TSEM102: Virtual Worlds and Society: Impacts of Online Interaction (BRAMAN)

Powerpoint slides from the first library session.

Worksheet from the first library session.

 Powerpoint slides from the second library session.

 Worksheet from the second library session.

This database contains many articles (some scholarly) from a variety of disciplines and is useful for discovering what research has been done about virtual worlds. Search for "virtual worlds" to get an idea of the variety of research that is available. This can help you choose a topic.

To retrieve articles from scholarly journals, check the

checkbox.

Use the Find It button to check other databases for the full-text of an article.

These videos may give you some ideas of topics you would like to research.

This database covers a variety of disciplines, making it a great place to start your research on most subjects related to virtual worlds. From here, you may decide to use one of the discipline-specific databases listed below.

To retrieve articles from scholarly journals, check the Scholarly (Peer-Reviewed) Journals checkbox.

Use the Find It button to check other databases for the full-text of an article.

Use this database to find articles related to business aspects of virtual worlds. Topics include user behavior, virtual world design, virtual economies, and collaboration.

Subjects: virtual reality, shared virtual environments, virtual work teams

This database contains research articles related to new communication technologies, like virtual worlds. Most articles in this database come from journals in the communication studies discipline. Topics include learning, social interactions and communication in VWs.

Use this databases to find articles about how virtual worlds are used within education. Topics include virtual worlds as an instruction uses, simulation, pedagogy, and impact on learning.

Subjects: virtual reality in education, computer simulation, shared virtual environments

Use this database to find scholarly articles related to the social aspects of virtual worlds. Some topics covered in here include identity, criminal behavior (deviance), friendships/relationships, and social interactions.

Subject terms: virtual reality, virtual communities, computer simulation

This database indexes computer science journals and is useful for exploring various aspects of virtual worlds from a more technical standpoint. Topics include user behavior, virtual economies, and virtual world design.

This database contains the full-text to 27 IEEE magazines and transactions, as well as a growing collection of conference proceedings.  The advanced search option is recommended for searching this database.

Be sure to use the Advanced Search.  There is also a Guide to the Computing Literature, which will allow you to browse for articles by subject, rather than having to search.

Search high quality resources on the web using the Library's Custom Search Engine.

Web resources that are appropriate for a research paper are different than what you might use in everyday life. This page offers guidance for searching the web, including criteria for evaluating information found on the web. If you are using web resources, follow these criteria to determine if the resources you've found are appropriate for a research paper.

You can use WorldCat TU to find a lot of different types of resources, but it is best for finding books.  It will find items that we have here at Towson, as well as books available at other University System of Maryland (USMAI) libraries, and books from all over the world.  The books available at Towson will show up first in your search results.

After searching, be sure to use the filters on the left side to refine your search by topic, date, or format (i.e. books, articles, etc.).

Get the call number and location information for the item in order to find it in the Library.  For books owned by USMAI libraries, use the 'Request Item' button to get it.

This database contains a large number of ebooks on various topics in computer science, information systems, and technology. Searches can be performed at either the title level or the chapter level. The full text of all books are available and searchable.  Try a simple search for virtual worlds to see what is available.

Use this site to learn more about plagiarism, including tips on how to detect and avoid it.

This is a great reference to use when putting together your citations.  Remember, the final authority for your citations is your professor.