1) Finding the best and truest of what has been written and said about that topic
2) Doing the above most quickly
3) Giving proper credit to the sources you use to write about the topic.

While growing content and faster connections make the internet a powerful tool for retrieving information we want, the information we find there may not be as reliable as the materials your teachers and librarians have hand-picked for you to use.

The internet has made research both easier and more difficult. Imagine you are going on an overnight trip with some friends, and you make a short list of a few things to pick up at the local MegaMart: a disposable camera, some batteries for your CD player, snack food, and some toothpaste. While you are strolling fifty MegaMart aisles for a half hour to find your items, you realize that they could have been bought and bagged in five minutes at the corner drugstore. The internet is like the MegaMart. It provides you with lots of choices (not to mention distractions!) at fifty different websites, but doesn't necessarily help you get what you need quickly.

If you are on a schedule, you need to decide how you'll spend your research time to get the job done most efficiently. Think back to the list you made before you went to MegaMart. Imagine how much more time you would have taken if you had decided what you need by wandering up and down aisles. This research guide shows you not only how to find what you want quickly, but also how to make the "shopping list", your plan for finding only what you need, not whatever you stumble upon while surfing the internet or flipping through books.

Finally, this research guide shows you how to keep track of what you find, and how to give credit to others who have studied and published materials about your topic before you. You may use 3x5 index cards to do this. You will then make a typed Works Cited Page (a list of the sources you used in this research) to turn in with your report or project.We make Works Cited Pages not only out of respect (and because law requires us to), but also to help others find the sources we used to complete our research. Sometimes the order of items in a Works Cited Page is hard to remember, so we hope the examples in the guide will help.

1.  Understanding the Assignment

Answer the questions in the section below in order to make sure you understand the assignment.

A. What is the general topic of the assignment?
B. How many sources will I need?
C. What is the final product (paper, poster, oral report, etc.)?
D. Is there a set length to the project?  If so, what is it?
E. When is each part of my assignment due?

2.  How to Choose a Good Topic

Ask Yourself the Following Questions:

A. Is this topic PERTINENT?
    Does it have to do with the subject at hand?
    If the assignment is to research fruits grown in Kentucky, don't choose to research
    "bananas" - it is not pertinent.

B. Is it RICH? (full of good 'stuff')
    Can you find enough information on it?
    For example don't research "Women jockeys who have won the Triple Crown" if there are none.

C. Is it NARROW ENOUGH for the assignment?
    Don't choose "Viruses" for a two page science paper on "Diseases." Choose, instead, 
   "Measles."

3. Brainstorming for a Topic

A.  Brainstorm a list of topics that interest you and that fit the guidelines of the
     assignment.  List them:

1._____________________________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________________________

3._____________________________________________________________________

4._____________________________________________________________________

B. Consider which topic interests you most and note it:

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

 4.  Finding Sources

In the past you may have used the internet or a newspaper to find information for a school project. There are many places to look but some may be better than others. For example, you wouldn't wait for next years almanac to get the score of last night's game. Nor would you go on line to find movie times if the newspaper is in front of you. In the same way, when doing longer research, you want to find the right tool for the job. Here are some good places to start!

Your school library where Ms. Haaga can help you find books and other print sources.

The Louisville Free Public Library

5. Brainstorming for the Best Sources

List the sources that are likely to be the most useful for learning about your topic:

1.____________________________________________________________________

2.____________________________________________________________________

3.____________________________________________________________________

4.____________________________________________________________________

5.____________________________________________________________________

Now, look at your list. Cross out any sources that, on second thought, might not be
useful.

6.  Evaluating Your Sources

Your next step is to visit the library where you will locate and study the sources you listed earlier.

Gather your sources and then consider the following questions:

1. Did you find enough information to meet the requirements of the assignment?

2. Are your sources understandable to you?

3. Are your sources current enough? Not out of date?                                          

4. Are your sources too broad or too vague?

5. Do you know how to access the information at home, if needed?

More questions to ask about your sources:

1. Who is the AUTHOR of this book or web site?
    * What are the author's credentials? Do you know anything about the author's
       education, training or experience?
    * In the case of web sites, do you know whether they are commercial, educational,
      governmental, etc.? (.com, .edu, .gov)

 2. Is the CONTENT of the book or site accurate and reliable?
    * Is there support for statistics and facts? 
    * Could you verify the information in other sources?
    * How current is the information? If it is a web site, when was it last updated?

3. Do you know the PURPOSE of the information? Is it intended to inform, teach, sell,
    persuade, entertain?
    * Does the presentation of the information seem fair?
    * Can you distinguish between facts and opinion?

7. Library Worksheet
       You can copy and paste this worksheet into your word processor.

List Your Possible Sources:

1.______________________________________________________________________

2.______________________________________________________________________

3.______________________________________________________________________

4.______________________________________________________________________

5.______________________________________________________________________

State Your Topic:
_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

List Four Questions You'd Like to Answer About Your Topic:

1._____________________________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________________________

3._____________________________________________________________________
                                                                                                                                                4._____________________________________________________________________ 

8.  A Note About Plagiarism

Your research paper is a collaboration between you and your sources. To be fair and honest, you must indicate when you borrow another writer's ideas or words. You do this by documenting, or citing, your sources. "Citing your sources" means nothing more than telling your reader whose ideas or words you have used and where you found them. To use someone else's words or ideas without giving them credit is dishonest. It is called plagiarism.

Plagiarism is very serious. At St. Francis School intentional plagiarism is considered a violation of the Eagle Code.

Two different acts are considered plagiarism: (1) borrowing someone's ideas, information, or words without citing the source and (2) citing the source, but paraphrasing the source too closely, without using quotation marks to indicate that words and phrases have been borrowed. 

You must, of course, document all direct quotations. You must also document any ideas borrowed from a source: paraphrases of sentences, summaries of paragraphs or chapters, statistics or little-known facts, and tables, graphs, or diagrams. 

The only exception is common knowledge or information that your readers could find in any number of general sources because it is commonly known.  For example, everyone knows that Frankfort is the capital of Kentucky. It is common knowledge and would not have to be cited. 

One way to avoid plagiarism is this: DO NOT copy and paste from internet sources directly into your paper!  Read the source and then, in your own words, summarize the ideas you wish to include.

In summary:  Do not plagiarize. When in doubt, document the source!  Document all quotations and borrowed ideas. Avoid paraphrases that closely resemble your sources.*

* The text of this section is adapted from Hacker, Diana.  The Bedford Handbook for Writers. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1991.

9. Using Sources: Keywords

Before actually using your sources, it is helpful to think of all the words that might be used to describe your topic. These words are your Keywords. List all that you can think of.

1.____________________________________________________________________

2.____________________________________________________________________

3.____________________________________________________________________ 

4.____________________________________________________________________

5.____________________________________________________________________ 

As you read your sources, keep a list of additional words or phrases that seem to be important to your topic.

10. Using Print Sources

Gather a number of books that may be pertinent to your topic. Ask yourself the following two questions in order to identify which sources will be the most useful:

1. Is your topic listed in the Table of Contents? If so, how? List the words the author
    uses to describe your topic and the page numbers where your topic can be found. 

2. Is your topic listed in the Index? If so, how? List the words the author uses to describe 
    your topic and the page numbers where your topic can be found. Do you find 
    additional related topics or a "see also" reference?

You can use a chart like the one below to keep track of which sources you want  to keep.

     Author                                     Title                                      Listing                  Page
1.

2.

3.

11.Using On-Line Sources

Get online to search for useful web sites. It is often helpful to begin with an on-line encyclopedia like World Book. The online encyclopedias often direct you to specific websites that are related to the subject.
Using the keywords you identified, find three or more sites that are both current and authoritative. Remember to ask questions about the reliability of the sites you find.
List the most promising ones by web address and name.

     Name of Website                                                             Address of Website

1. __________________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________

12. Taking Notes With Note Cards

A. What is a note card?

    A note card is simply a 3"x 5" index card on which you write information from your
    sources.  Note cards contain the information that you might include in your written or
    oral report.

B. Here are 4 kinds of note cards you may use:

1. Source Cards
2. Quotation Cards
3. Paraphrase Cards
4. Idea Cards
   

  SOURCE CARDS:

When you begin working on your research, you will go to a variety of sources for information. Each time you begin working with a new source, you should complete a source card.

On each card you will record:

1. All the publication information required to include this source in your Works Cited Page.

2. A code letter that you assign and will use on all note cards that come from this source. (This saves you from writing the book title and author over and over again!)

3. The library call number of the book or URL (in the case of a web site) so you can locate it later.

Make a SOURCE CARD for each source you look at:
   Books
   Magazines
   Web sites
   Pamphlets
   Interviews, etc.

You might not use anything from that source, in which case the card can later be thrown away, but it is still a good idea to make a card for each source. Get in the habit of doing this before you do anything else. Two examples of Source Cards:

For A Book:

For A Web Site:

QUOTATION CARDS:

Quotation cards are used to record a quote, word for word, from the source.

          * Always include the writer/author of the quote
          * Punctuate correctly with quotation marks
          * Only use direct quotations for very important passages
          * Don't copy sentences from a source without showing you are using a direct
             quotation

PARAPHRASE CARDS:

Paraphrase cards are used to record information, from the source, in your own words.

      * Write in complete sentences, in your style
      * Write using your personal vocabulary, not the vocabulary of a college student!

A note card should contain information about only one piece of information. Give each note a distinct title. Do not use the same title on any two cards, but use similar titles for notes on the same topic. Good titles on your cards will pay off!

All Note Cards Should Have These Items: 

          1. Label
              Located in the upper left hand corner, this label clearly describes the
              information in the note. (for example: a source card, quotation card or paraphrase card?)

          2. Source Code
              Located in the upper right hand corner, this code is the one you assigned and comes from the source card
              and is used to identify the source of the note.

          3. Specific Page Number
              Located below the source code, this reminds you of the specific page from
              which you took the note.

          4. Note
              This is the information you took from the source.

13. Organizing Your Information

Now that you have collected information on your topic, it is time to organize that information so that it can be the most useful to you.

Sorting and Grouping

Go through your note cards and divide them into general categories. For example, if your topic is Gladiators, you may find that you have collected notes on the following related topics: weapons, training, types of gladiators, when and where gladiators were used.

Write YOUR general topic here: ______________________________________________

Now, sort your note cards into general categories.  List the categories:

1.______________________________________________________________________         

2.______________________________________________________________________         

3.______________________________________________________________________

4.______________________________________________________________________         

5.______________________________________________________________________

Do you have cards whose information does not fit into any of these categories?

If so, do you think the information might be useful to you, or should you just discard that card?

Evaluating your Information

Of the categories you've listed, for which do you  have the most information?

_______________________________________________________________________

For which category do you have the least information?

_______________________________________________________________________

Has your research enabled you to answer all of your original questions?

If not, what information do you still need?

1.______________________________________________________________________

2.______________________________________________________________________

3.______________________________________________________________________

4,______________________________________________________________________         

Have any new questions come up that you need to research?
If so, list those new questions.

1.______________________________________________________________________

2.______________________________________________________________________

3.______________________________________________________________________

4.______________________________________________________________________

Look back over the work you've done so far.  Do you have all of the information that you need to complete this project?  If not, return to the library for a little more research. It is much easier to conduct more research now, before moving on to the next step.

14. Outlining Your Information

If you need extra help writing an outline, try using the PowerPoint 'outline' feature to help you organize your main topics and supporting points.

When handwriting or typing an outline, keep the following guidelines in mind when writing your outline:

1. Put your thesis statement at the top.

2. Make items at the same level as parallel as possible.

3. Use sentences, unless phrases are clear.

4. Use the following system of numbers and letters:

          Thesis: 

          I.

                A.

                B.  

                             1.

                             2.

                                      a.

                                      b.

          II.

5. Always use at least two subdivisions for each category. Nothing can be divided into
    fewer than two parts!

6. Limit the number of major sections in the outline: if the list of roman numerals
    begins to be too long, find a way to combine the items into a few major categories with 
    subdivisions.

7. Be flexible: be prepared to change your outline as you write your draft.   

 Here is an example of Thesis and Outline

Thesis: There are many kinds of waves in nature

I. Seismic Waves

          A. Characteristics

                1. P wave - strongest type of body wave

                2. Longitudinal

                3. Travel through either liquid or solid matter

          B. Effects

                1. Results in liquid or solid vibrating uncontrollably

                2. Vibrations-compression or expansion of rocks

II. Sound Waves

          A. Characteristics

                1. Pure tone - the simplest sound wave

                2. Characterized by frequency

          B. Behavior

                1. Light waves and sound waves - same actions

                2. Reflect and scatter

Note that the topics beside the roman numerals are general topics.  These correspond to the categories into which you sorted your note cards. Details about those categories are found in the subdivisions. 

Information about constructing an outline from: Hacker, Diana. The Bedford Handbook for Writers. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martins Press, 1991.

Sample outline from: Robb, Laura. Reader's Handbook: A Student Guide for Reading and Learning. Wilmington, MA: Great Source Education Group, 2002.

15. Documenting Work

You "document" your work when you acknowledge and give credit for ideas or information you have borrowed and used in your paper.

Document whenever you:

1. use an original idea from one of your sources, whether you quote or paraphrase it
2. summarize original ideas from one of your sources
3. use factual information that is not common knowledge (common knowledge is  
    information that recurs in many sources)
4. quote directly from a source

You provide documentation for your reader in two places:

1. at the end of your paper (Works Cited Page)

2. within the body of your paper (in-text documentation)

A. How to Write Your Works Cited Page

Center the words "Works Cited" at the top of the page, then list all the sources used in your paper, in alphabetical order, by the author's last name. Following the author's last name, list the information you have recorded on your Source Card. Who, What, Where, When is a good way to remember the order in which to put this information.

If your source is a BOOK, by one author :  

Format:
Author's name. Title of the book. Place of publication: Publisher, Date of publication.

Examples:
Ondaatje, Michael. The English Patient. New York: Vintage, 1992.

Berlage, Gay. Women in Baseball: The Forgotten History. New York: Greenwood, 1994.

If it is a BOOK, by two or more authors :  

Format:
First author's last name, first name, and Second author's first name, last name. Title of book. Place of publication: Publisher, Date of publication.

Examples:
Smith, Mary, and Tom Jones. The History of Science Fiction. London: Oxford University Press, 1997.

Jones, William, Sandra Bell, and Mary Smith. Theories of Mass Communication. New York: Harper, 1991.

 If it is an article in an ENCYCLOPEDIA:

Format: 
Author's last name, first name. "Article Title." Title of Book. Edition Year of Publication.

Examples:
Jones, Mary. "Indian Philosophy." The New Encyclopedia Britannica. 15^th ed. 2000.

"Caves." World Book Encyclopedia. 52^nd ed. 2000. 
                  

If it is an article in a NEWSPAPER:Format:
Author's name. "Title of Article." Name of Newspaper  Date of Publication: Page Number(s).

Examples:
Quindlen, Anna. "Reading and Writing." New York Times 13 Feb. 1994: B27+.

Brokaw, Tom. "So, Did They Live Happily Ever After?" The Herald [Toronto] 27  Dec. 1997: D1+.

If it is an article in a MAGAZINE:

Format:
Author's Name. "Article Title." Magazine Name  Date: Page Number(s).

Examples:
Murphy, Cullen. "Women and the Bible." Atlantic Monthly  Aug. 1993: 39-64.

Strong, Larry. "The Learning Revolution." Business Week  28 Feb. 1994: 80+.

If the information is on a WEB SITE:

Remember: Google, Ask.com, and Yahoo are NOT Web Sites!!!!

1. The format is generally the same as for print materials: Who, What, Where, When

   Author's Name, Title, Publication Information (in the case of databases), Date
   of Access, URL.

2. Electronic sources may change often, so you need to say when you viewed the page,   
   as well as when it was written.

3. Enclose URL in angle brackets (<     >)and try to keep it on one line.

4. If you can't find some of the information, cite what is available.

5. Be sure to consider the credibility of your source if you can't find an author.

Format:
Author's Name. "Title."  Info for page or database. Date you looked at the page. < URL> .

Examples:
Fox, Justin. "What in the World Happened to Economics?" Time 15 Mar. 1999: 90- 99. EBSCOhost Web. 2001. EBSCO Publishing. 3 Oct. 2000 .

"Michael Jordan." Britannica Online. 1998. Encyclopedia Britannica. 3 October 2001 .

Peres, Judy. "Couple's Divorce Entangles Frozen Embryos." Chicago Tribune  7 Aug. 1999: C1+. NewsBank NewsFile Collection. 16 Aug. 1999.  .

Romance Languages Home Page. 1 Jan.1997.  Dept.of Romance Languages, U of Chicago. 8 July 1998  http://humanities.uchicago.edu/romance/.

Smith, Tom. Home page. 21 Oct. 20  http://www.chass.utoronto.~smith/. 

"This Day in History." The History Channel Online. 1998. History Channel.19 June 1998  http://historychannel.com/thisday/today/980820.html.

B. How to Do In-text Documentation- Not expected from 4th, 5th and 6th graders in science,YOU MAY SKIP THIS SECTION.

In-text documentation means putting information about one of your sources WITHIN your paper instead of at the end (on a Works Cited page).

When do you use in-text documentation?
*if you use an original idea from a source (whether quoted or paraphrased)
*if you summarize someone else's ideas
*if you quote directly

What does an in-text citation look like?
Put the author's last name and the page number within parentheses and usually at the end of a sentence. 

Example: The Romans called the German tribes barbarians (Hinds 19).

Here are some further examples:

If the information is from a Book:
Include the author's last name, and the page number.

Example: Cave expert Ruth Radlauer says that troglophiles which live in Mammoth Cave include spiders, crickets, beetles and other insects (Radlauer 18).

If the information is from a Magazine Article:

     A. Signed Articles: include the author's last name and the page number.

          Example: According to Clark Kellogg, television coverage of sports has
                         improved greatly (Kellogg 34).

      B. Unsigned Articles: include magazine title and the page number.

          Example: Sports Illustrated notes that television coverage of sports has improved
                          in recent years (Sports Illustrated 34).

If the information is from a newspaper:

      A. Signed Articles: include author's last name and the page number.

           Example: Jesse Ventura does not appear to have a chance to win the
                           nomination according to the (Smith New YorkTimes C3).

      B. Unsigned Articles: include the title of the newspaper without any articles
         (New York Times not The New York Times) and the page number.

          Example: Jesse Ventura does not appear to have a chance to win the nomination
                          according to the New York Times (New York T