Important Due Dates:
Nov. 17th-electronic rough draft of paper for peer review due @end of class on Google Classroom
Nov. 19th- printed, stapled rough draft due for peer review @beginning of class
Nov. 20th-final paper due @end of class on Google Classroom
Nov. 21st-final due-printed and stapled @beginning of class
Research Tips:
Staying organized is key! Make a Google Drive folder to contain your research articles. Make sure you download them from the database and upload them to this folder before navigating away from the page.
Every time you find a useful resource, you will save three things:
the article itself (PDF form; upload to your folder)
the permalink
the citation in MLA format
Pro-tip: Rename the saved sources to a title that is useful.
Create a running Works Cited list with full MLA citations for all articles you might use. In a database, look for the citation/quote symbol to find the generated MLA citation. We strongly recommend double-checking it, so consider it a rough draft of your citation.
Save permalinks of any article you might want to use, but don't rely on these alone. Stable URLS or permalinks are found by looking for the chain link symbol. Do not copy the link from the top address window in a database. You will be frustrated by broken links, so be careful to do this correctly.
Use your find command (Control + F) to search for keywords in particularly long articles.
We recommend saving more sources than you think you need. Sometimes a quick assessment of an article is way off base. You will find it helpful to have spare articles rather than having to start your search over.
Alabama Virtual Library Databases
Start with Alabama Virtual Library → sources are cited for you and you know they are credible. Here’s the link: avl.lib.al.us
Choose college/university tab
If you want all of the sources available to you, search in the bar at the top of the page to access all databases.
Use your filters to limit the dates (more recent = more relevant), sources type, and country for a more manageable search. We recommend limiting your source options to news, magazines and academic journals. To avoid paywalls, choose "at my library." Be sure to hit apply filters.
You will have to vary your search terms to get the best results. Do not be afraid to tweak and repeat your search for best sources.
The best academic sources are peer reviewed academic journals, but these are often complicated and intimidating to read because they written by experts for other experts. Use the abstract to get an overview.
You can also dig in individual databases. Databases we really like and recommend: Gale General Onefile (Gale products will give you suggested resources to follow, so let it lead you), Newspaper Source, Medline Plus, Consumer Health Complete, Alt Healthwatch, and ERIC are good ones for your purposes.
We have provided the open access link because we no longer have a school account. You can access and read up to 100 articles a month.
You should be able to download and save to your Google folder, but if you have problems, you may have to create an account to save sources to your JSTOR workspace. Create a folder in your workspace for your sources, so you can quickly find them again.
Be sure to click the box at the bottom left that says "content I can access" to prevent the frustration of a source that is behind a paywall. Also, once you find a source be sure to check out the related texts tab to uncover new source leads before navigating away.
The permalink/stable URL is on the left hand side, and your citation information is at the top right.
Many colleges use JSTOR for research, so you might want to familiarize yourself now.
Student Search Tips for JSTOR: https://bit.ly/3GcxYuv
Google Searches:
When searching online, you need to be cautious of the source of the information. Be sure to pay attention to the about section of an organization or look up information about the author to determine if it is an official and credible source.
Citing information that comes from unreliable sources can easily undermine your argument and sink your grade, so be diligent in your investigation of online sources.
You can search by domain using these basic commands:
Search Google using site:.gov and then any keywords to search exclusively information attached to the government and its agencies
Search Google using site:.edu and then any keywords to search information attached to higher institutions of learning Make sure that your source is from a researcher and is not student work
Search Google using site:.org and then any keywords Some organizations push their own agenda, and it might be useful to follow the sources that they cite. Also, not all organizations are considered legitimate, so ask yourself questions about what is the purpose of the organization.
Using a Google search? See this document to help maximize your search options.
Google Citation Generator:
When citing an article on a website, we recommend using the Google Docs citation generator. Here’s how:
Use the Tools menu on Google Docs and select Citation.
Choose MLA as your style guide. Click Add Source.
Your source type is website, and you accessed it by web.
You can search with the website’s URL, but always make sure you double check for any information that it couldn’t find. Google Docs puts a blue asterisk by the most important information to have.
Press Add citation source.
Press cite to add an in-text citation for your source, or press Insert Works Cited to add a Works Cited page. Be sure to update this page with all of your cited works.