Mission Project

Use this document to access our research databases and periodical subscriptions.

Sample Planning Doc

Research Slides

Paperpile

Annotated Bibliography Slides

It's Okay to Start with Google or Wikipedia!

Your first instinct for quick information might be to search Google or Wikipedia. That is a perfect way to get started! The only way to begin your research is to seek out information, and freely available resources, such as Google and Wikipedia, are the easiest place to start.

 The Benefits of Wikipedia:

We all use Wikipedia, even professors and librarians. It's the largest online general reference resource and covers an impressive breadth of general information. 

Since its founding in 2001, Wikipedia has greatly improved its standards for creating and editing pages. There are now content policies and guidelines in place.

Everyone must have a registered account to create and edit pages and follow Wikipedia's extensive content policies.

Wikipedia pages also contain solid references and footnotes that cite the sources of the content, making it easy for people to find potential sources for a research topic.

But Don't Stop There!

While Google and Wikipedia are great places to start, make sure you take your research further.  Don't stop at one source.  Continue your research by using lateral reading or by clicking on the sources cited on Wikipedia.  The key to great research is to keep digging!