Welcome to this research guide. I hope you'll find it useful as you explore various topics for your research projects.
You've found the right place if you want to learn how to conduct research that will help you craft well thought-out papers in which your points are supported by credible evidence.
Research is a deliberate, exploratory process you'll engage in to understand your topic fully and to figure out how your specific interest fits into a broader conversation about your topic.
In academic work, this conversation takes place in your sources (i.e., the literature you explore in articles, books, films, videos, images, or websites). In fact, think of your sources as different threads of the conversation. Just like blog comments, each source expresses different ideas, observations, discoveries, or interpretations of the historical problem or question you choose to address.
As you read your sources, try to figure out how they relate to each other:
So when you read your sources, think about the story they're telling you and about what they each have to say about that story.
By actively reading your sources as if you're participating in an interesting, complex discussion, when you write your paper, you'll be able to demonstrate to your teacher that you have a deeper understanding of your topic.
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Image from Hobbs, Renee. "New Approaches to Information Literacy." ACRL's New Information Literacy Standards, 30 Mar. 2015, http://www.slideshare.net/reneehobbs/acrls-new-information-literacy-standards.