Below are a few exercises and tips for being efficient and effective while doing a research project.

Keywords

Probing Questions

Source Evaluation

Note Taking

Keywords are words or phrases that will be used in search engines and databases to help you uncover information.  A good keyword list includes many synonyms for your topic as well as  words or phrases that describe ideas related to your topic.

Your probing question: "How do college students spend their time?"

Keywords extracted DIRECTLY from your question:college students           time

Additional keywords:

students                    higher education

time management        social life

work                         clubs

organizations              activities

extracurricular            academic achievement

stress                       etc.

The more words in your list, the easier it becomes to generate many different searches.  Don't forget that there can be many different ways to say or describe the same thing, so the more Keywords you compile, the better your chances of finding all sorts of potential resources.  Check out the basic example below based on a fairly simple concept!

Once you have an idea about a topic, it is time to generate some probing or guiding questions about your topic.  These questions will help guide your research and make it easier to evaluate potential sources.  It becomes much easier to identify "answers" when you actually ask questions. 

Probing questions are NOT the same thing as a thesis statement, they are simply a starting point!

Example:

Topic: College Students

Probing Questions (Think:"What do I want to know or say about college students?") :

              What can First-Year students do to make the transition to college life easier?

              What can colleges do to make this transisiton easier on First-Year students?

              Do First-Year programs sponsored by colleges affect retention and graduation rates?

Probing questions will continue to grow as you learn more about a subject, and above is just one example of a direction someone with the topic of "College Students" might take.  Questions like these are related to the topic and to each other and they can help guide you through the next steps of research.  Ultimately, your thesis statement may incorporate some of the concepts addressed by probing questions.

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Evaluation Worksheet

Considering the following as part of your source evaluation process.  Don’t forget to ask, “Does this source really help me?  Does it tell me anything that I don’t already know?”

1. Accuracy (Is the information reliable? Are the links accurate? Sources cited? Information believable?)

2. Authority (Who is the author? What are his/her qualifications? Is the source/site sponsored by an organization? Is the organization reputable or legitimate?)

3. Objectivity (Does the information reveal a bias? What is the point of view of the author? Is the information trying to sway you? Do links also reflect a *bias?) *If so, keep in mind that you should also explore the opposing point of view.

4. Currency (When was the information published/ last updated? Is the publication date indicated? Are links up to date?)

5. Coverage (How is the information presented? Do you learn more about your topic or is it a summary of what you already know? How does it look?

6. Selection- Would you use this site as a resource for a research paper?  Why or why not?  If you think you could find better then you should!

Research Note Taking Template

Journal/ Book /Web Title:________________________________________________________________

 Article/ Chapter Name:__________________________________ _______________________________

Author (s):_______________________________Pages: ________Publication date: _________________

Publisher name & location:______________________________ _Retrieval date:___________________

Doi/persistent URL/ URL:_________________________________________________________________

Reflections  Facts, Ideas & Quotations____

 Place your thoughts about why you chose the fact/                                                                      Jot down information & quotes right

        idea/ quote on the other side of                                                                                                          from the text (author's words).

                the page (your words).  

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