Research Resources

(ELA.7)

Create a Research Question Appropriate to your Purpose

When researching, finding good information depends on asking good questions. When researching with the intent to inform, you really need to focus on writing fact-focused questions, while writing with the purpose to persuade, you really need to be asking yourself value-based questions. Use the presentations below to help you discover the difference between these two types of questions, so that you can create a research question that is appropriate to your purpose.

Researching to Inform, Using Fact-Focused Questions

Crafting Informative Research Questions

If you're having difficulty coming up a research question, use this informative Thesis Generator to get you unstuck.

Researching to Persuade, Using Value-Based Questions

Crafting Argumentative Research Questions

If you're having difficulty coming up a research question, use this argumentative Thesis Generator to get you unstuck.

Find Sources Online

Once you've crafted a high quality research question to help guide your search, use that question to help you search for information within search engines (e.g. Google or Bing), scholarly databases (e.g. Google Scholar, Ebsco, or Explora), or encyclopedias (e.g. World Book, etc.).

⚠️ You should find and include at least three sources that discuss your topic from different perspectives (e.g. a public health perspective, a legal perspective, and a business owner's perspective).

If you only need to conduct research (ELA.7), feel free to use the CSHS Research Protocol.

💡 If you need BOTH your critical reading (ELA.1) and research (ELA.7) competencies, consider using the Google Form, below, to demonstrate both of those competencies using the same sources.

🧠 Learn more about Critical Reading HERE.

📥 CSHS Research Protocol

👨‍💻 Reading & Research Google Form

How to Assess the Reliability and Usability of Sources

Balanced or Biased?

How to Quote, Paraphrase, & React (ELA.7.3)

Direct quotations

Keep your quotations short and sweet. Most of your quotes need to be less than two lines (and preferably less than one sentence) long.
Make sure that your quotation clearly illustrates the point you are trying to make.

Paraphrases

If you need to use information that extends over a passage that is too long to quote, you may rephrase the critical information in your own words. However, remember to cite this information both in-text and in your Works Cited section.

Reactions/Observations

This is your take on how useful this source will be to your research and/or how you plan to use it to support your claims.

Avoid Plagiarism!!!

NEVER

Use a phrase or a sentence from a book or magazine in your essay without acknowledging your source (e.g. without putting quotation marks around the quoted material and without mentioning the author).
Borrow specific ideas from another writer without acknowledging your source, even if you write the idea in your own words.
Cut and paste text from the Internet into your paper without acknowledging the source.
Hand in a paper under your name that has been written by someone else (e.g. downloading an essay from the Internet and handing it in as your own).

If you have any questions about using sources, please ask your teacher.

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