3. Choosing a Topic
• Clarify your assignment
• Use idea books to find a topic of interest
• Ask a librarian for guidance
• Pick something of interest to you
• Do a literature review to see how much
information is available
4. Develop a Strategy
• Jot down an outline of your thesis and
supporting points
• Take notes from sources that support your
thesis and fit your outline
• Diagram
5. Finding Sources
• Library Web Page
– Books & E-Books
– Articles & Databases
– Web Sites
• Other libraries
• Societies, associations
6. Evaluating Sources
• Different Types of Sources
– Popular vs Scholarly
– Primary vs Secondary
• “4 Cs” of Evaluating Sources
7. Popular: Magazine
• Secondary source
• By reporters for
general audience
• “Eye candy”
• Little or no
documentation
• Advertisements
8. Scholarly: Journal
• Primary source
• By scientists for
scientists
• Jargon, tables, text
• References &
footnotes
9. Primary Source
• Author as direct participant/observer of
research project or event
• Raw data
• Evidence without interpretation or analysis
beyond that provided by observer
• Examples: diaries, letters, journals, surveys,
autobiographies, statistics, court records
Source: Bolner, Research Process, p. 54-55
10. Secondary Source
• Analysis, interpretation, explanation, or
restatement of a primary source
• Often use primary sources to prove a point
or persuade reader of a certain opinion
• Examples: dictionaries, encyclopedias,
textbooks, and books and articles that
interpret or review research works
Source: Bolner, Research Process, p. 55
13. Sample Book Citation
Author. Title. Place of Publication: Publisher,
Date of Publication.
Hacker, Diana. Research and Documentation
in the Electronic Age. 3rd ed. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002.
15. Research Assistance
• Ask a librarian for
assistance
• Use handbooks to
learn about doing
research
16. Works Cited Today
Bolner, Myrtle S. and Gale A. Poirer. The Research
Process: Books and Beyond. 2nd ed, rev. printing.
Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 2002.
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: Modern
Language Association, 2003.
Hacker, Diana. Research and Documentation in the
Electronic Age. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2002.
Editor's Notes
Library web site is crucial starting point. Take a look for an overview of library services and collections.
Sure, you might know the difference between a magazine and a journal, but what if the visual cues are not there? What if you are only looking at an electronic version of the article?
Important differences between Magazine & Journal to remember when using electronic sources, since the visual cues are not there, only text. Link to ProQuest: search on American Revolution– show tabs for scholarly, magazine, newspaper, etc.
