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Economics Debate Project

Welcome to the Economics Debate Project Research Guide!

Economics research may present different challenges than the research process you are used to in your previous classes. Economists, politicians, and social scientists produce a lot of information, and sorting through it to find useful information can be difficult. Here are a few tips to help you get started. 

  • Where should I start?: In general, you have three options: a specific country (ex: United States), an event (ex: the Department of Education freezing student loan payments through September 2021), or an issue (ex: student debt). You will probably touch upon all three eventually in your research, but one of these will be your first way in.
  • Read carefully. As you read news articles, reports, blogs, and so on, look for words that will point you in the right direction for other research (i.e. "A recent World Bank research report states..." Make a note to go and find that World Bank research report).
  • Bibliographic Mining. Look at the bibliographies of the sources you already have. This is a great place to find additional sources that might be relevant and helpful.

Don't know your library number? Send an email to Ms. Oldham!
Need help finding OR figuring out a source? Send an email to Ms. Oldham!
Confused about citations? Send an email to Ms. Oldham!

Image: HKL microfinance credit officer Leng Vuthy with client Am Tron, who uses a loan to grow vegetables, Cambodia. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.

reference databases

popular press : news sources

All members of the Chapin community free digital access to the New York Times.
Here is how to set up your account for the first time or renew your existing account:

  • Visit to nytimes.com/passes and create an account using your Chapin email address
  • Then, open your email and look for a confirmation email from the Times (be sure to check your spam folder if nothing arrives within 5 minutes)
  • After clicking the confirmation message, select the appropriate descriptor (Student) and graduation year 
  • Your registration is now complete!