Tips for Research

I. Choose a topic that is discussible.

II. Research the topic online.

A. Academic Subject Guides (Note that these guides differ from search engines in that they are selective, academic, indexed, annotated, and created by experts.)

1. Librarians’ Index to the Internet 

2. BUBL

3. Infomine

4. The Internet Public Library

B. Galileo: (use password)

1.WWW links (Academia and Libraries)

2. Appropriate databases

3. GIL  (GALILEO Interconnected Libraries)

C.  WWW Search Engines (commercial, “caveat surfor”; importance of Boolean operators)

1. First Generation: searches only its own index 

a. Altavista

b. Hotbot

2. Second Generation: searches with other engines

a. Metacrawler

b. Dogpile

3. Third Generation: artificial intelligence

a. Google

b. Ask Jeeves

4. Collection of Specialized Search Engines 

III. Research the topic in a library.

A. Encyclopedias & reference materials for background only
B. Newspapers, Journals, Books (Check the online catalog.)
IV. Prepare an annotated bibliography, using summaries, paraphrases, and direct quotes to isolate the resource’s claim, reasons, and evidence.

 See example 

A.  Citing Sources

1. Use quote marks for exact words, whether you use entire sentences, phrases, or only a distinctive word.

2. Do quote memorable words and strong statements of opinion.

3. Do NOT quote facts, statistics, or standard terminology.

B.  Finalizing the Bibliography

1. Put annotations in alphabetical order. 

2. Follow MLA format EXACTLY. (See MLA Handout.)

 

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