NFS 3116 Community Nutrition: Starting Your Research
Course Guide for NFS 3116. This is a great starting place for research!
Agriculture Librarian
Randa Lopez Morgan
She/Her
Additional Help
Been a while since you have researched? We have some awesome tutorials to help clear away the cobwebs.
Other useful and informative "How-Tos" can be found on our "How-To" page.
- Open Access Author Fund PilotOpen Access (OA) Author Fund Pilot is designed to heighten the visibility and accessibility of LSU scholarship and to support faculty, staff, and graduate students who choose to publish in open access journals that require author-fees for accepted manuscripts. It is intended for authors with limited sources of funding for open access publication charges.
Starting Research
Researching a topic can be a difficult process but it doesn't have to be. There are steps you can take to make your research process easy and stress free. Much like how you can't build a house without a solid foundation, you can't begin researching unless you have a good, solid foundation of information.This is a good time to begin figuring out what you want your topic to be and researching the context of what your topic is about. Come up with a list of keywords that you want to search and use the links below to help you find out information about your topic.
- CQ Researcher Plus Archive This link opens in a new windowA database of in-depth, authoritative reports on a full range of political and social-policy issues extending back to 1923. Each report is footnoted and includes an overview, background section, chronology, bibliography and debate-style pro-con feature, plus tools to study the evolution of the topic over time.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Look up general (but reliable) information on every prevalent disease and condition from ADHD to Zika Virus. Find data and statistics on common prevalent diseases/disorders, such as overweight, obesity, foodborne illness, cancer, and diabetes. Can also look at statistics on health behaviors including breastfeeding, alcohol use, and physical activity.
- Commodity Supplemental Food ProgramThe Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) works to improve the health of low-income persons at least 60 years of age by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA Foods. USDA distributes both food and administrative funds to participating states and Indian Tribal Organizations to operate CSFP.
- EFNEPEFNEP is a Federal Extension (community outreach) program that currently operates through the 1862 and 1890 Land-Grant Universities (LGUs) in every state, the District of Columbia, and the six U.S. territories – American Samoa, Guam, Micronesia, Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA/NIFA), EFNEP uses education to support participants’ efforts toward self-sufficiency, nutritional health, and well-being.
- FDA FoodFDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.
- Food Distribution Program on Indian ReservationsThe Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) provides USDA Foods to income-eligible households living on Indian reservations and to Native American households residing in designated areas near reservations or in Oklahoma. USDA distributes both food and administrative funds to participating Indian Tribal Organizations and state agencies to operate FDPIR.
- Meals on Wheels AmericaMeals on Wheels America is the leadership organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior isolation and hunger. This network serves virtually every community in America and, along with more than two million staff and volunteers, delivers the nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks that enable America’s seniors to live nourished lives with independence and dignity.
- National Agriculture LibraryThe National Agricultural Library (NAL) is one of five national libraries of the United States. It houses one of the world's largest collections devoted to agriculture and its related sciences. The Food and Human Nutrition topic area houses information on assistance programs to dietary guidelines to food composition information and so much more.
- National School Lunch ProgramThe National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day.
- Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition ProgramThe Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) is designed to provide low-income seniors with access to locally grown fruits, vegetables, honey and herbs. It increases the domestic consumption of agricultural commodities through farmers' markets, roadside stands, and community supported agricultural programs. The program also aids in the development of new and additional farmers' markets, roadside stands, and community support agricultural programs.
- SNAP-EdSNAP-Ed is an evidence-based program that helps people lead healthier lives. SNAP-Ed teaches people using or eligible for SNAP about good nutrition and how to make their food dollars stretch further. SNAP-Ed participants also learn to be physically active.
- Summer Food Service ProgramThe Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally-funded, state-administered program. SFSP reimburses program operators who serve free healthy meals and snacks to children and teens in low-income areas.
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)SNAP offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities. SNAP is the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net.
- USDA: Food and Nutrition ServiceThe Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) are agencies of USDA’s Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services.FNS works to end hunger and obesity through the administration of 15 federal nutrition assistance programs including WIC, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and school meals.
- Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk.
Agricultural Support Librarian
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