You can also email this worksheet directly to your professor.

The Research Process - Manage Your Time

Use the Assignment Calculator to plan the work for the writing assignment you have selected. Use this same assignment to answer LOBO questions on later pages.

1.3.1 What is the name of the assignment?

1.3.2 What is the date today?

1.3.3 When is your assignment due?

According to the Assignment Calculator?

1.3.4 When should you have chosen your topic?

1.3.5 When should you begin finding books/articles/web sites?

1.3.6 When should you make an outline?

1.3.7 When should you write your first draft?

Defining Research Needs - Understand Your Assignment

Use the writing assignment you selected to answer the following questions.

2.1.1 What important verbs are included in the description of your assignment?

2.1.2 What kind of approach do those verbs indicate?

2.1.3 Is there more than one part to your assignment? What are the main parts?

2.1.4 Briefly describe any special instructions given for this assignment.

2.1.5 Who is the audience for your assignment?

2.1.6 What does your audience already know? What biases might they have?

Defining Research Needs - Differences Between Resource Types

2.2.1 Are books useful resources for your topic? Why or why not?

2.2.2 Are scholarly journal articles useful resources for your topic? Why or why not?

2.2.3 Are popular magazine articles useful resources for your topic? Why or why not?

2.2.4 Are web sites useful resources for your topic? Why or why not?

Developing a Research Strategy - Define Your Topic

3.1.1 What is your broad topic?

3.1.2 List three narrower versions of your broad topic.

Developing a Research Strategy - Brainstorm Search Terms

3.2.1 What is your main topic idea?

3.2.2 Break down your main idea into 2-3 smaller concepts. List them here:

3.2.3 List any appropriate synonyms for each of your concepts.

3.2.4 List any alternative spellings, abbreviations, or multiple endings that apply to your concept terms or synonyms.

Developing a Research Strategy - Build a Keyword Search

3.3.1 Copy the women, college, and athletics example search string from the Keyword Builder and paste it here:

3.3.2 Copy the film, movies, crime, and criminals example search string from the Keyword Builder and paste it here:

3.3.3 Copy the search string you created using the Keyword Builder with your own terms and paste it here:

3.3.4 Are there any terms in your search string that you might use a truncation symbol with? List them here:

3.3.5 Are there any phrases related to your topic that you might need to use quotations marks with? List them here:

Conducting the Search - Find Books

4.1.1 Using the Libraries' catalog, locate 3 books related to your research topic. Copy and paste their titles and call numbers here:

Conducting the Search - Find Articles

4.2.1 Describe, in your own words, what article databases are. What do they include? How are they different from the library catalog? From search engines?

4.2.2 Which databases do you think will be best for searching for articles on your topic? Why?

4.2.3 View the "Show me an Example" link. Then search Academic Search Premier yourself and find one article related to your topic. Copy and paste the citation here:

4.2.4 Was the full text of the article available in the database?

Conducting the Search - Find Call Numbers

4.3.1 The example call number above begins with the letters "HQ". Use the "Library of Congress Classification system" link above to determine what broad subject "H" stands for and what narrower subject "HQ" stands for. List both here:

4.3.2 Use the same link to find the two letter code that most closely matches your research topic, and type it here:

4.3.3 Click on the "Call Number Map" link above. What floor of D.H. Hill Library are the "HQ" books and journals located on?

4.3.4 What floor of D.H. Hill library are the books and journals with your two letter code located on?

Conducting the Search - Find Web Sites

4.4.1 Click one of the search engine links above and search for your topic. List the title and URL (web address) of one promising web page you find.

4.4.2 What is your favorite search engine?

4.4.3 What does the "advanced search" screen of your favorite search engine allow you to do that the regular search screen does not?

Evaluating Resources - Evaluate Books

5.1.1 The exercises in this section will help you evaluate a specific book. Type the title and author of the book you will evaluate here:

5.1.2 Answer the questions above for the book you're evaluating. Overall, does what you know about the author/authority of the book indicate that it's a good resource?

5.1.3 Answer the questions above for the book you're evaluating. Overall, does what you know about the purpose of the book indicate that it's a good resource?

5.1.4 Answer the questions above for the book you're evaluating. Overall, does what you know about the organization and content of the book indicate that it's a good resource?

5.1.5 Answer the questions above for the book you're evaluating. Overall, does what you know about the publisher of the book indicate that it's a good resource?

5.1.6 Answer the questions above for the book you're evaluating. Overall, does what you know about the date of publication of the book indicate that it's a good resource?

5.1.7 Overall, is this book a good resource to use for your assignment?

Evaluating Resources - Evaluate Articles

5.2.1 Describe "in detail and in your own words" the difference between scholarly journal articles and popular magazine articles.

5.2.2 Why do you think many instructors require students to use scholarly journal articles instead of popular magazine articles?

Evaluating Resources - Evaluate Web Sites

5.3.1 The exercises in this section will help you evaluate a specific web site. Type the title and URL (web address) of the web site you will evaluate here:

5.3.2 Respond to the following prompts in the space below, using complete sentences:

• Identify the "domain type" of the site you're evaluating and explain why that is acceptable or unacceptable for your needs.
• Identify the "publisher" or host of the site and tell what you know (or can find out) about it.
• State whether or not the site is a personal site and explain why that is acceptable or unacceptable for your needs.
• State who (name the person or institution) created the site and tell what you know (or can find out) about the creator.
• Look for the author's credentials on the site. List his/her credentials and draw conclusions based on those credentials. If there are no credentials listed, tell what conclusions you can draw from their absence.
• Using what you know about the AUTHORITY of this web site, explain why it is or is not appropriate to use for your paper/project.

5.3.3 Respond to the following prompts in the space below, using complete sentences:

• Identify the stated or implied purpose of the site.
• State whether or not you see any "hidden" purposes. Describe any "hidden" purposes you find.
• Using what you know about the PURPOSE of this web site, explain why it is or is not appropriate to use for your paper/project.

5.3.4 Respond to the following prompts in the space below, using complete sentences:

• Look for the creation or copyright date on the site. If there is a creation date, list it and explain why it is acceptable or unacceptable for your needs. If there is no creation date on the site, tell what conclusions you can draw from its absence.
• Look for the date of last update on the site. If there is a last update date, list it and explain why it is acceptable or unacceptable for your needs. If there is no last update date on the site, tell what conclusions you can draw from its absence.
• Using what you know about the CURRENCY of this web site, explain why it is or is not appropriate to use for your paper/project.

5.3.5 Respond to the following prompts in the space below, using complete sentences:

• Describe the type and depth of content the site provides.
• Identify the sources the site refers or links to. Explain what the quality of the references or links tell you about the site.
• Identify examples of information on the site you can verify. Describe how you can determine whether or not it is accurate.
• Using what you know about the CONTENT of this web site, explain why it is or is not appropriate to use for your paper/project.

5.3.6 Respond to the following prompts in the space below, using complete sentences:

• Identify the creator of the site. Describe the point of view he/she/it represents. Describe the biases he/she/it might have.
• Identify the organizations that support or host the site. Describe the point of view they represent. Describe the biases they might have.
• Determine whether or not the site includes signs of bias and list some examples. Explain why that is acceptable or unacceptable for your needs.
• Determine whether or not the site includes links that point to other points of view and list some examples. Explain why that is acceptable or unacceptable for your needs.
• Determine whether or not you are biased toward or against the site. Describe your biases. Explain how your point of view could impact your interpretation of the site.
• Using what you know about the BIAS and POINT OF VIEW of this web site, explain why it is or is not appropriate to use for your paper/project.

5.3.7 Of all the ways to evaluate a web site based on authority, purpose, currency, content, or bias/point of view, which do you think is most difficult? Why? What lingering questions do you have about the web site?

Using Resources - Understand Plagiarism

6.1.1 Which of the above examples of plagiarism do you think is the most common? Why?

6.1.2 Do you think these are appropriate consequences for plagiarism? Why or why not?

Using Resources - Integrate Your Research

6.2.1 Describe, in your own words, the differences among quoting, summarizing, and paraphrasing.

6.2.2 Explain how you should decide whether to quote, summarize, or paraphrase a passage from a resource.

Using Resources - Cite Your Sources

6.3.1 Which citation style are you most familiar with?

6.3.2 Cut and paste the citations you create using the Citation Builder into the space below as needed.