Research

Let's Start with the Basic Research Process!!

Question:

Your goal in this first step is to learn enough about your topic to identify a specific question to answer.

Write a specific research question.

What do you know about your topic?
What do you want to know?
What's the question or problem you will focus on?

Tips:

How to Write a Research Question

Developing Strong Research Questions

Gather:

Your goal is to locate, read, evaluate, and record information related to your research question.

Record notes from sources using NoodleTools.

Where will you look for information?
What search tools will you use to find the best information to answer your question?
What keywords will you use?
How will you identify the best sources?
How will you record what you find? NoodleTools
How will you give credit to your sources?

Begin your search using the databases and links listed further down on this page.

Tips:

Narrowing and Keywords

Conclude & organize:

Your goal in this step is to reflect on what you have learned, draw a conclusion, and then organize your information to support that conclusion.

Confirm thesis and outline main points.

What did you learn from reading, listening, and viewing?
How will you organize the information you found to answer your question?

Tip:

Developing a Thesis Statement

Paper/Project:

Your goal in this step is to communicate your conclusion and supporting points to your audience.

Tips:

MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics

Evaluate:

Your goal in this step is to evaluate your completed product and the process you used. Consider your assignment and the product you created and ask yourself:

Step 1: Question

Is the completed product exactly what you were assigned to do? Look back over your rubrics.
Did you do adequate preliminary research on your topic?
Did you formulate a compelling question?

Step 2: Gather

Did you use sources in a variety of formats?
Did you ask a professional for assistance in finding information?
Did you use carefully selected keywords to search for your information?
Did you evaluate the credibility and purpose of your resources?
Did you use NoodleTools to record your information?

Step 3: Conclude

Did you adequately answer your original question?
Did you support your thesis with authoritative sources?
Did you build on your understanding of the subject?
What new information did you learn or create about your topic?

Step 4: Communicate

Has your work been carefully reviewed and edited?
Is your work complete? Is it neat?
Does it include a Title (page, slide or clip) and a Works Cited and Annotated Bibliography page?
Are your sources credited in the proper format?

Step 5: Evaluate

Would you be proud for anyone to view your work?
Which of the previous steps did you do best?
What have you learned from this process?
How can you improve your work?

What is NoodleTools?

NoodleTools is a tool to help organize your research. The note cards feature is my favorite! You may access NoodleTools through your Clever Login!

DISCUS Databases

DISCUS Databases are the perfect place to begin your research!! To access DISCUS, go to CLEVER --> READING & RESEARCH --> DISCUS --> BY GRADE LEVEL --> MIDDLE SCHOOL.

20th Century Historical Videos

Primarily for middle school students through adults, though many clips are suitable for grades K-6
Historical primary source videos ranging from 1-9 minutes in length

Details:

Coverage of the most significant people, events, and issues responsible for shaping the years 1893-1990
Notable topics include the industrial age, the Great Depression, the women’s rights movement, the Holocaust, world leaders, the Kennedy years, the civil rights movement, technology and innovation, the space program, the Cold War, apartheid, pop culture, and more

Britannica Library

Access to three levels: Children, Young Adults, and the Reference Center for high school students and adults

Details:

Encyclopedia articles, current magazines, recommended Web sites, an atlas, biographies, news, pop-up dictionary and thesaurus
Multimedia includes images, videos, and audio clips
Links to selected articles from the The New York Times

Credo Reference

For middle school students through adults
Full text of more than 600 subject-specific encyclopedias, biographies, chronologies, and dictionaries, all from well-respected publishers

Details:

Multimedia provides 200,000+ images and audio files and nearly 100 videos
Includes Credo Topic Pages with context and vocabulary, subject orientation, and pathways to further exploration
Includes the DK Eyewitness eBooks series
Features a visual search tool (Concept Map) that displays connections between search results in a visual, interactive, easy-to-use format; enables success in finding topic ideas for assignments and expanding knowledge of a given area

Explora for High Schools

For high school students
Search interface that provides access to information on many topics from magazines, newspapers, books, biographies, country reports, primary sources, video and more

Details:

Nearly 500 popular full-text high school magazines, including American Cheerleader, BMX Plus, Dirt Bike, Ebony, Girls' Life, Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Sports Illustrated, and more
Includes the Columbia Encyclopedia, the CIA World Fact Book, and others
More than 1.2 million images of relevant photos, maps, and flags

Historic American Newspapers

Details:

Page images from selected historic newspapers of 25 states and the District of Columbia, published from 1836-1922
Includes 34 historic South Carolina newspapers published in Anderson, Anderson Court House, Bennettsville, Charleston, Columbia, Edgefield, Georgetown, Laurens, Orangeburg, Orangeburg Court House, Pickens Court House, Rock Hill, Sumter, and Sumterville
Searchable by date and keyword
Viewing options include PDF images, downloadable images, text only, and persistent links for sharing
Includes a searchable and browsable directory of U.S. newspapers from 1690-present

Newspaper Source Plus

Provides the latest news from the leading national and international news sources

Details:

Over 1,000 full-text newspapers including major titles such as USA Today, Christian Science Monitor, The Washington Post, The Washington Times (DC), San Francisco Chronicle, The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), The Times (UK), Toronto Star and others
Staff articles included from many newspapers, including The Philadelphia Inquirer, Houston Chronicle, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) and others
Includes television and radio news transcripts from ABC News, CBS News, CNBC, CNN, CNN International, FOX News, MSNBC, NPR, PBS and more

Writer's Reference Center

The Guide to Research section is HIGHLY recommended since this is your first major research project!!! Great section on developing your topic!! -Mrs. West

For middle school students through adults
Tools on how to write and research effectively, including a step-by-step guide to writing a good essay

Details:

Explores the fundamentals of writing
Guides for research and documents
Writing resources covering grammar, style, and research

HCS Smart Search

HCS Smart Search is a tool that allows you to search all of the databases at once. It is not always as user-friendly as the individual databases, but it is a one-stop search tool. It also allows you to save your finds in a folder. Check out this video for a basic overview.

Destiny Discover

Do not forget about Destiny Discover! Not only can you find books and ebooks, but there are also websites and database articles!! When conducting a search in Destiny Discover, check the tabs across the top of the page for Books, Websites, Databases, and Open Educational Resources!

Searching Google???

Everyone will search the web. Just remember there is much to consider when searching the web! Consider the source and the accuracy of the information before including it in your research! Look for author bias, credibility, and purpose. You are researching facts... not opinions.

Before you search the web, check out 20 Google Search Tips to use Google More Efficiently!

Can I use Wikipedia as a source???

Wikipedia is written by volunteers. Often, anyone with internet access can write and make changes to Wikipedia articles. Wikipedia does, however, have many sources near the bottom of most articles. You should not cite Wikipedia itself, but you can cite the sources provided once you look up the source yourself. You will notice that some of the sources use the Wayback Machine Internet Archive, which is a service that allows people to visit archived versions of websites... or websites that no longer exist on the web.

What are Primary & Secondary Sources?

Primary Sources:

A primary source is a piece of information about a historical event or period in which the creator of the source was an actual participant in or a contemporary of a historical moment. The purpose of primary sources is to capture the words, the thoughts and the intentions of the past. Primary sources help you to interpret what happened and why it happened.

Examples of primary sources include: documents, artifacts, historic sites, songs, or other written and tangible items created during the historical period you are studying.

Secondary Sources:

A secondary source is a source that was not created first-hand by someone who participated in the historical era. Secondary sources are usually created by historians, but based on the historian’s reading of primary sources. Secondary sources are usually written decades, if not centuries, after the event occurred by people who did not live through or participate in the event or issue. The purpose of a secondary source is to help build the story of your research from multiple perspectives and to give your research historical context.

An example of a secondary source is Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James M. McPherson, published in 1988. They are a great starting point in helping you see the big picture. Understanding the context of your topic will help you make sense of the primary sources that you find.

(Primary Source & Secondary Source information is straight from NHD!!)

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