The document provides tips for conducting effective research for an academic paper. It advises starting with a research question rather than a narrow thesis to allow findings to shape the topic. It recommends searching library databases over Google for more reliable sources. Tips include using keywords to refine searches with too many results or broadening terms for insufficient results. Researchers should read abstracts and scan articles to evaluate relevance before printing or quoting. Getting assistance from peers, teachers, librarians or professors is also suggested.

2. 
Begin with your topic
Choose a topic first.
Do not create a narrowly focused thesis
statement before you begin your research.
Why not? Because you may not find enough
information to support your narrow thesis
statement.
Instead, think of a research question.

3. 
For example
Let’s say for your research paper, you decide to
explore the topic of sharks.
Since it’s an argumentative paper, you write
your thesis statement this way, “Sharks are a
clear danger to people who swim in the ocean,
so sharks should be exterminated from the
ocean and only allowed to live in aquariums.”

4. 
For example (cont.)
You begin your research and find that sharks
attack people in the U.S. an average of 19 times
per year, and there is only a fatality every
couple of years.
In addition, apparently toilets, buckets, and air
fresheners cause more human injury per year
than do sharks.

5. 
For example (cont.)
So in your original thesis statement, you have
identified a problem that is not as pervasive as
you originally thought, and your method for
solving the problem is overly aggressive.
Now you have to re-think both your thesis
statement and your research sources.

6. 
Research tip: Create a
research question.
Instead of starting with a thesis statement,
begin with a research question.
For example: “What are some problems in the
world associated with sharks?”

7. 
Research Question:
Problems with Sharks
In your research, you find that the real problem
is not the danger sharks pose to humans but the
danger humans pose to sharks.
You find that sharks are endangered because
their fins are valued as an ingredient in soup.
Now you have a research topic: “sharks
endangered because of their fins.”

8. 
Resources for Research
Use Academic Search
Complete for scholarly articles
on different topics.
Use Student Research Center for a
variety of resources (articles,
books, etc.) that are accessible for
a high school audience.
Use TOPICsearch to locate
articles on current issues and
topics for argumentative
papers.

9. 
Resources for Research
Use CQ Researcher to locate articles
on various issues and controversial
topics for argumentative papers.
Use EBSCOhost to choose various
databases to search for information
from encyclopedias, magazine and
journal articles, books, and various
other resources.
Use Issues and Controversies to
find out information on various
current and controversial issues
for use in argumentative papers.

10. 
Resources for Research
Use Opposing Viewpoints in
Context for both pro- and con-
perspectives on controversial topics.
Use CougarCat to find books
available through the Collin College
library.
Use Ebook Databases to find full-
text books online.

11. 
Research tip: Use one of the nine
resources listed before consulting
Google!
Why?
•Because professors are skeptical of information
found using a Google search
•Because the information you find using a
Google search is more likely to be biased or
unreliable than the information you find using a
library resource

12. 
Begin your research
Let’s revisit our topic about sharks as an
endangered animal because their fins are used in
soups. We’ll use some of the resources listed
previously to find information.

13. 
When I research the term “sharks”
(without quotation marks) using Student
Research Center, I get over 85,000 results!
So I add another search term to narrow my
results—”endangered sharks”—and that
number drops to 758.
Research Tip: If you get too many results,
add one or more keywords to narrow your
search.

14. 
When I research the keywords “endangered
sharks fins china” (without quotation marks)
using Student Research Center, I get 19
results
So I delete a search term to broaden my
results—”endangered sharks fins”—and that
number increases to 132.
Research Tip: If you get too few
results, delete keywords or use a
broader search term.

15. 
When I research the keywords “endangered
animals sharks” (without quotation marks)
using Student Research Center, I get 253
results.
When I change my keywords to “shark fin
soup,” I get 26 results.
Research Tip: Vary your search terms
to find different resources. Don’t limit
yourself to a single search term!

16. 
When I change my keywords to “sharks
killed fins,” I get 128 results.
When I change my keywords to “shark
conservation,” I get 1008 results.
Research Tip: Vary your search
terms (cont.)

17. 
If you can’t think of multiple keywords to use
in your search,
•Use your research to come up with new
keywords.
•Ask your professor for ideas for new
keywords.
•Ask a librarian for ideas for new keywords.
Research Tip: Get help if
you need it.

18. 
Research Tip: Read the article abstract
if there is one or scan the article itself.
Why?
Because an article may pop up in your
search that has nothing to do with your
topic. Just because it is in your results page
doesn’t mean it is directly related to your
topic.

19. 
An abstract is a paragraph that describes
the content of the article.
The
abstract
The
abstract

20. 
Research Tip: When you locate articles
relevant to your topic, email them to
yourself or print them.
Warning: Make sure you read the article
before you print it. Why? Because if you
don’t, you might end up with a bunch of
printed articles that are not good sources of
information for your topic—make sure the
article is useful before you print it.

21. 
Research Tip: Scan articles for
useful quotes.
Just because the overall article is not
directly related to your topic doesn’t mean
that you can’t find useful sentences or
paragraphs in the article that you can quote
in your paper.
Remember, you don’t have to use an entire
article. You can just quote parts of it in your
paper.

22. 
Scan articles for useful quotes (cont.).
While, I might
not be able to
use all the
information in
this article for
my paper
about sharks, I
could use this
introductory
paragraph.
While, I might
not be able to
use all the
information in
this article for
my paper
about sharks, I
could use this
introductory
paragraph.

23. 
Research Tips
• Begin with a research question instead of
a thesis statement.
• Use a library database to do your research
instead of relying on Google.
• If you get too many results, add one or
more keywords to narrow your search.
• If you get too few results, delete keywords
or use a broader search term.

24. 
Research Tips (Cont.)
• Try different search terms (i.e. keywords)
to find different resources.
• Get help if you need it.
• Read the article abstract if there is one or
scan the article itself.
• Scan articles for useful quotes.

25. 
Questions
• Ask a knowledgeable peer for help.
• Ask a teacher for help.
• Ask a librarian for help.
• Ask your professor for help.
• Use Google to ask a specific question.