2. Research: Diligent and systematic inquiry or investigation into a
subject in order to discover or revise facts, theories, applications, etc.
Basically, gathering factual information on a subject that you wish to
become more knowledgeable about
Consists of primary and secondary sources
Ends with drawing a conclusion, usually answering a question posed
on the topic
Critical thinking is used throughout the whole process!
What is research?
http://dictionary.reference.com/
3. Critical Thinking: The mental process of actively and skillfully
conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating
information to reach an answer or conclusion
Essentially, using reason and questions to make well thought out and
logical judgments
So, what is critical thinking?
http://dictionary.reference.com/
4. First, pick a topic that interests you(if a topic is not already supplied
for you, that is)
Then, using critical thinking, form a question that you want to answer
after conducting your research
Can be as simple or broad as “Who was William Allen White?”
Can be as complex and narrow as “What caused William Allen White to
lose the election for Kansas Governor in 1924?”
Next you start looking for your sources – both primary and secondary
Ok, so how do you start research?
5. What is the difference between primary and secondary sources?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlj7t0s4rok
How about them sources…
6. Let’s review!
Primary Sources:
• Everyone creates
primary sources
• Original, first-hand
interpretations of an
event
• Letters
• Diaries
• Photographs
• Recordings
• Artwork
Secondary Sources:
• Created by non-witnesses
• A second-hand
interpretation or analysis of
a primary source
• Biographies
• Histories
• Reviews
8. Archives: a place where public records or other historical documents
are kept.
Most archives you can create an appointment, or walk in, and ask for
help for finding what you are wanting to examine
Archives hold everything from photographs to voice recordings to
letters to articles – a primary source gold mine!
Archives – the primary sources’ best friend
William Allen White Collection, 1935 May Massee Collection, 1954 Bulletin Collection, October 1998
9. Read or examine all of your material pertaining to your topic
Sift through the information and decide what you need in order to
argue or prove your answer to the question asked
You’ve found your sources, now what?
It’s time to collect the necessary information!
10. Important dates pertaining to the topic
Birth and death dates
Important events
Photographs from/about the topic
Snapshots of the event
Family photos
Letters or articles discussing the topic
Personal letters about the topic
Newspaper articles from the time of event
What is the necessary information?
11. So, you have gathered all your useful information; time to start
writing! Make sure to avoid that cursed “p” word – plagiarism.
What is plagiarism?
an act or instance of using or closely imitating the language and
thoughts of another author without authorization and the
representation of that author's work as one's own, as by not crediting
the original author
Plagiarism, it’s a bad, bad thing
http://dictionary.reference.com/
12. 1. Paraphrase: Put it into your own words. Make sure that you do not copy verbatim
more than two words in a row from the text you have found. If you do use more
than two words together, you will have to use quotation marks.
2. Cite: Follow the document formatting guidelines (i.e. APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)
used by your educational institution or the institution that issued the research
request. This usually entails the addition of the author(s) and the date of the
publication or similar information.
3. Quoting: When quoting a source, use the quote exactly the way it appears. No
one wants to be misquoted. Citing a quote can be different than citing
paraphrased material. This practice usually involves the addition of a page
number, or a paragraph number in the case of web content.
4. Referencing: One of the most important ways to avoid plagiarism is including a
reference page or page of works cited at the end of your research paper. Again,
this page must meet the document formatting guidelines used by your
educational institution. This information is very specific and includes the
author(s), date of publication, title, and source.
4 Ways to Avoid Plagiarism
http://en.writecheck.com/ways-to-avoid-plagiarism/
13. Any information used in your final project from your research must
have a citation.
Follow whatever guidelines your teacher wants you to use (APA, MLA,
Chicago, ect.)
Using a guidebook or online resources to help make sure you are
making the citations correctly (Perdue OWL, MLA handbooks, ect.)
Don’t forget to cite!
14. Do you answer your topic question using critical thinking skills?
Do the sources utilized support your answer/conclusion – both
primary and secondary?
Did you give the proper credit to your sources by citing correctly?
Questions to consider
