1. Locating, Mining, and Citing Sources
Ch. 7

2. Source-Based Papers
The process of locating and working with multiple sources draws on many of the skills we have discussed this semester:
1. summarizing & paraphrasing
2. quoting sources accurately and ethically
3. Critically evaluating sources
4. Analyzing topics for meaning and significance

3. Where do we find written research?
Academic writing
Research papers
Literature review
Experimental reports
Position papers
Workplace writing
Reports
Market analysis
Business plans
Environmental impact reports
Legal research

4. Writing the research paper
Developing the research question
Find a subject
Develop a research question
Locate sources
Conduct preliminary research
Refine your research question
Conduct focused research
Mining sources
Develop a working thesis
Develop a working bibliography
Evaluate sources
Take notes from sources
Develop a working outline and arrange your notes according to your outline

5. Writing the research paper cont.
Drafting; citing sources
Write your draft
Avoid plagiarism
Cite sources
Revising (global and local changes)
Revise your draft
Editing (surface changes)
Edit your draft

6. The research question
Pose neutral questions that open you to a variety of ideas and information. Avoid biased questions that suggest their own answers
Effective or not effective
How do policy makers make decisions that will benefit entire communities?
Do you policy makers have hidden agendas and aim to write policy that benefits only the wealthiest members of the community?
emphasize how/why/what questions that open discussions. Avoid yes/no questions that end discussion
How does parent opt-out affect school districts?
Why do parents opt-out knowing that it is to the determent of neighborhood schools?

7. The research question
Match the scope of the question to the scope of your paper
Effective or ineffective?
How have federal budge cuts affected American schools?
How have district budget cuts affected students in the Inglewood neighborhood of Chicago, IL?

8. Types of research data Primary sources Secondary sources
First hand accounts, original objects
Secondary sources
Articles written about original objects
Evaluations and analyses

9. Types of research data

10. Mining sources
Compile a working bibliography to keep track of what information you have and how it relates to your research question
Taking notes on your sources and evaluating them for reliability and relevance
Developing some kind of outline –formal or informal –that allows you to see how you might subdivide and organize your discussion and at which points your might draw on relevant sources

11. Critical reading for research
Use all the critical reading tips we’ve suggested thus far
Read for relationships to your research question
Read for relationships among sources
Consider the relationship between your source’s form and content
Pay special attention to the legitimacy of internet sources