How many sources are expected or required? Is the final project a paper or a multimodal (creative) project? How long should your final product be? Are there minimums for the types of sources (ie: print versus web-based)? How long do you have to work on your research? What resources are available for you to conduct your research (for example, customized databases, reserved library books, etc)?
Many instructors will provide you with a list to choose a topic from: if you have such a list, circle 3-5 topics that jump out at you. If you have time, look them up online and see if you feel genuinely curious about one of the topics. Rank your top 5, as you may not be able to use your first choices if others in your class have already “claimed” them. If your topic selection is wide-open, brainstorm a list of potential topics within the parameters of the assignment. If you are not given parameters, you may have to come up with them on your own; you can assume, for example, that if you’re in a biology class, your research topic will have to do with biology. If you are assigned parameters, such as “research an endangered species,” you should be able to find a list and select a specific animal, such as the cheetah.
If the research project is simply a factual report about an endangered species, you will want to present as much information as you can about the animal, its habitat, and influences on its livelihood. If your research project is an essay about a controversial topic, you’re likely to need to take a position and persuade your audience towards your position. For example, an essay about the effectiveness of juvenile imprisonment would likely require you to take a position on the issue.
For example, the topic “imprisonment in the US” is extremely broad, as it covers a range of issues and life stages as well as a large geographical area. Instead, limiting the scope of your research to “juvenile imprisonment,” “post-prison reintegration into society,” or “prison conditions at Rikers Island in NY” will lead to a more focused project.
For example, your research question for the cheetah as an endangered species could be either “why is the cheetah endangered?” or “how can we save the cheetah?” For example, your research question for an essay about juvenile imprisonment could be “is juvenile imprisonment effective?” or “what is a more effective solution to juvenile delinquency than imprisonment?”
It is best to talk to your teacher early in the research process, soon after the project is assigned. If you were given 2 months to work on a research project and you wait until the week before it is due to approach her, she may not be as enthusiastic about helping you select a topic.
If you are searching for sources about the endangered species cheetah, your search terms may be “cheetah,” “endangered,” “habitat,” “climate change,” “grasslands,” “fur trade,” and “conservation. ” If you are searching for sources about juvenile imprisonment, your search terms may be “juvenile,” “youth,” “imprisonment,” “prisons,” “juvenile delinquency,” “effectiveness of imprisonment,” and “detention. ”
For example “juvenile detention” (with quotation marks) would give you sources that use the terms together as a phrase, while juvenile detention (without quotation marks) would yield results for both “juvenile” and “detention” separately. For example, you may want to search prisons AND juvenile to ensure sources talk about both terms. For example, you may want to search cheetah NOT girls to exclude the Disney movie Cheetah Girls from your search about cheetahs.
If customized research aids are not available, you should still consult the library’s databases. Often, the sources in the databases are legitimate academic sources that are appropriate for an academic assignment.
Common search engines use some limiters, but often the Boolean operators do not work effectively.
Ask for a few specific starting points (don’t let them overwhelm you further with a long list of research sources) and let your research “snowball” on its own. You’re likely to find that once you get started, it will become easier to find and evaluate sources, find the research you need, and move forward with your research project.
You can take notes by hand by putting them in a research notebook or put individual facts on index cards. Be sure to indicate the source when you write the notes; you might want to number your sources and place the number from the source next to the piece of information/research. You can also take notes on the computer by copying and pasting source material into a word processing document. Be sure to keep track of what source information came from; you may want to provide a link to a source and a citation, then place research from that source below the citation.
Some information that is considered common knowledge, like facts that are found in many different sources such as dates of birth scientific names, do not need to be cited. However, when in doubt, cite it out!
Who published the source? What seems to be the goal of the publication? Is the source objective or academic? If an organization produced the source, is it a nonpartisan and fair organization? If an individual wrote the source, do they have any credentials listed? Some sources to avoid include: blogs (which are almost entirely opinion-based), sites that are trying to sell you something, sites with excessive (and obnoxious) advertisements, and sites from biased or questionable organizations. Sources that tend to be better include: government sources, peer-reviewed academic journals, big-name newspaper articles (but not opinion sections or letters to the editor), national nonprofit organizations, university-affiliated sources, and scientific organizations.
Consider using the “five finger test:” go to one page of the source. For each word that you don’t recognize or understand, put a finger up. If you get to all five fingers up before the end of the page, stop and find a new source.
Be sure that you format your reference page in the appropriate style. If your assignment does not specify, ask your teacher or librarian which style would be appropriate for the subject area.
Write your information on index cards, with one fact or quotation on each card. [8] X Research source Type information and quotations on separate lines in a word processing program so that you can move the items around. Print out your typed research and physically cut each piece of research into strips that you can move around.
For example, if you are writing about juvenile imprisonment, you may group your information into “causes,” “short-term effects,” “long-term effects,” “alternatives,” and “education. ” For example, a research project on cheetahs may be grouped into “habitat change,” “species information,” “conservation efforts,” and “future predictions. ”
I. Predictors of juvenile imprisonment. A. Race and Ethnicity Factors 1. “Direct quotation” (source 1) 2. Facts and figures (source 4) 3. Additional data (source 2) B. Family Situation 1. Data on parental imprisonment (source 2) 2. Data on economic status/poverty (sources 3 and 4) Note: the numbered sections in the example above would be your actual research items from your index cards or other research method.
