Research Process

Before selecting a topic or starting your research, make sure you understand your assignment and its requirements. Consider the following:

• Have you been assigned a topic or can you pick your own?
• How many pages/words do you need to write? How long is your presentation?
• Do you need to include specific types of sources? (e.g. scholarly journal, book, etc.)
• When is the assignment due? How much time do you have to research?
• Is currency of information important? 
• When in doubt, consult with your instructor!

Developing a good research question can sometimes be the most difficult part of the research process. If you are struggling, follow the links below.

• Brainstorming
• Find background information
• Develop research questions
• Identify keywords
• Refine your topic

Research typically involves using a variety of sources including:

• Reference resources like encyclopedias and handbooks for background information
• Books, videos, archival material owned by the library 
• Articles from newspapers, magazines and journals
• Websites, podcasts, and personal interviews.

Track all of the resources you find, their citations, locations, and content summaries with this form.

Boolean operators (connector words) such as AND, OR, and NOT, create phrases based on rules of search logic.  

Truncation
The “*” replaces any number of characters and will find all forms of a word root.

• child* LOCATES child, children, childhood
• therap* LOCATES therapy, therapies, therapist, therapists, therapeutic, therapeutically

Wildcard
Note: symbols used may differ based on the tool used.  Consult the help documentation.

Wildcard "#" replaces any extra characters that may appear in alternative spellings.

• colo#r LOCATES color, colour

Wildcard "?” replaces one character

• ne?t LOCATES neat, nest, or next, but will not find net

When doing research, it is important to find information that is reliable and appropriate for your assignment. 

Some assignments may require you to use certain types of sources such as primary or secondary sources, or specific types of periodicals such as scholarly journals. Other assignments may require you to limit the number sources you use. Often Internet sources fall into this category.

In all cases, you should always evaluate the information included in your assignments.

Knowing how to evaluate information will help you with research assignments and also with the bigger decisions you make in life.

Knowing how to find relevant, reliable, and accurate, can help you make informed decisions about things like graduate school, a new car purchase, financial aid options, daycare choices, and more.

• Purdue's OWL: Online Writing Lab

  The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University provides succinct versions of the APA, MLA (8th ed, 2016), and Chicago citation styles with examples.

• University of Wisconsin's Writer's Handbook

  Includes instructional materials that were developed for teaching in the Writing Center.

Beyond the internet: successful research strategies Call Number: Upper Level Z

Using sources effectively : strengthening your writing and avoiding plagiarism Call Number: Upper Level LB2369.H37 2002

710 .C43 2007

Here are some important tips for notetaking:

• Use index cards to keep notes and track sources of information used in your paper.
• Create numbered Work Cited cards for each source of information.
  • Include all of the citation information (i.e., author, title, publisher, date, page numbers, etc.) you will need to write your Works Cited page.
  • Record the citation information in MLA format. When it comes time to write your Works Cited page, it will be easier to organize your sources alphabetically.
• On each card:
  • Use only one side to record notes.
  • Record only one idea, fact or quote from one source on a notecard. It will be easier to rearrange them later when it comes time to organize your paper.
  • Include a heading for the topic of the card. 
  • Include the original source of the information. If you have created numbered Work Cited cards for each source, you will only need to include the source number.
  • Include the page number where you found the information.
• Taking notes:
  • Use abbreviations, acronyms, or incomplete sentences to record information (as long you will understand them later). This will speed up the notetaking process.
  • Do not write down everything. Extract only the information that answers your research questions
  • Use one of the following notetaking forms:
    • Summarize the main idea of the article, then outline its main points.
    • Paraphrase or record notes in your own words.
    • If you plan to use an exact quote, make sure you copy the quotation exactly as it appears in the original source. Enclose the quote in quotation marks and note the name of the person you are quoting.
  • Use symbols, diagrams, charts or drawings to simply visualize ideas
  • Sample work cited card:

• • Sample note card:

To paraphrase, follow the steps below:

1. Read the original text until you grasp its meaning; then set it aside.
2. Using your memory, write down the main points or concepts. Do not copy the text verbatim.
3. Change the structure of the text by varying the opening, changing the order of sentences, lengthening or shortening sentences, etc.
4. Replace keywords within the sentences with synonyms or phrases with similar meanings.
5. Check your notes against the original to ensure you have not accidentally plagiarized. 

Paraphrasing Example 1.

Original Text
If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists (Davis 26).

Unacceptable Borrowing of Phrases
Davis observed that the existence of a signing ape unsettled linguists and startled animal behaviorists (26).

Unacceptable Borrowing of Structure
Davis observed that if the presence of a sign-language-using chimp was disturbing for scientists studying language, it was also surprising to scientists studying animal behavior (26).

Acceptable Paraphrase
Davis observed both linguists and animal behaviorists were taken by surprise upon learning of an ape’s ability to use sign language (26).

Paraphrasing Example 2.

Original Text
The automotive industry has not shown good judgment in designing automotive features that distract drivers. A classic example is the use of a touch-sensitive screen to replace al the controls for radios, tape/CD players, and heating/cooling. Although an interesting technology, such devices require that the driver take his eyes off the road.
- Tom Magliozzi and Ray Magliozzi, Letter to a Massachusetts state senator, p.3

Unacceptable Borrowing
Radio show hosts Tom and Ray Magliozzi argue that the automotive industry has not demonstrated good judgment in devising car features that distract drivers. One feature is a touch-sensitive screen that replaced controls for radios, tape/CD players, and heating/cooling. Although the technology is interesting, such devices require that a driver look away from the road (3).

Acceptable Paraphrase
Radio show hosts Tom and Ray Magliozzi claim that motor vehicle manufacturers do not always design features with safety in mind. For example, when designers replaced radio, CD player, and temperature control knobs with touch-sensitive panels, they were forgetting one thing: To use the panels, drivers would need to take their eyes off the road (3).

Examples taken from, Hacker, Diana. Rules for Writers. 5th ed. Boston: Beford/St. Martin’s, 2004.

Plagiarism is the use of sources without providing correct acknowledgements. When you use ideas or words created by another person and do not give proper credit, you are claiming the words or ideas are your own. In essence, you are stealing from the original writer.

Plagiarism may take many forms: cheating, copying information directly without providing quotation marks, failing to cite sources, or citing sources incorrectly. It does not matter whether you intended to plagiarize or whether the plagiarism occurred unintentionally; it still constitutes academic dishonesty. Ignorance of the rules of correct citation is not an acceptable excuse for plagiarism.

Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty can subject a student to both academic discipline and disciplinary action.  Please see the Monmouth College Student Handbook's section on Academic Honesty.

 To avoid plagiarizing someone else words or ideas, make sure you:

• Paraphrase the original text into your own words. Be sure you are not just rearranging phrases or replacing a couple of words.
• Use quotation marks around text that has been taken directly from the original source.
• Cite every source of information you use to write your paper, unless it is common knowledge. Common knowledge is generally accepted facts that can be verified in several sources. (example: George Washington was the first U.S. president.)
• When in doubt, cite it!
• Read more about avoiding plagiarism from Purdue University's OWL (Online Writing Lab) website

When referencing the work of others in your own research, it is necessary to give credit to the original source.

The major citation styles (below) provide a structure to citing sources when writing in a discipline.

• APA Style (American Psychological Association) is commonly used in the Social Sciences.
• MLA Style (Modern Languages Association) is utilized in Fine Arts and Humanities.
• Chicago Manual of Style is used by select Humanities and Social Science disciplines like Art History and History.

Most citation styles utilize two elements:

• Notation within your text that indicates to the reader what specific source you are referencing (also called in-text citation) 
• A full bibliographic citation in a bibliography or references page

Tips:

• Choose one style and be consistent throughout your paper.
• Consult with your syllabus or ask your professor which style guide is appropriate.
• Visit the librarians in Hewes Library with specific citation questions.