Where Do I Begin? Getting Started with Your Research Assignment

How to Start Think of ideas for a subject or topic, something you are interested in Come up with keywords

Most research projects follow a step by step pattern 1. Plan the project 2. Select and refine your topic 3. Find sources/locations 4. Evaluate your sources 5. Organize your findings 6. Present your findings

Concept Map - Web  When  Who  Where What is it define  Story  Quote  Why

Looking for Information Check the library for: Books Periodicals Government documents Newspapers Videos Human expertise

Time Management Start early. Break your assignment into manageable chunks of work. Give yourself lots of time.

Do… Use your own words and ideas Keep track of all the sources you used Give credit for ideas, photos, diagrams, graphics, multimedia by citing the source direct quotes using quotation marks and citing the source Paraphrases, restating the author’s words or ideas in your own words, must be cited Cosmetic changes still require a citation, i.e., reversing order, changing layout, etc.

Evaluate your Sources Accuracy Does the source seem correct? Do you need to check the information with a second source? Currency Is this source up to date? Objectivity Is this source unnecessarily biased? Coverage What is the purpose of this source? Authority Who is the author / publisher of this source?

Thesis Statement States the topic / main idea of the paper Shows the purpose of your paper Shows the direction of your argument Written in focused, specific language It is interesting

Come up with a thesis statement for your essay This states the topic/main idea of the paper It shows the purpose of your paper It is interesting

Writing the Rough Draft Introduction Be very clear about what the main idea is Body Turn the key ideas in your outline into paragraphs Conclusion Sum up your thesis – show you have proven something

Introduction 8 ways to introduce your topic Background information Definition Story Question Quotation Contradiction Fact or statistic Surprising statement

Body of the Paper Topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph Supportive ideas follow the main idea With each new “big” idea, start a new paragraph Sentences and paragraphs should be smooth and logically connected

Conclusion Ways to conclude your paper Review key points and restate your thesis in a “new” way Recommend a course of action Make a prediction End with a relevant quotation

Plagiarism and APA style apastyle.org What is Plagiarism? Taking credit for work that isn’t your own!

1. Quotations Double quotation marks around short quotations (<40 words). Longer quotations (>40 words) block indent and omit quotation marks.

In Text Short Quotation (<40 words) “An honor code usually consists of a signed statement in which students promise not to cheat and not to tolerate those who do” (Harris, 2001, p. 117).

Long Quotation (>40 words) Athletes are searching for anything that will make them more competitive including nutritional supplements, such as vitamins, energy bars and drinks that may compensate for dietary deficiencies, and over-the-counter products like shark cartilage and amino acids, which purport to increase muscle mass, boost energy and endurance, prompt weight gain (or loss), or reduce recovery time between workouts. (Jollimore, 2004, p. 54)

Reference List Reference List Acknowledges all the sources you have cited in your project Organized in alphabetical order Strictly follows citation style format (APA, MLA... )

Reference List Rules to Remember 1. For journal articles, books, videos, and websites: Only capitalize the First letter of the title, proper nouns & first word after a colon. 2. Authors’ names must be inverted, using only the first & middle initials. For more than one author use the “&” before the final name. 3. Indent each line after the first line.

5. There is no period at the end of a website citation. 6. Personal communications are only cited in text, not in reference list.

Rules of Italics Italicize the titles of journals, magazines, newspapers, books, videos and web documents Italicize the volume number of a journal but not the issue number Canadian Art, 24(3) Do not italicize article titles from journals and magazines

References Anderson, D. (2001, August 3). Statement by Environment Minister David Anderson on Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Retrieved July 24, 2004, from Blicq, R. (2001). Guidelines for report writing. Toronto: Pearson Education Canada. Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G., & Williams, J. M. (1995). The craft of research. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Harris, R. (2001). The plagiarism handbook. Los Angeles: Pyrczak. Health Canada. (2004). West Nile virus. Retrieved July 19, 2004, from Jollimore, M. (2004, June 21). Fuel’s gold: Why Canada’s athletes pay so much attention to what they eat. Time, 163(25), Reitman, J. (2004). The Baghdad follies. Rolling Stone, 952/953,