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Research Search Strategy
Some Helpful Guidelines
Choosing
a Topic:
1. Choose a subject of interest to you. You will find it makes
the writing process a lot easier.
2. Be practical. Consider time, length, and availability of
information on the subject.
3. Choose a topic for which resources are available to you
and one that is appropriate for your audience.
Generating Ideas
Think about what it is you want to investigate. Brainstorm,
take notes, interview someone, talk to your instructor, or come
to the Writing Center.
Evaluating Sources
Checklist for Evaluating a Print Source
1. Who wrote it and is it authoritative? Check encyclopedias,
textbooks, and academic journals. If a source is
cited frequently by other sources, that source is probably reliable.
2. Where is the information?
Information in scholarly journals, sometimes called
"peer-reviewed" journals, is generally more
credible than information in texts that do not have a
review process.
3. Are information and arguments well supported? Check
that each source supports assertions or information with
sufficient evidence. Be wary of a source that offers
little to back up a position.
4. Is the tone balanced? Approach a source critically.
If the source’s tone is unbiased and the reasoning
logical, the source is most likely reliable.
4. Is it current? Make sure the information is up
to date. Long accepted information is sometimes replaced
or modified by new research. Check the library’s
catalogs and indexes to journals; the most recent information
in any field appears first in that field’s academic
journals.
Online Search
Browsing on-line may help in your research efforts. You may
find source material and consult databases online. When conducting an online search use a search engine, such as
www.altavista.com
, www.yahoo.com
, www.askjeeves.com
, or www.google.com
.
Once again, you need to make sure online sources are reliable.
Here is checklist for evaluating an on-line source:
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Reliable
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Unreliable
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Author has Credentials
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Junk Mail/Chat rooms
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Ebsohost Peer Reviewed Articles
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Commercial Web sites
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Education and Government Web sites
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Un-updated material
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