The
Tutorial Center’s
Ten Steps Towards
Obtaining Information
Competency
1. Understand your assignment
o
What are you being asked to do? Is the
assignment asking you to find information? Do you have to evaluate that
information? Are you being asked to formulate an argument for or against
something?
2. Know your topic
o
Are you familiar with the topic? Do you
need some more background information before you begin your research?
§ Librarians
are invaluable sources of information. Stop by the library desk and share your
topic with them. They will be able to point you in the right direction for
learning more about it before you get started on your independent research.
§ Search
engines like Google and general reference book sites like an encyclopedia are
helpful for this stage of the process. They can be used to give the student a
general overview of a topic before the student begins to look for scholarly
research. Generally, HOWEVER, the information you get from these sites should
not be considered “scholarly” and you should avoid using this information for
anything other than getting an idea.
3. Focus
your topic
o
After you get a general sense of your
topic, you will be able to start narrowing down your search terms. What words
are most important in your topic? What elements interest you the most?
4. Determine
what kind of information you need
o
Does your topic cover a current event or
news item? Will you need scientific studies or statistics? Does it deal with a
literary work or a historical event or person?
o
Each of these different types of papers
requires different types of sources. Primary sources might be most helpful for
research on historical figures or events. Secondary sources might provide
helpful insight onto literary works. Scientific articles and studies would be
most useful for research in the sciences.
5. Take
your search terms and go forth
o
Now that you know something about your
topic, you should be able to determine the best place to find your information.
Will your best information come from books written about your topic, or will
you find internet sources more useful? Do you need scholarly articles from
peer-reviewed journals, or do you need recent articles from newspapers and
magazines?
o
Again, ask the professionals for help.
Often a librarian can suggest a database or journal that deals specifically
with your topic.
6. Let
other researchers be your guide
o
Once you have found a few really good
articles or sources for your topic, take a look at their sources. Read the
references lists, works cited pages, or bibliographies for your most helpful
articles. Use these sources to give you further direction on where to find
information.
7. Evaluate
your sources
o
If you are using the internet, what type
of domain are you visiting? (.edu, .gov, .net, .org, .com)
o
Is the page dated? Is there an author?
Does the author offer his/her credentials?
o
What is the purpose of the page? Is it
trying to sell you something? Is it making an argument for or against
something? Does it simply present information?
8. Keep
track of where you’ve been, know where you’re going
o
Every source you use in your final paper
must be cited accurately. While you are researching, keep an accurate record of
all of your sources, books, and websites.
o
Know how your paper needs to be cited:
§ Papers
in the arts and humanities, such as papers on literature, usually use MLA
format.
§ Papers
in the sciences usually require APA format.
o
Each of these styles follows a specific
pattern throughout your paper and for your bibliography. The pattern is exactly
the same for everyone—for you, for your classmates, and for Dr. Fancy Pants at
Big Name University.
o
Once you determine which style you need
to use for your topic, be sure and write down all of the information required
for that citation style for each source.
o
The library website and the Tutorial
Center both provide style sheets for each type of citation format.
9. Incorporating
sources into your writing
o
Narrow your search results to what you
can manage. Just because there are 15
articles/books related to your topic doesn’t mean you have to use and cite them
all. Choose only what is relevant to
your specific focus.
o
Incorporating quotations or statistics
that are not directly related to what you are discussing causes the paper to
lose focus.
o
Give credit where credit it due! If you directly quote, summarize, or
paraphrase someone else’s work, give them credit by placing proper in-text
citations after the “borrowed” information.
Again, librarians or tutors can help with this if you have questions.
10.
Proofread your final draft!!!
o
After putting so much work into your
paper, you will want to make sure everything is correct. In addition to checking for grammar and
punctuation errors, also check your in-text citations and works cited page.
o
Remember, anytime you hit a roadblock in
this process, a librarian or tutor can be a great resource!