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How to Research for a Debate Using Library Resources: Newspapers and Magazines

Recommended resources for researching a debate topic

Why Should Debaters Keep Up with the News ?

Debates that are focused on rapidly developing geopolitical situations and ongoing international conflicts require very recent evidence. Acquiring a wide perspective on current affairs through a variety of news sources will contribute to your ability to build cases.  

Periodicals and Journals at the New York Public Library: An Overview

The New York Public Library provides access to thousands of periodicals and journals in multiple languages, from across the United States and the globe. These resources cover the time span from the 17th century to the present day. These periodicals and journals are accessible in many formats: electronic, microfilm, and in print by visiting a New York Public Library location.

This guide provides instruction on finding and accessing journals and periodicals at the New York Public Library in any format, whether you are searching for a specific title or searching by subject matter.

Newspapers: Historical & Current

Newspapers are great primary resources to research historical and current events. The New York Public Library provides access to thousands of Newspapers from the 17th century to the present day, in multiple languages.

Current US Newspapers

The New York Public Library provides access to U.S. newspapers from hundreds of cities across the country. To explore more U.S. newspapers as well as regional city newspapers visit the PressReader database.

Finding Online Journals, Newspapers, Periodicals and Scholarly E-Books

The Find E-Journals and E-Books by Title Page is the best place to locate journals in electronic format and scholarly e-books.

  • Searching and Browsing: This page allows you to search by:
    • Title or ISSN/ISBN
    • By journals only, books only, or both
    • You can also browse by letter or subject
  • Searching for Periodicals: Although the title of the page says "journals" this page will help you find electronic versions of journals, newspapers, and other periodicals. When you find the title of the serial you are looking the description will display:
    • The date coverage
    • The database the serial is in
    • Whether the database is available remotely or onsite only
  • Searching for Scholarly E-Books
    • If you are looking for books by scholarly publishers or text books this is the place to do. Many of these books you will not find in NYPL's other e-book applications, such as Simply-E, Overdrive or 3M because they are part of collections specifically curated for different research topics.