CQ Researcher: Browsing for Topic Ideas

CQ Researcher is a collection of in-depth and fact-checked reports on pressing domestic and international issues. Watch the video to learn how to browse topics in CQ Researcher. 

Access CQ Researcher

1. From the USU Libraries homepage, go to Find > Articles and Databases.

2. Find CQ Researcher by selecting C next to Search for a database. 

3. After clicking C, scroll towards the bottom of the page and select CQ Researcher and CQ Global Researcher. 

4. On the CQ Press page, choose CQ Researcher.

Begin Your Search

1. On the home page, browse topics by either scrolling down the page to choose from one of over 25 broad Topics, choose the Hot Topics tabs for a selection of issues that have been in the news, or see all reports with the Browse All CQ Researcher link.

2. Select a topic that interests you. In this example, we chose Arts, Culture & Sports from the Topics tab.

3. Selecting a topic allows you to see a list of reports related to that field. As you are browsing the list, be aware of the date the reports were published.

Reading a Report

1. Click on a report title that looks promising. In this example, we chose Fast Fashion.

2. The reports are quite long. You can scroll through it, or use the On This Page box on the right side to jump to different sections.

3. Besides the Introduction, the Current Situation, Outlook, Pro/Con, and Bibliography sections can be especially helpful in deciding on a topic and angle for a research paper.

Save your Work

1. In the top right corner of the report, there are tools to help you to save or use the report.

2. Select Share for an option to email the report to yourself.

3. Select Download PDF to save a copy of the report to your device.

4. To save or share a link back to the report page, select Get Link rather than the web address at the top of the page. (The address bar link may not be reliable for returning to this report later.)

5. To get formatted citation information, select Cite, choose the citation style you need, and copy the citation to your clipboard. Note: Generated citations may need to be edited. See our Citation guide for more information, or ask a librarian!