Research

Research is like eating a whale... one step at a time.

Step 1: Define the task

Identify the information requirements

Step 2: Information seeking strategies

What sources do you need
Evaluate the different sources

Step 3: Locate and access sources

Locate sources
Find information within the source

Step 4: Use of information

Read, look, listen
Use the information

Step 5: Put it all together

Organize the information
Create the rough draft

Step 6: Evaluation

READ the draft word for word
Did it solve the problem? Do you need to fill in areas?
Redo the product

How to Evaluate Sources

Use the C.R.A.P. method. Currency, Reliability, Authority, and Purpose or Point of View

Ask yourself the following questions about each website you're considering:

Currency

How recent is the information?
Can you locate a date when the page(s) were written/created/updated?
Does the website appear to update automatically (this could mean no one is actually looking at it)?
Based in your topic, is it current enough?

Reliability

What kind of information is included in the website?
Based on your other research, is it accurate? ...complete?
Is the content primarily fact, or opinion?
Is the information balanced, or biased?
Does the author provide references for quotations and data?
If there are links, do they work?

Authority

Can you determine who the author/creator is?
Is there a way to contact them?
What are their credentials (education, affiliation, experience, etc.)?
Is there evidence they're experts on the subject?
Who is the publisher or sponsor of the site?
Is this publisher/sponsor reputable?

Purpose / Point of View

What's the intent of the website (to persuade, to sell you something, etc.)?
What is the domain (.edu, .org, .com, etc.)? How might that influence the purpose/point of view?
Are there ads on the website? How do they relate to the topic being covered (e.g., an ad for ammunition next to an article about firearms legislation)?
Is the author presenting fact, or opinion?
Who might benefit from a reader believing this website?
Based on the writing style, who is the intended audience?

Sources

GALILEO is an excellent source for scholarly information. You will need a password.

The password is attempt. It will be good untill 5/20/16

Citing Information

There are many online resources to help you with citing your sources. You do need to be careful and remember they do make mistakes too. Also, remember that they way you put information in can make a big difference in how it comes out.

CITATION MACHINE (MLA, APA, Chicago & Turabian)

Enter in your information and generate works cited or in-text citations.

EASYBIB

Free for MLA Only. Search for your source, build your citation, and export it!

PURDUE ONLINE WRITING LAB (OWL)

For MLA and APA (Includes Style Guides) The ultimate guide for perfect citations and formatting.

Contact Us

Rob Mcpherson

Media Center Specialist

[email protected]

Wendy Britt

Media Center Para

[email protected]