Before you start any research project, you must decide upon the questions you will be asking.

For example, You have to create a project about the Pyramids. It will require 2 print sources and a web source. Chances are you are not an Egyptologist. At this stage in the process, you don't even know what you don't know. What to do? Go to Wikipedia.

WHAT?!?!? Didn't Mrs. Spilker specifically say NO WIKIPEDIA? Yes, yes she did.

Use Wikipedia to help formulate your questions. Use Wikipedia as a spring board to find primary sources. Just don't use it as a source for your project.

There is a lot of useful information here, just in the first blurb. I didn't know that the earliest pyramids were at Saqqara. I could narrow my topic to just the earliest pyramids. Later on we see that the Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid. It is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence. Again, not something I was familiar with, but a great bit of info that could easily help narrow a topic.

Next, check out the resources at the bottom of the page. A good Wiki will include the primary sources at the bottom of the page. These could possibly be good primary sources for you to use as your research. The blue links will take you to the page.

Using Wikipedia, I find an article about a new Pyramid. I follow the reference link and find myself at National Geographic News. Would this be a reputable primary source? YOU BETCHA!!!!

Did I even think to look for info from National Geographic News before I went to Wikipedia? OF COURSE NOT!!!! This is why Wikipedia is such a great tool to jump start research.

Make sure you create a citation for the National Geographic News article the minute you feel it may be pertinent to your project. You don't want to have to duplicate your research for the bibliography later on. Oh, guess what. You can copy the citation from Wikipedia if you want... (or use EasyBib)

"New Pyramid Found in Egypt: 4,300-Year-Old Queen's Tomb". News.nationalgeographic.com. 2010-10-28. Retrieved 2012-11-16.

RESEARCH RESOURCES