What you’re looking for….. Facts Information that relates to your topic

What you’re not looking for….. Opinions Information that is meant to entertain (for fun)

Trusted sources for information The databases Mrs. Collazo will tell you about in the library Non-fiction books out of the library Information from university websites Information from the websites Mrs. Ford will tell you about in the lab.

Helpful Websites

Sources you should not trust….. Wikipedia Google Facebook Fiction books in the library

What must I use? At least 2 websites At least 1 non-fiction book A total of 3 sources

A research plan You have your topic, now you need to figure out what it is you want to know about it. -Ask yourself, “What do I want to know about my topic?” -Now build your research off of that answer (meaning: look for sources that answer that question of what you want to know).

Taking Notes Write your question on a separate sheet of paper You must find the following for each country: life expectancy birth rate death rate infant mortality rate Gross domestic product (GDP) Gross domestic product per capita Literacy rate

Taking Notes You may add additional information, but it is not required!

Taking Notes Write the title, author, and source (where you found the article, unless it’s a book) for each question you answered. Remember you must have at least 3 sources!!

Summarize and Paraphrase Write just the main ideas of information you have found in your own words

Plagiarizing This happens when you copy something from someone else’s writing and put it in your writing This happens when you copy and paste or copy something down word for word This is considered stealing and is a very serious offense!!

Plagiarizing If you want to use a writer’s exact words, put them in quotation marks and identify the source.

Outlining Your Report An outline is a plan for your report and shows how you are grouping the information you have gathered and the order in which you will present the information in your report. You will do this by listing major subtopics or categories of information related to your topic.

Outlines Where cats live -in people’s house -they sleep in cozy beds -they don’t like to be wet What cats look like -cute -furry -similar to lions What cats do -play -eat -sleep How cats get along with people -they let you know when they want to play -they will let you know when they want to cuddle -they will let you know when they want to be picked up

Main Idea Statement Identify the major points in your outline Combine the major points in a single sentence This will be your main idea statement!!

Your Research Report Introduction -Attention-getting beginning -Main idea statement Body -Heading with at least one fact -Heading with at least two facts -and so on….. Conclusion -Restatement of your main idea List of Sources or Bibliography -Must be alphabetized by author and include what database in which you found it