Identify Your Topic

Sometimes your teacher will assign you a topic, but other times you will have to choose one for yourself.   If you are able to choose your topic, try to find one that really interests you!  Make sure you confirm that your topic is okay with your teacher before you get started on your research.

Locate Your Research Resources

After doing a preliminary search to make sure there is plenty of information available on your topic, you want to compile the best resources for completing your research.  Ideally you should use a minimum of three resources when doing research.  The following are examples of resources you can use:

• Books 

• Databases 

• Websites 

• Newspapers/Magazines

• Videos

Use specific keywords that best match your topic when searching for your resources.

Avoiding Plagiarism

View this Prezi for an overview of plagiarism and how to cite your sources.

Do:

• Use quotation marks around all direct quotations and cite the material.

• Give credit to any information that you paraphrased from another source.

• Give credit to any information that is not common knowledge (common knowledge is information that most people know or information that can be easily found in many sources).

Cite any:

• • graphs, drawings, pictures

  • audio or video source

  • information taken from online sources

Don't:

• Copy and paste information without using direct quotation marks and citing the source.

• Mix words from an author with your own words and not give credit.

• Use a paper written by someone else and submit it as your own work.

(Thanks for the Pingry School for a great list of do's and dont's)