE, HUANG, et al. "Diaspora Tourism and Homeland Attachment: An Exploratory Analysis." Tourism Analysis, vol. 18, no. 3, May 2013, pp. 285-296. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3727/108354213X13673398610691.

Abstract: Diaspora tourism refers to the travel of people in diaspora to their ancestral homelands in search of their roots or to feel connected to their personal heritage. Whereas most tourists become attached to a destination after repeat visits, the tourist-destination relation in diaspora tourism is unique because tourists with immigrant origins often feel connected to the people, culture, and heritage of the destination before actually visiting the place. This study explores the relationship between second-generation immigrants' attachment to their ancestral homeland and their journey back "home," focusing on whether or not the second generation could feel at home in their parents' country of origin versus their current country of residence.

Miller, Matthew J., et al. "Racial and Cultural Factors Affecting the Mental Health of Asian Americans." American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, vol. 81, no. 4, Oct. 2011, pp. 489-497. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.2011.01118.x.

Abstract In this study, we employed structural equation modeling to test the degree to which racism-related stress, acculturative stress, and bicultural self-efficacy were predictive of mental health in a predominantly community-based sample of 367 Asian American adults. We also tested whether bicultural self-efficacy moderated the relationship between acculturative stress and mental health. Finally, we examined whether generational status moderated the impact of racial and cultural predictors of mental health by testing our model across immigrant and U.S.-born samples. Results indicated that our hypothesized structural model represented a good fit to the total sample data. While racism-related stress, acculturative stress, and bicultural self-efficacy were significant predictors of mental health in the total sample analyses, our generational analyses revealed a differential predictive pattern across generational status. Finally, we found that the buffering effect of bicultural self-efficacy on the relationship between acculturative stress and mental health was significant for U.S.-born individuals only. Implications for research and service delivery are explored.

Park, So-Youn, et al. "The Impact of Acculturation and Acculturative Stress on Alcohol Use across Asian Immigrant Subgroups." Substance Use & Misuse, vol. 49, no. 8, July 2014, pp. 922-931. EBSCOhost, jwupvdz.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=95790253&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Abstract: Acculturation and acculturative stress are examined as predictors of alcohol use among Asian immigrants, using the 2004 National Latino and Asian Americans Survey (NLAAS). Separate regression analyses were conducted for Chinese ( n = 600), Filipino ( n = 508), and Vietnamese ( n = 520) immigrants. Alcohol use varied for the three groups. English proficiency was associated with drinking for all groups. Family conflict was associated with drinking for Chinese immigrants. General acculturative stress and discrimination were associated with drinking for Vietnamese immigrants. Results underscore acculturation and acculturative stress as being contributors to alcohol consumption, and the importance of considering the heterogeneity of Asian immigrants in research on their alcohol use.

The following articles explore themes addressed in Grace Talusan's piece, The Thing Is, I'm Undocumented. For more information, contact Sarah Naomi Campbell, librarian at Downcity at scampbell@jwu.edu or via our Ask a Librarian chat service on the library's homepage.

Crawford, Emily R. and Fernando Valle. "Educational Justice for Undocumented Students: How School Counselors Encourage Student Persistence in Schools." Education Policy Analysis Archives, vol. 24, no. 98, 03 Oct. 2016. EBSCOhost, jwupvdz.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1116760&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Abstract: School counselors are critical intermediaries in K-12 schools who can help students from undocumented immigrant families persist in school. Yet, a dearth of research exists about their advocacy work, or the range of efforts they make to support unauthorized youth. This paper asks, (1) what challenges do counselors face and strive to overcome to promote undocumented students' persistence in school?; and (2) what strategies do counselors use to encourage students to persist? Data come from an embedded case study with seven school counselors and a family intervention specialist in two Texas school districts on the U.S.-Mexico border. The findings revealed that two of participants' biggest challenges in terms of student persistence--and their strategies to help--related to complexities arising from students commuting across the border to school and students' transient living situations. Despite participants networking on behalf of students and families, forming partnerships and seeking services for students and families, counselors recognized limits to their efforts. Policies impeded their assistance, and events that were out of their control inhibited them from potentially acting as empowering agents for students in critical ways. While counselors can develop strong, trusting school-student partnerships to encourage student persistence, more research must explore how school leaders can act as empowerment agents and build capacity to serve newly arrived or undocumented families.

Serna, Gabriel R., et al. "State and Institutional Policies on In-State Resident Tuition and Financial Aid for Undocumented Students: Examining Constraints and Opportunities." Education Policy Analysis Archives, vol. 25, no. 18, 27 Feb. 2017. EBSCOhost, jwupvdz.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1134297&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Abstract: In this article, we examine policies related to in-state resident tuition and state financial aid policies aimed at undocumented students. To help frame the discussion and spark further debate and research in this area the article seeks to do three things. First, it provides a comprehensive review of state and institutional in-state tuition policies aimed at undocumented students as well as state college or university system responses. Second, it charts the policy landscape for state financial aid access for this population. Third, it examines the numerous implications that such policies engender and highlights the role of the federal government and the proposed Dream Act in mitigating some of these concerns. It closes by underscoring the important financial role played by the critical interaction of state, institutional, and federal policies in making college going a reality for these students while proposing avenues for future study around the issue.

Hsin, Amy and Francesc Ortega. "The Effects of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals on the Educational Outcomes of Undocumented Students." Demography, vol. 55, no. 4, Aug. 2018, pp. 1487-1506. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s13524-018-0691-6.

Abstract: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is the first large-scale immigration policy to affect undocumented immigrants in the United States in decades and offers eligible undocumented youth temporary relief from deportation as well as renewable work permits. Although DACA has improved the economic conditions and mental health of undocumented immigrants, we do not know how DACA improves the social mobility of undocumented immigrants through its effect on educational attainment. We use administrative data on students attending a large public university to estimate the effect of DACA on undocumented students’ educational outcomes. The data are unique because they accurately identify students’ legal status, account for individual heterogeneity, and allow separate analysis of students attending community colleges versus four-year colleges. Results from difference-in-difference estimates demonstrate that as a temporary work permit program, DACA incentivizes work over educational investments but that the effect of DACA on educational investments depends on how easily colleges accommodate working students. At four-year colleges, DACA induces undocumented students to make binary choices between attending school full-time and dropping out of school to work. At community colleges, undocumented students have the flexibility to reduce course work to accommodate increased work hours. Overall, the results suggest that the precarious and temporary nature of DACA creates barriers to educational investments.

The following articles explore themes addressed in Grace Talusan's piece, My Father's Noose.  For more information, contact Sarah Naomi Campbell, librarian at Downcity at scampbell@jwu.edu or via our Ask a Librarian chat service on the library's homepage.

Fréchette, Sabrina, et al. "What Is the Link between Corporal Punishment and Child Physical Abuse?." Journal of Family Violence, vol. 30, no. 2, Feb. 2015, pp. 135-148. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s10896-014-9663-9. 

Abstract This study aimed to contribute to the literature on corporal punishment by examining the link between spanking and child physical abuse. First, we examined the extent to which individuals who experienced spanking in childhood were at greater risk of also experiencing physical abuse by their parents. Second, we examined various parenting and family factors that could distinguish between spanking that occurred within and without a physically abusive context. A sample of 370 university students completed a questionnaire on disciplinary experiences at age 10. Results suggested that individuals who indicated having experienced spanking during childhood were at greater risk of also having experienced physical abuse. Among individuals who indicated having experienced spanking, greater spanking frequency, perceptions of impulsiveness in parental discipline, and reports of physical violence between parents significantly increased the risk of physical abuse. This research contributes to the growing evidence on the risks associated with child corporal punishment.

Gershoff, Elizabeth T. and Andrew Grogan-Kaylor. "Spanking and Child Outcomes: Old Controversies and New Meta-Analyses." Journal of Family Psychology, vol. 30, no. 4, June 2016, pp. 453-469. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1037/fam0000191.

Abstract Whether spanking is helpful or harmful to children continues to be the source of considerable debate among both researchers and the public. This article addresses 2 persistent issues, namely whether effect sizes for spanking are distinct from those for physical abuse, and whether effect sizes for spanking are robust to study design differences. Meta-analyses focused specifically on spanking were conducted on a total of 111 unique effect sizes representing 160,927 children. Thirteen of 17 mean effect sizes were significantly different from zero and all indicated a link between spanking and increased risk for detrimental child outcomes. Effect sizes did not substantially differ between spanking and physical abuse or by study design characteristics.

Ip, Patrick, et al. "Mental Health Consequences of Childhood Physical Abuse in Chinese Populations." Trauma, Violence & Abuse, vol. 17, no. 5, Dec. 2016, pp. 571-584. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/1524838015585317.

Abstract: Childhood physical abuse (CPA) can lead to adverse mental health outcomes in adulthood, but its potential impact on Chinese populations is still unclear. This meta-analysis is the first to examine the association between CPA and mental health outcomes in Chinese populations. The detrimental effects of CPA on mental health outcomes in Chinese populations were comparable to, if not more than, the West. Contrary to the Chinese belief that physical punishment is a safe way to discipline children, our findings highlight the potential harm to mental health and the need to change this parenting practice.

The following articles explore themes addressed in Grace Talusan's piece, Alien Hand.  For more information, contact Sarah Naomi Campbell, librarian at Downcity at scampbell@jwu.edu or via our Ask a Librarian chat service on the library's homepage.

Roberts, Kim P., et al. "Challenges Facing East Asian Immigrant Children in Sexual Abuse Cases." Canadian Psychology, vol. 57, no. 4, Nov. 2016, pp. 300-307. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1037/cap0000066.

Abstract: In this article, we outline the ways in which East Asian children, compared with Western nonimmigrant children, are at a particular disadvantage when considering prosecution of those who perpetrate abuse. We focus specifically on 3 areas of concern: (1) cultural differences that can shape children's memory recall, (2) cultural differences that can impact the path of disclosure of sexual abuse, and (3) language differences that reduce the chances that perpetrators will be prosecuted for sexual abuse. The consequences for East Asian immigrant youth who allege (or are suspected) that they are victims of abuse are serious. East Asian children face an uphill battle to see justice in sexual abuse cases. Thus, a significant portion of immigrant children will not see their abusers punished, and, worse, the knowledge that prosecution is unlikely may make East Asian immigrant children vulnerable.

Kanukollu, Shanta N. and Ramaswami Mahalingam. "The Idealized Cultural Identities Model on Help-Seeking and Child Sexual Abuse: A Conceptual Model for Contextualizing Perceptions and Experiences of South Asian Americans." Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, vol. 20, no. 2, Mar/Apr2011, pp. 218-243. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/10538712.2011.556571.

Abstract: In this paper, we propose an interdisciplinary framework to study perceptions of child sexual abuse and help-seeking among South Asians living in the United States. We integrate research on social marginality, intersectionality, and cultural psychology to understand how marginalized social experience accentuates South Asian immigrants' desire to construct a positive self-identity. Using model minority ideology as an example of such a construction, we highlight its role in silencing the topic of child sexual abuse within this immigrant community as well as its impact on attitudes towards professional mental health services. We contend that our framework, the idealized cultural identities model on help-seeking and child sexual abuse, provides a unique analytical model for clinicians and researchers to understand how South Asian Americans process, experience, and react to child sexual abuse.

Dasgupta, Shamita Das. Body Evidence : Intimate Violence against South Asian Women in America. Rutgers University Press, 2007. EBSCOhost, jwupvdz.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=201682&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Abstract: When South Asians immigrated to the United States in great numbers in the 1970s, they were passionately driven to achieve economic stability and socialize the next generation to retain the traditions of their home culture. During these years, the immigrant community went to great lengths to project an impeccable public image by denying the existence of social problems such as domestic violence, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, mental illness, racism, and intergenerational conflict. It was not until recently that activist groups have worked to bring these issues out into the open.In Body Evidence, more than twenty scholars and public health professionals uncover the unique challenges faced by victims of violence in intimate spaces... within families, communities and trusted relationships in South Asian American communities. Topics include cultural obsession with women's chastity and virginity; the continued silence surrounding intimate violence among women who identify themselves as lesbian, bisexual, or transgender; the consequences of refusing marriage proposals or failing to meet dowry demands; and, ultimately, the ways in which the United States courts often confuse and exacerbate the plights of these women.

Did you know that the Providence Public Library is AMAZING and only two blocks away from Downcity?  They have thousands of books, films, audio books, music, and special collections that will terrify and intrigue.  Seriously.  It's awesome and totally 100% free!

Check it out at Providence Public Library

You can learn all about how to get your own super sweet Providence Public Library card here