The Research Process
This is the first, but the hardest part of the research process.
What is developing a research question?
Name the research tool in our library where you can find books, articles, videos, theses, and more
What is OMNI?
You must do this whenever you quote or paraphrase someone else's work.
What is cite your source?
Which of these is NOT a credible academic source: blog, peer-reviewed article, or book chapter?
What is blog?
Type of source, which gives a first-hand account of an event
What is the primary source?
Brainstorming these before you begin searching can help expand and improve your results.
What are keywords AND/OR synonyms?
These three Boolean Operators help narrow or expand your search.
What are AND, OR & NOT?
The use of words, ideas, images without giving credit to your source.
What is plagiarism?
Which type of source is peer-reviewed: newspaper, blog, or scholarly journal?
What is a scholarly journal?
Journals that are reviewed by experts in the field prior to publication.
What are peer-reviewed journals?
Narrow this topic: "Climate change"
"Example: How does climate change affect the mental health of teens with preexisting anxiety?
Searching exact phrases is easy when you use these.
What are quotation marks?
Three strategies to avoid plagiarism in your academic writing
What is quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing?
This source type has many sections, such as abstract, methodology, results, discussion, conclusion, and references
What is a scholarly article?
The section of a scholarly article that explains how a study was conducted.
What is methodology/research methods?
Why is research not a linear process?
You often revise the question, adjust keywords, and refine your focus as you learn more.
When would you use OR instead of AND in your search?
When you want to broaden your search using synonyms or related terms.
A brief reference to your sources within the body of your paper
What is in-text citation?
Why is the author of a source important for evaluating information type?
Author credentials reveal expertise, bias, authority, and perspective.
A framework to evaluate information sources
What is ACT UP?
A strong literature review includes this, a fancy word for bringing together ideas from different sources.
What is synthesis?
Turn this into a search string: How does social media affect mental health?
What is “social media” AND “mental health”?
This technique involves using the bibliography or references list of one source to track down additional sources.
What is backwards citation searching?
Why can a newspaper article be considered “primary” in one context and “secondary” in another?
Because classification depends on how it’s used. A source’s role changes based on the research question.
When evaluating sources, we estimate how recently the information was published.
What is currency?