Gwinnett County Research Process Lilburn Elementary by Lisa Campbell Media Specialist

Five Basic Steps The “Well, Duh!” approach.

obvious

logical

Step 1. Planning

Pick a topic! (“Well, Duh!)

Your topic is no doubt too large, so you must narrow it down

so you don’t go crazy

Trying to write a report on a huge topic is like trying to take a sip from a fire hose

Information Overload The internet doubles every three months!

Let’s say you want to do research on the Revolutionary War.

You check our catalog and see that we have 137 books on the Revolutionary War.

The county databases have hundreds and hundreds of articles

Too much! Where do you start?

How to narrow the fire hose

What small part of the revolutionary war really, really interests you?

Uniforms?

Weapons?

Hospitals?

One battle?

One person?

You get the idea

Now you’re ready to pull your materials. It’s no longer a fire hose of information, but a digestible amount of information.

That's it! Step 1 of the Research Process is simply this: Pick a topic Narrow topic Select your materials

Step 2. Drafting

Take notes! (“Well, Duh!”)

You’ll never remember all the things you are reading.

Every time you pull something from a website, book or magazine, write down the source. This will make step 4 much easier.

Ok, you’ve got notes.

great stuff, but it is kind of a mess

Organize your cards and papers so it sounds good

and makes your point

Now you can write your first draft.

So, Step 2 is this: Take notes (with source information) Organize notes Write draft

Step 3. Revising

Read it to your parents, friends or teacher

They might have suggestions for you

Revise your report. Make it better.

Step 3 again: Share it. Get feedback. Revise it.

Step 4: Final Editing

Prepare the final version of your research.

Double check

grammar

spelling

Make sure the bibliography is complete and in the correct format.

Ask Ms. Campbell for example sheet

Step 4 is: Finalize Double check grammar and spelling Check Bibliography

Step 5. Publishing/Presenting

Present your final report

Graciously accept the applause

think

How could you have improved it?

Review: Step 1: Planning Pick a topic Narrow it down Select Materials Step 2: Drafting Take notes (with sources!) Organize notes Write first draft Step 3: Revising Read it to several people. Get their feedback. Rewrite paper. Step 4: Editing Final stab at perfect spelling, good grammar, and a logical paper. Make sure bibliography is complete and in the right format. Step 5: Presenting/Publishing Present your research. Reflect on how it could have been even better.

Quiz! What part of the research process involves taking notes? Step 1 – Planning Step 2 – Drafting Step 3 – Revising Step 4 – Editing Step 5 – Presenting/Publishing

Quiz! What part of the research process involves taking a final look at the grammar and spelling? Step 1 – Planning Step 2 – Drafting Step 3 – Revising Step 4 – Editing Step 5 – Presenting/Publishing

Quiz! What part of the research process involves rewriting your report after getting advice? Step 1 – Planning Step 2 – Drafting Step 3 – Revising Step 4 – Editing Step 5 – Presenting/Publishing

Quiz! In what part of the research process would you pull books for your report? Step 1 – Planning Step 2 – Drafting Step 3 – Revising Step 4 – Editing Step 5 – Presenting/Publishing

Quiz! In what part of the research process would you pick a topic? Step 1 – Planning Step 2 – Drafting Step 3 – Revising Step 4 – Editing Step 5 – Presenting/Publishing

Quiz! In what part of the research process would you read your report to your best friend? Step 1 – Planning Step 2 – Drafting Step 3 – Revising Step 4 – Editing Step 5 – Presenting/Publishing

Quiz! In what part of the research process would you take a bow and sign autographs? Step 1 – Planning Step 2 – Drafting Step 3 – Revising Step 4 – Editing Step 5 – Presenting/Publishing