BUSAD 218 - Business Law

Writing a research paper doesn't have to be overwhelming. It helps if you just think of it as a project that has a series of manageable steps you take to complete it. You can use this guide to follow those steps. Remember, real librarians are here to help you along your way.

1.Understand your assignment

What topics can you explore? Are any topics off limits? How long is the finished product? When is it due? How many and what type of sources are required? Will you be describing, analyzing, comparing, solving, or persuading?

2.Choose a meaningful topic

Research is an opportunity to explore topics relevant to you and your life. If your topic isn’t personally meaningful, the research process will quickly become tedious. If you have trouble connecting with a topic, your MJC librarians will have lots of ideas to help.

3.Develop your topic through preliminary reading

Think of preliminary reading as front-loading your learning: giving yourself the background knowledge and vocabulary you need before tackling the more complex content you'll use as your actual sources. Preliminary reading -- sometimes called background reading -- helps you to familiarize yourself with existing information, current research, and various viewpoints concerning your chosen topic.

This type of inquiry helps you evaluate the viability of potential topics and gauge your continued interested in exploring those topics. Preliminary reading can also help you refine or narrow broad topics into a manageable focus. Where are other researchers and writers focusing their attention?

To be clear, preliminary reading isn't about finding your sources -- though you may find some along the way -- as much as it is about finding and expanding your ideas. 

4.Create research questions

Research questions help shape your paper, plus save you time as you focus on finding sources answering specific questions. As your research progresses, you may revise and even add to your questions. Research librarians are happy to help you develop some questions to get you started.

5.Gather your sources

Use library databases to find high-quality sources answering your research questions. Follow the assignment’s source guidelines, and rigorously evaluate everything you plan on including in your bibliography. Be sure to follow the citation style set out by your professor.

6.Read, reflect, write, revise!

It’s simple: the more you read, think and write about your topic, the more you’ll learn about it. Read your sources closely and often, tracking the information you plan to use. Get your ideas down on paper as they develop, and cite your sources as you go.

Use the Library & Learning Center

MJC librarians can help you get started with your project, and assist you with each and every step of the research process. Tutors in the L&LC will help ensure the grammar, spelling, and organization of your paper is turn-in ready. Visit us early and as often as needed!

For most BUSAD 218 classes, you will be writing a research paper that will be due in Week 16 of your class. Your teacher lets you chose a topic.

The paper is to be written using APA (American Psychological Association) Style. 

General Project Requirements are as follows. For specifics, see your Final Project instructions in Week 16 of your class.

• Format - Written and cited in APA format.  
• Content Minimum - Minimum of 5 pages of researched content  (not including title page, abstract and reference page)
• Sources - Use at least five academic and/or professional sources plus your text to support the paper. Use the databases available to you through the MJC Library & Learning Center.
• Writing - Your writing should reflect the issue, the relevant laws, your observations and what you discovered through your research (MJC takes a very dim view of plagiarism and it will not be tolerated)
• Citations - Citing sources in the body of your text as well as on your reference page is required.
• Paper Presentation - Your paper should be well organized, and professionally written. An introduction and conclusions should be included. Your introduction should outline the issue(s), the body of the paper should discuss and support the opening statements and end with a conclusion. A title page should be first, a reference page should be last and should correctly cite all the sources used.

If you do not understand any aspect of your assignment, ask your teacher. They are here to help you!

Finding the Topic Sweet Spot  

The topic sweet spot is where three factors overlap: your assignment, your sources, and your own interests. Balancing these equally will set you up for success.

1. Understand your assignment.
Know exactly what’s expected. Pay attention to the guidelines:

• Required or restricted topics

• Page length/word count/timing

• Number and type of sources

• Mode of presentation (informative? persuasive? analytical? compare-contrast? problem-solution?)

2. Check source availability.
The right sources can make or break your topic. A paper requiring 8 peer-reviewed sources will push you toward more scholarly subjects than one that asks for 3 substantive sources. Before locking in your topic, preview what’s available in the types of sources you're required to find. A librarian can help you match topics to potential sources.

3. Choose personal meaning.
If your topic doesn’t matter to you, the work will feel like drudgery. Pick something you’re genuinely curious about or connected to. When you chase knowledge instead of just chasing the grade, the research process becomes more rewarding and the final product stronger.

Pick a Topic Databases

You can get ideas for research topics from several MJC article databases.

Once you've decided on a topic option, do some background reading to get better acquainted with it. How are other researchers and writers discussing your topic? What seems to be the most important and/or controversial aspects of your topic? What arguments are being presented?
 

Here are some great databases for background readng:

Why Create Research Questions?   

Think of research questions as your shopping list for information. Just as a list keeps you focused in a crowded store, your questions keep you on track in the vast “supermarket” of sources. They help you:

• Locate the most relevant information quickly and efficiently.

• Stay focused so you don’t get lost or sidetracked while exploring.

• Stay organized as you gather evidence and start shaping your paper.

And just like a grocery list, your research questions aren’t fixed. They may grow, change, or shift as you learn more and further refine your topic.

Sample Research Questions

As you shape your research, different types of questions will help you focus on different parts of your paper: introduction, body, and conclusion. The following are sample questions to help you get started. Think of them as a menu of possibilities—some will fit your project, others won’t. Use them as a starting point to spark ideas, and adapt them to fit the scope and goals of your research.

Use these to get background information and define your topic.

• What is ___?

• Why is ___ an important issue?

• What background information is necessary to understand ___?

• What are the different types of ___?

These guide you into deeper analysis and evidence.

• What causes ___?

• What are the effects of ___?

• What are the arguments for ___?

• What are the arguments against ___?

• What is being done about ___?

These help you pull your thinking together and point toward implications or solutions.

• What conclusions can you make about your topic, and why?

• What can you argue about your topic, and why are those arguments valid?

• What should be done to address your topic, and why?

The MJC Library & Learning Center subscribes to roughly 100 databases. Listed below are some of our most popular databases; an MJC research librarian will be happy to point you toward the best database(s) for your given topic. You can see a complete list of MJC Databases under Articles and Databases on the MJC Library & Learning Center home page. 

I've listed some databases below that I've found particularly useful for this assignment.

Best Bets for Business Law Research

Databases Covering Many Subjects

What if MJC Doesn't Have What I Need?

If you need materials (books, articles, recordings, videos, etc.) that you cannot find either in OneSearch or in our databases, we can get it for you. Check out our Interlibrary Loan page below.

Not every source you find is trustworthy or useful. Before incorporating a source into your work, it’s essential to pause and evaluate it carefully. There are many evaluation methods—ABCs, the SIFT method, the 5 Ws, CARS, and the CRAAP Test. All serve the same purpose: guiding you through the process of deciding whether a source is reliable. Choose one you can remember, and apply it consistently to every potential source.

When you encounter any kind of source, consider... (CRAAP Test)

1. Currency - When was it written? Has it been updated?
2. Relevance - How is it relevant to your research? What is its scope?
3. Authority - Who is the author? What is their point of view? 
4. Accuracy - Has the source been reviewed? Did they cite their sources? Who did they cite?
5. Purpose - Why was the source created? Who is the intended audience? Where was it published? In what medium?

Evaluating AI Content:

• Verify everything: AI output can sound confident, but these tools can make up (“hallucinate”) or misrepresent information, draw false conclusions, make major mistakes and generate fake sources 
• AI doesn’t “understand” the way humans do; these models lack real-world experience and context, so they don’t easily handle irony, humor and complex metaphors 
• Don’t just read AI-generated summaries; take time to read original articles and understand detailed points and context 
• Be aware that many of today’s AI tools are trained on information up to a certain date and may not have access to recent events or new discoveries 
• Challenge AI responses and require the AI to justify its output by citing sources and data 
• Beware of biased AI output 
• Guard against overreliance on AI; challenge yourself to learn and exercise your mental muscles

Finding Information to Help You Evaluate

To find out more about an author: 

Google the author's name or dig deeper in the library's biographical databases.

To find scholarly sources: 

When searching library article databases, look for a checkbox to narrow your results to Scholarly, Peer Reviewed or Peer Refereed publications.

To evaluate a source's critical reception: 

Check in the library's article databases to find reviews of the source in order to get a sense of how it was received in the popular and scholarly press.

To evaluate web sources: 

The internet is a great place to find both scholarly and popular sources, but it's especially important to ask questions about authorship and publication when you're evaluating online resources. If it's unclear who exactly created or published certain works online, look for About pages on the site for more information about the authorship, or search for exact quotations from the text in Google (using quotation marks) to see if you can find other places where the work has been published.

Use lateral reading to see what others say about your source:

The CRAAP Test is a solid starting point, but the site you’re evaluating isn’t always the best place to verify authority, accuracy, or point of view. Authors and organizations can misrepresent themselves, and sites that look professional may be promoting an agenda.

Lateral reading means stepping outside the source. Open a new tab and search for information about the author, organization, or publication. By reading across multiple sources—not just down the page in front of you—you can see what others are saying and gather outside evidence.

This practice strengthens your evaluation, helps confirm credibility, and gives you a clearer sense of whether a source deserves a place in your research.

For more information on lateral reading, check out our Web Source Evaluation page.

Learn APA Style for Formatting Your Paper and Citing Your Sources

For most BUSAD 218 classes, you will be using APA Style to format your paper and cite your sources. APA style is a set of rules created by the American Psychological Association. 

APA style was created by social and behavioral scientists to standardize scientific writing. APA style is most often used in psychology, social sciences (sociology, business), and nursing.

Use the pages below to learn APA Style.