The document provides tips for conducting research for a paper. It recommends creating keywords, exploring search tools, and listing topic words before searching. Sources to use include books, databases, newspapers, magazines, journals, blogs, and wikis. When researching, narrow sources to the most important information and create an outline before writing. Develop a thesis statement and present arguments to support it with a strong beginning, middle, and end. Restate the thesis, summarize arguments, and cite all sources used.

2.  Creating keywords will help you focus in
on your topic
 Explore Google’s more search tools
when searching your topic
 Before you begin searching create a list
of words that describe you topic
 State your topic as a question to help
you find more broad information

3.  Finding information about your topic is
the most important part of a research
paper
 There are many sources you can use as
background information
 The following slides will talk about the
sources you can use( slides 4-9)

4.  When you are starting your
research, search the online catalog by
subject for broader results
 Check for both reference and
circulating titles
 Search the catalog using your keywords
 One of the most common sources
 Books include encyclopedias which can
be very helpful sources

5.  Databases are accessed through the
internet and some require a subscription
 Databases have
newspapers, magazines, journal articles
and reference books
 You will not find the same information
through Google or other search engines

6.  Look for advance search options
 Use quotes to search phrases or two
words next to each other
 Add additional descriptors, such as such
as aa year or specific type of information
, to your keywords e.g.
"2009", "articles", "news" "statistics"

7.  Be aware of bias in reporting’s
 Newspapers, journals and magazines are
good research tools.
 Searching current world newspapers will
help you broaden your understanding as
you find various viewpoints on an issue or
topic.

8.  Most blogs have not been fact-checked
and contain information that probably
would not be considered “authoritative” by
professors or scholars
 Blogs can be used to help determine the
popular responses to current events or
modern culture
 Some blogs include links to resources or
articles they are commenting on. Be sure to
follow these back to the original source of
information

9.  "A collaborative website which can be
directly edited using only a web browser,
often by anyone with access to it.
 Wikis are not usually considered
“authoritative” or “scholarly
 Wikis allow people to share their
knowledge and expertise this is a good
thing – but the down side is that people
can also invent facts or pass off ideas as
facts on a wiki

10.  Narrow down your sources to the ones that
have the most important and most overall
information that you can use in your paper
 Highlight or make notes of the information that
you are going to use for your paper
 Create an outline, the purpose of an outline is
to help you think through your topic carefully
and organize it logically before you start
writing. A good outline is the most important
step in writing a good paper. Check your
outline to make sure that the points covered
flow logically from one to the other.

11.  Do some critical thinking and write your
thesis statement down in one sentence.
Your thesis statement is like a declaration
of your belief. The main portion of your
essay will consist of arguments to support
and defend this belief

12.  State your thesis and the purpose of your
research paper clearly. What is the chief
reason you are writing the paper? State
also how you plan to approach your
topic. Is this a factual report, a book
review, a comparison, or an analysis of a
problem? Explain briefly the major points
you plan to cover in your paper and why
readers should be interested in your
topic.

13.  This is where you present your arguments
to support your thesis statement.
Remember the Rule of 3, i.e. find 3
supporting arguments for each position
you take. Begin with a strong
argument, then use a stronger one, and
end with the strongest argument for your
final point.

14.  Restate or reword your thesis. Summarize
your arguments. Explain why you have
come to this particular conclusion.

15.  Give credit to the sources you have used
 Create a bibliography using either APA
or MLA which will cite your sources (cites
that will help you with this are easybib
and refworks)
 Cite your sources throughout your paper
using either the APA or MLA format (go
to Umass.edu then click citing sources for
help with this)

16.  Citing Sources: MLA and APA Style Guides." UMD Web Site -
UMass Dartmouth. Web. 07 Dec. 2011.
<http://www1.umassd.edu/specialprograms/info_lit/cite.html>.
 "Citing Sources: MLA and APA Style Guides." UMD Web Site -
UMass Dartmouth. Web. 07 Dec. 2011.
<http://www1.umassd.edu/specialprograms/info_lit/cite.html>.
 "The Seven Steps of the Research Process |
Olinuris.library.cornell.edu." Olin & Uris Libraries |
Olinuris.library.cornell.edu. Web. 07 Dec. 2011.
<http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/skill1.htm>.
 "Top 10 Tips for Effective Research." The University of Chicago
Library. Web. 07 Dec. 2011.
<http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/using/instruct/tips.html>.
 "Top 10 Tips for Effective Research." The University of Chicago
Library. Web. 07 Dec. 2011.
<http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/using/instruct/tips.html>.