A Research Guide for Students

Pay attention to domains, e.g., .edu (educational institution), .gov (government), or .org (non-profit organization). These sites represent institutions and tend to be more reliable. Be selective of .com (commercial) sites. Many .com sites are excellent; however, a large number of them contain advertisements for products and nothing else. Be wary of the millions of personal homepages on the Net. The quality of these personal homepages vary greatly. Learning how to search effectively on the Internet can help you eliminate many irrelevant sites and waste less of your time.

The recent arrival of a variety of domain names such as .cc (from Cocos Island) or .sh (from St. Helena) or .tv (from Tuvalu) may create some confusion as you would not be able to tell whether a .cc or .sh or .tv site is in reality a .com, a .edu, a .gov, a .net, or a .org site. The .cc or .tv extension is available to anyone who wishes to register a distinct domain name that has already been taken. For instance, if Books.com is unavailable, you can register as Books.cc via a service agent such as Register.com [http://www.register.com].

Depending on the information you are searching, the Internet is not always the easiest nor the first place you should try especially if you don't have ready access to a computer. Some students unnecessarily line up for a computer to find the meaning of a word when they should be using their common sense, i.e. a simple dictionary. Often the traditional printed resource, such as a dictionary, an almanac, or a directory, can provide you with the needed information much faster. This situation may change, however, as more libraries begin subscribing to online resources and buying fewer printed material.

To find books in the Library use the OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog).

Check out other print materials available in the Library:

• Almanacs, Atlases, AV Catalogs
• Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
• Government Publications, Guides, Reports
• Magazines, Newspapers
• Vertical Files
• Yellow Pages, Zip or Postal Code and Telephone Directories

Check out online resources or resource materials on CD-ROMs:

• Online reference materials (e.g., ELECTRIC LIBRARY, EBSCO, etc.) See Chapter 15. Virtual Library of Useful URLs
• Index to Periodicals and Newspapers (e.g., RESOURCE ONE, MAS, etc.)
• Encyclopedias (e.g., ENCARTA, ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA, WORLD BOOK, CANADIAN & WORLD ENCYCLOPEDIA, etc.)
• Magazines and Journals in full text and/or full image (e.g., TIME, MACLEAN'S, NEWSWEEK, etc.)
• Newspapers (e.g., USA TODAY, NEW YORK TIMES, CANADIAN NEWDISCS, etc.)
• Social Issues (e.g. SIRS, ISSUEQUEST, etc.)
• Subject Specific CD-ROMs (e.g. DISCOVERING AUTHORS, EXPLORING SHAKESPEARE, etc.)

Check out Public and University Libraries, businesses, government agencies, as well as contact knowledgeable people in your community.

Read and evaluate. Bookmark your favourite Internet sites. Printout, photocopy, and take notes of relevant information.

As you gather your resources, jot down full bibliographical information (author, title, place of publication, publisher, date of publication, page numbers, URLs, creation or modification dates on Webpages, and your date of access) on your work sheet, printout, or enter the information on your laptop for later retrieval. If printing from the Internet, it is wise to use a browser that provides you with the URL and date of access on every printed page. Remember that an article without bibliographical information is useless since you cannot cite its source.

STEP 3. STATE YOUR THESIS

Do some critical thinking and write your thesis statement down in one sentence. Your thesis statement is like a declaration of your belief. The main portion of your essay will consist of arguments to support and defend this belief.

STEP 4. MAKE A TENTATIVE OUTLINE

All points must relate to the same major topic that you first mentioned in your capital Roman numeral.

Example of an outline:

  I. Shakespeare's life
A. Early life in Stratford
1. Shakespeare's family
a. Shakespeare's father
b. Shakespeare's mother
2. Shakespeare's marriage
B. The Elizabethan Theatre
1. The Globe Theatre
a. History of the Globe
b. Owners of the Globe
c. Structure of the Globe
2. Acting companies
a. Men and boys
b. Sponsorships
II. Shakespeare's plays
A. Hamlet
B. Romeo and Juliet

The purpose of an outline is to help you think through your topic carefully and organize it logically before you start writing. A good outline is the most important step in writing a good paper. Check your outline to make sure that the points covered flow logically from one to the other. Include in your outline an INTRODUCTION, a BODY, and a CONCLUSION. Make the first outline tentative.

INTRODUCTION - State your thesis and the purpose of your research paper clearly. What is the chief reason you are writing the paper? State also how you plan to approach your topic. Is this a factual report, a book review, a comparison, or an analysis of a problem? Explain briefly the major points you plan to cover in your paper and why readers should be interested in your topic.

BODY - This is where you present your arguments to support your thesis statement. Remember the RULE OF 3, i.e. find 3 supporting arguments for each position you take. Begin with a strong argument, then use a stronger one, and end with the strongest argument for your final point.

CONCLUSION - Restate your thesis. Summarize your arguments. Explain why you have come to this particular conclusion.

STEP 5. ORGANIZE YOUR NOTES

Organize all the information you have gathered according to your outline. Devise your own method to organize your notes.

One method may be to mark with a different colour ink or use a hi-liter to identify sections in your outline, e.g., IA3b - meaning that the item "Accessing WWW" belongs in the following location of your outline:

 I. Understanding the Internet
A. What is the Internet 
3. How to "Surf the Net"
b. Accessing WWW

Group your notes following the outline codes you have assigned to your notes, e.g., IA2, IA3, IA4, etc. This method will enable you to quickly put all your resources in the right place as you organize your notes according to your outline.

STEP 6. WRITE YOUR FIRST DRAFT

Start with the first topic in your outline. Read all the relevant notes you have gathered that have been marked, e.g. with the capital Roman numeral I.

Summarize, paraphrase or quote directly for each idea you plan to use in your essay. Use a technique that suits you, e.g. write summaries, paraphrases or quotations on note cards, or separate sheets of lined paper. Mark each card or sheet of paper clearly with your outline code or reference, e.g., IB2a or IIC, etc.

Put all your note cards or paper in the order of your outline, e.g. IA, IB, IC. If using a word processor on a computer, create filenames which match your outline codes for easy cut and paste as you type up your final paper.

STEP 7. REVISE YOUR OUTLINE AND DRAFT

Read your paper for any errors in content. Arrange and rearrange ideas to follow your outline. Reorganize your outline if necessary, but always keep the purpose of your paper and your readers in mind.

CHECKLIST ONE:

1. Is my thesis statement concise and clear? 
2. Did I follow my outline? Did I miss anything?
3. Are my arguments presented in a logical sequence?
4. Are all sources cited to ensure that I am not 
plagiarizing?
5. Have I proved my thesis with strong supporting 
arguments?
6. Have I made my intentions and points clear in the 
essay?

Re-read your paper for grammatical errors. Use a dictionary or a thesaurus as needed. Do a spell check if using a word processor. Correct all errors that you can spot and improve the overall quality of the paper to the best of your ability. Get someone else to read it over. Sometimes a second pair of eyes can see mistakes that you cannot.

CHECKLIST TWO:

1. Did I begin each paragraph with a proper topic
sentence?
2. Have I supported my arguments with documented 
proof or examples?
3. Any run-on or unfinished sentences?
4. Any unnecessary or repetitious words?
5. Varying lengths of sentences?
6. Does one paragraph or idea flow smoothly into
the next?
7. Any spelling or grammatical errors?
8. Quotes accurate in source, spelling, and 
punctuation? 
9. Are all my citations accurate and in correct
format?
10. Did I avoid using contractions? Use "cannot" 
instead of "can't", "do not" instead of 
"don't"?
11. Did I use third person as much as possible? 
Avoid using phrases such as "I think", 
"I guess", "I suppose", "I believe", etc.
12. Have I made my points clear and interesting
but remained objective?
13. Did I leave a sense of completion for my 
reader(s) at the end of the paper?

For an excellent source, check out Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr.

STEP 8. TYPE FINAL PAPER

All formal reports or essays should be typewritten using a word processor (or a typewriter - hard to find nowadays in this part of the world).

Read the assignment sheet again to be sure that you understand fully what is expected of you, and that your essay meets the requirements as specified by your teacher. Know how your essay will be evaluated.

Proofread final paper carefully for spelling, punctuation, missing or duplicated words. Make the effort to ensure that your final paper is clean, tidy, neat, and attractive.

Aim to have your final paper ready a day or two before the deadline. This gives you peace of mind and a chance to triple check. Before handing in your assignment for marking, ask yourself: "Is this the VERY BEST that I can do?"

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