1. Doing Effective Research Using Library & Web Resources

2. Doing Effective Research Knowing what kind of information you’re looking for; Knowing where to get that information; Knowing how to evaluation that information; and Knowing how to use that information to support your claims

3. What Should I Do? Follow the Research Heuristics (Good Reasons 264-65) Document Sources as you find them Make photocopies of articles from journals and from websites

4. Where to Find Information Go to the Library to find Books Journal Articles Atlas Newspapers Government Documents

5. Where to Find Information Use the Library’s electronic resources to find: Academic, Trade, & Popular Journal Articles Newpapers Websites

6. Where to Find Information Use Internet Search Engines & Indexes to find: Academic, Trade, & Popular Journal Articles Newspapers Websites

7. What kind of information? Statistics? Analyses? Solutions? Examples? Interviews?

8. How Do I Evaluate Sources? Know the source: Who printed the book or article? What organization or individual is responsible for the information found on the website?website

9. How Do I Evaluate Sources? Know the author Who wrote the book or article? What are her qualifications?

10. How Do I Evaluate Sources? Know the timeliness of the information: How current is the source? Is currency important to your argument?

11. How Do I Evaluate Sources? Know the evidence: How adequate is the evidence used? Where does the evidence come from? Does the writer acknowledge other ways the evidence might be interpreted?

12. How Do I Evaluate Sources? Know the biases in the argument: Can you detect a particular biases Is the writer forthcoming about his or her biases? How do the writer’s biases effect the interpretation offered?

13. How Do I Evaluate Sources? Know the nature of the publication: Are there any advertisements promoting particular products, activities, viewpoints? Might these effect what gets published?

14. How Do I Use Information to Support My Claims? Direct Quotations Summaries Paraphrases

15. Why Do I Need to Document Sources? To avoid plagiarism To participate in the academic tradition To acknowledge the work of others To present a strong ethos

16. How Do I Document My Sources? Use MLA Documentation see (291-96 in Good Reasons)