Research Guides: The Paranormal: Explore and Refine

Explore & Refine

Explore Your Topic
Refine Your Topic

Explore: View of Paris, France and the Eiffel Tower from afar. Before you develop your research topic or question, you'll need to do some background research first.

Find background information in:

Your textbook or class readings
Encyclopedias and reference books
Credible websites
Library databases

Try the library databases below to explore your topic. When you're ready, move on to refining your topic.

Search for background info:

Credo Reference
Collection of over 600 full-text reference books that cover thousands of topics including art, business, medicine, sociology, technology, and much more.
Points of View Reference Source
Contains more than 380 core topics, each with an overview (objective background / description), point (argument) and counterpoint (opposing argument).
Psychology Database
Clinical and social psychology articles on topics such as genetics, psychology of business and economics, communication, criminology, addiction, neurology, social welfare, and more.

Refine: Up close view of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France Now that you've done some background research, it's time to narrow your topic.

Remember: the shorter your final paper, the narrower your topic needs to be.

To narrow or refine your topic, ask yourself...

Is there a specific subset of the topic you can focus on?
Is there a cause and effect relationship you can explore?
Is there an unanswered question on the subject?
Can you focus on a specific time period or group of people?

Try filling in the blanks in the following sentence, as much as you can:

I want to research _________ (what/who)

and ________ (what/who)

in __________(where)

during _________(when)

because _________(why).

Search Examples

"the paranormal"
"the paranormal" AND "the supernatural"
ghosts OR spirits
parapsychology NOT spiritualism
(ghosts OR apparitions) AND hauntings
"occult sciences"

Off-Campus Access

The username and password to access databases from off campus is the same as what you use to access the PCC portal (myPittCC) and Moodle. DO NOT include the last part of your email address (@my.pittcc.edu) in the username. Generic logins are available to community residents with PCC library cards, and others who are enrolled in or are affiliated with PCC programs and continuing education courses. Have questions? Ask us!