Understanding the Assignment
Before you dive in, take a moment and make sure you understand your assignment.
What is the topic?
First, check to see if your instructor has provided a list of potential research topics. Choosing from a list of pre-approved topics lets you dive right into the research stage. If you are given an open ended research assignment, make sure you understand the constraints. It can be helpful to revisit readings or lecture slides from previous weeks to get topic ideas. Make sure your topic is relevant to the class subject. It never hurts to reach out to a professor with some topic ideas to get their feedback as well!
After you've selected your topic, you'll need to write a research question. Your research question should be specific, focused, and able to be answered by evidence you find though your research.
How many pages should it be? How many minutes/slides should the presentation run?
Make sure you know how long your project needs to be. This can help you prioritize your time and avoid stressful night-before writing! As soon as you get your assignment, try putting the due-date into Augsburg's Paper Planner to generate a timeline.
Does it specify what kinds of sources you should be drawing from?
Often, your professor will require you to use certain types of sources. Read through the whole assignment before starting your research and identify what you should be looking for. Here are some common types of sources you might see in an assignment description:
- Peer reviewed - The peer-review process refers to scholars in the field examining research articles prior to their publication in a journal. This process helps add credibility and validity to research published in those journals. Look for this icon in the library catalog to determine which articles are from peer reviewed journals:
- Credible - Sometimes, you may need to use sources that were not published by an academic institution. A professor might ask you to find "credible online sources" or "credible websites". A credible source is one that you can reasonably believe to be trustworthy. This means you will have to take extra steps to determine the truthfulness of these web sources. For more information about determining credibility, check out this lesson from Be MediaWise.
- Primary - Primary sources are materials created at or around the time period you are studying. Examples include: Newspaper articles, diary entries, videos, and more. For more information on primary sources, visit the library's History subject guide.
- Current - Typically, an article that is current has been published within the last five years, though some professors might specify a different timeframe. Using current sources ensures that the information is up to date and reliable.
Is there a required Citation Style (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) that you need to follow?
Keep this in mind as you begin writing your paper and collect sources. Knowing how to format things like in-text citations and footnotes up front can save you a lot of time towards the end of your project. Consider using a citation manager to help you stay organized as you look for sources.
Now that you know what you are looking for, let's learn how to find sources.