1. Discovery Learning by Investigation
THE RESEARCH PROCESS
Discovery Learning by Investigation
©2015HappyEdugator

2. The Purpose of Research
The purpose of research is to find factual information about a subject or topic. It is not entertainment.
Therefore, you must be careful to select sources that are reliable, applicable to your project, and readily available.
Make sure your sources are not slanted or biased by a special interest group.
©2015HappyEdugator

3. You Should Know The Steps to Writing a Research Paper
©2015HappyEdugator

4. How do I Begin? Choose a topic Get an overview of the topic
Can you find enough information?
Get specifics of the topic
Select sources – make source cards
Write notes on note cards- note your sources
Evaluate your sources
Write an outline
Write a rough draft
Revise, edit, and write your final draft
Write a bibliography
©2015HappyEdugator

5. Choose A TOPIC
Your teacher may have provided a topic for you or you may have to choose a topic on your own. It is important to pick a topic that you can find information on.
Get an overview of the topic
Check for resources in the media center
Can you find enough information?
If not, choose another topic
If so, get specifics of the topic and take notes
©2015HappyEdugator

6. Select Sources and Take Notes on Source Cards
Research is the process of collecting information from:
your own experiences,
knowledgeable sources, and
data from exploratory experiments.
Your first research is used to select a project topic. This is called topic research.
example: mold growth
©2015HappyEdugator

7. Source Cards
Using source cards is a way to keep your information organized so you can refer to the source and give credit for where you obtained
This is an important step in the research process. This will help make sure your bibliography is clear and correct.
Number your source cards.
Include this number on
all note cards.
©2015HappyEdugator

8. SOURCE CARD FOR BOOKS Information to include: 1. Author(s) of the book
2. Title of the book
3. Year in which the book was published
4. Name of the publishing company
5. City in which the book was published
©2015HappyEdugator

9. Source Card for an Encyclopedia
Information to include:
1. Name of the author of the article (if there is one)
2. Title of the article
3. Title of the encyclopedia, Volume #
4. Year of publication (edition)
5. Name of publishing company
6. Location of publishing company
©2015HappyEdugator

10. Source Card for a Magazine
Information to include:
1. Name of the author (if there is one)
2. Title of the article
3. Name of the magazine
4. Date of the magazine
5. Page number(s) of the article
6. Publishing company
7. Location of publishing company
©2015HappyEdugator

11. Source Card for a Newspaper
Information to include:
1. Name of the author (if there is one)
2. Title of the article
3. Name of the newspaper
4. Date of the newspaper
5. Page and section number(s) of the article
6. Publishing company
7. Location of publishing company
©2015HappyEdugator

12. Source Card for a Website
Information to include:
1. Website’s name
2. Date the information was retrieved (Retrieved on , from complete web address)
3. Complete web address
©2015HappyEdugator

13. Note Cards
Once you have made a source card for a source, you may take notes. If you only have a small amount of information, you may write it on the source card. If you need more than one card, number the source card and make sure any additional note cards have the matching number. This way, you will always know where your information came from.
©2015HappyEdugator

14. Taking Notes
Take your notes after you have recorded source information
Skim- look for keywords to locate what you need
Analyze- decide if the information is what you need
Outline- make an outline of information, don’t waste time copying
Paraphrase- restate in your own words a passage written by someone else
©2015HappyEdugator

15. Write an outline
Using your source cards and the notes you have gathered, create an outline of what you are going to discuss in your paper. (Note cards are useful here because you can put them in the order you want to use them. You don’t have that advantage using regular notebook paper.)
You may gaps in your outline and find you need more information to balance your paper out. Time for more research!
©2015HappyEdugator

16. Write Your Rough Draft
Using your outline, your next step is to write your rough draft. All the information you need is now in place and you just need to put the pieces together so it all flows.
Make sure you begin your paper with an introduction, fill the body of the paper with supporting paragraphs detailing the research you conducted, and end with a concluding paragraph to bring closure.
©2015HappyEdugator

17. Revise, Edit, and Create a Final Draft
Revise you paper looking for word choice, organization, fluency and transitions. Are your ideas clear? Are there any dead verbs that could be replaced with a more descriptive one? Are you using passive or active voice?
Edit your paper for punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and spelling errors.
©2015HappyEdugator

18. Create a Bibliography or Works Cited Page
Use your source card information to make a bibliography page (If you wrote down the information as directed in the previous slides, all you have to do is put your cards in ABC order, and copy the source information)
Use APA or MLA style to cite your resources. Go to and type in the name of your resource to get the proper format.
Give credit for ALL resources used
©2015HappyEdugator

19. Types of Sources Know where to look! Almanac Encyclopedia Atlas
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Internet
Nonfiction books
Magazines/Newspapers
Know where to look!
©2015HappyEdugator

20. Almanac
This annual publication with a calendar for the year, includes tables, charts, and information on current data and statistics.
©2015HappyEdugator

21. Encyclopedia
This is a book, or often a set of volumes in alphabetical order, that contains general information on most subjects.
Can be online or on a CD.
©2015HappyEdugator

22. Atlas
A book of maps which can help you find locations, geographic features, and compare distances between different places.
Can also be found online. Try www. MapQuest.com.
©2015HappyEdugator

23. Dictionary
A book in which you can find the meaning, spelling, pronunciation, and syllabication of words.
Dictionaries can also be found online. You may go to Merriam-Webster.com.
©2015HappyEdugator

24. Thesaurus
Use this book to find words that have the same meanings (synonyms).
Thesaurus.com is a good site, and also try the virtual thesaurus.
©2015HappyEdugator

25. Internet
The world wide web can be used to quickly find information about a subject by using keywords in a search. It is important to evaluate information you obtain over the internet before you decide to use it. For instance, don’t depend on cancer information from a tobacco company.
©2015HappyEdugator

26. AVOID PLAGIARISM ALWAYS DOCUMENT YOUR INFORMATION
AVOID USE OF THE EXACT SAME WORDS AS SOURCE
ONLY USE THE SAME GENERAL INFORMATION AS SOURCE
It is against the law to steal! Plagiarism is stealing!
©2015HappyEdugator

27. SO NOW YOU KNOW ! The Purpose of Research
The Steps to Writing A Research Paper
How to Take Notes
Types of Sources
How to Avoid Plagiarism
©2015HappyEdugator