A Guide to Researching
Doing research and writing a paper will be a task that your will be asked to do a number of times throughout your educational experience. Here are some quick and easy steps to follow that may make this research process easier and more efficient.
1. Identify your topic. Before ever beginning your research you should have a clear idea as to your topic. Be specific. Know exactly what you want to find information about. The following sites may help you to narrow down a topic:
Librarian's Index to the Internet http://lii.org/
Hot Paper Topics http://library.sau.edu/bestinfo/Hot/hotindex.htm
Persuasive Research Questions http://www.valencia.cc.fl.us/lrcwest/kaysmith.html
Hot Internet Topics http://infodome.sdsu.edu/research/guides/hot/list.shtml
2. Develop a Thesis Statement. This is the question you are trying to answer in your research or the idea you are trying to defend. Developing this statement will help you to focus your research so you will only gather the information you really need. A good thesis statement will usually include the following four attributes:
* take on a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree
* deal with a subject that can be adequately treated given the nature of the
assignment
* express one main idea
* assert your conclusions about a subject
Take a look at the Thesis Statement page
for a good explanation for the need of a thesis statement.
Some examples are: Competitive sports are unhealthy. Women's
increased participation in the work force has harmed society. The Palestinians
should have their own country. Milk consumption is harmful. Here
is a good site to help you with the development of a strong thesis statement.
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/thesis.html
The Persuasive Research Questions site http://www.valencia.cc.fl.us/lrcwest/kaysmith.html
has other examples of these kinds of statements. Check the following web page
How to tell a strong statement from a weak
one
3. Identifying Sources of Information. Determine all the possible sources of information that you might use for your research and try to narrow them down to the best possible choices. Would web sites have the info you need? Books? Data bases? Specific people?
4. Locate and collecting information. There are many sources of information. It is your job as a researcher to identify the type of source that will work the best for the information you are trying to find. Take a look at the Works Cited information, #8 below, so you will know what you will need to complete the citation for the sources you use. Four major sources are:
Periodicals such as magazines and newspapers. These can be accessed through the high school or public library. Many magazines have online versions such as Newsweek, Time, U.S. News. You can find online versions of many newspapers as well and links to other news sources.
Online databases. The high school library subscribes to a number of very useful online databases which can be accessed from school or from home. See the following web page for links to these tools: Databases. The Kitsap Regional Library also has a large number of online databases available to those with a library card. Many colleges and universities have large numbers of databases such as the University of Washington.
Internet. Search engines are useful tools for finding good information on the Internet. However, some are better than others. Take a look at the following site for help in identifying the most useful search engine tool for your research. http://NuevaSchool.org/%7Edebbie/library/research/adviceengine.html The BHS Library Learning Links page lists a variety of web sites for many topics. A good online "library" is the Internet Public Library and the Librarians' Index to the Internet.
Books. Books specific to your topic can be found in the BHS Library and the public libraries in the area. The BHS library catalog can be accessed from the BHS Library link found on the BHS High School home page. The Kitsap Regional Library and the Seattle Public Library are also great sources for books on your topic.
Often times you are required to find Primary Sources to support your thesis. Primary Sources are first hand accounts of an event such as diaries, historical documents, letters, speeches, interviews, etc. These can be found in libraries and online. The following web sites have a number of links to good Primary Sources:
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/PrimarySourcesOnTheWeb.html
http://www.uidaho.edu/special-collections/Other.Repositories.html
5. If you use Internet sites in your research evaluate the sites you find. There are many great sites on the Internet for virtually any topic. There are also many that are not accurate or unbiased such as http://www.improb.com/airchives/paperair/volume1/v1i1/barney.htm, http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus.html or http://www.fulkerson.org/ancestors/buyanancestor.html Take time to evaluate the sites you are viewing. Here is a quick evaluation tool to help you. http://www.bainbridge.wednet.edu/docs/bhs/staff/mroe/Web Research/Website Evaluation.htm Also, be sure to bookmark, copy or write down the URL for the sites you use for inclusion in your Works Cited page.
6. Collect the information. Engage you sources by reading, listening, viewing depending on the source. Record the information that is relevant to your thesis by taking notes, recording to tape, etc.
7. Writing the paper or presenting the information. This step is often the easiest. The standard format of: 1. A good opening paragraph, slide, etc. or section that states your thesis or main argument; 2. Supporting paragraphs, slides, etc. or sections with specific examples; and 3. A concluding paragraph, slide, etc. or section that summarizes your main points works well. The following web page will help you with this process: http://www.infoplease.com/homework/t6roughdraft.html
8. Works Cited. This
is an alphabetical listing of all the sources you used in your paper.
The format varies depending on the source. The following web page will
provide examples for every type of resource you might use: Works
Cited
Here are some links to other useful sites:
Citing Internet Sources: http://www.classroom.com/community/connection/howto/citeresources.jhtml
MLA Documentaion fo Sources: http://www.valenciacc.edu/library/west/research/doc_mla_electronic.asp
EasyBib.com:http://www.easybib.com
9. Writing Annotated Bibliographies. Sometimes you may be asked to create annotated bibliography for each of the sources you use in your research. An annotated bibliography for a source includes: 1. the Works Cited information (see #8 above), 2. a brief summary of the source and 3. an evaluation of it's usefulness to your research. The following web site contains good directions for creating annotated bibliographies: Purdue University Online Writing Lab