Dean of the Library
225B Belk Library
Elon University
Elon, NC 27244
Sample Ideas to Research
Issues affect all communities, big and small. The Kernodle Center lists issues of importance to the local community. Some examples of other problems to research could include:
- animal rights
- community well-being
- disability services
- domestic violence
- education
- environment
- family services
- food insecurity
- health and wellness
- housing equity
- human rights
- immigrant and refugee services
- intellectual and/or developmental disabilities
- mentoring
- poverty
- social injustice
- welfare
Understanding Issues
What causes an issue to occur? What are others doing about it? As you consider different social issues and how people work around them, you may wish to delve into the problems themselves. These resources can help clarify a research topic:
- CQ Researcher & Archives This link opens in a new windowAccessible reports, written by journalists, on a range of issues. Understand background, timelines, and current assessments of topical questions concerning everything from abortion to artificial intelligence. Each report is followed up by commentary from two experts on opposite sides.
- Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new windowRead overviews of issues as diverse as homeschooling, public transportation, free trade, and more. Reports are sorted by general topic (Business, the Environment, Medicine).
- Points of View Reference Center This link opens in a new windowProvides a balance of materials from all viewpoints with main essays, leading political magazines from all sides of the political spectrum, newspapers, radio and television news transcripts, primary source documents and reference books.
- PolicyMap This link opens in a new windowElon students, staff & faculty have access.
An easy-to-use online mapping with data on demographics, real estate, health, jobs and more in communities across the US. Data is taken from more than 150 authoritative public and proprietary sources.
Researching Organizations
How do organizations try to affect a particular issue? How have they impacted their communities, and do they have the support of those same communities?
As you research organizations, these questions may help:
- What can you learn from the organization's website? Are there items such as needs assessments, community assessments, annual reports, or other publicly available documents?
- What do others have to say about the organization? Hint: it's ok to start with Wikipedia.
- Which issue does the organization try to address? For example, Habitat for Humanity tries to address both housing and poverty.
- Who are the stakeholders? Can you interview them to learn more about the needs of the organization?
- Are there other organizations trying to address the same issue? What similarities/differences are there between them?
Some general resources to find organizations and causes include:
- Better Business Bureau's give.orgFind charities and organizations across the country, read reports from the Better Business Bureau, and more.
- Candid / GuideStarFormerly known as GuideStar, this is a central hub of information about charities, nonprofits, and aid organizations.
- Charity NavigatorOffers an objective, numbers-based rating system to assess over 7,000 of America's charities. Search by charity name or cause.
- Sustainable Development GoalsThe UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) seek to bring peace and prosperity for people and the planet.
Search Term Suggestions
Not finding what you need? Try these search terms in our library system or in a search engine to find materials about different aspects of service learning and civic engagement:
- civic and citizenship
- civic engagement
- community based learning
- community based research
- community engagement
- community relations and volunteer service in higher education
- education for social responsibility
- high impact practices
- microfinance
- service learning
- social entrepreneurship
- social justice
- student volunteers in social service
- transformative learning