Research

Research skills to work on this year:
 * Brainstorm, consult with others, decide upon a topic, and formulate a major research question to address the major research topic (modify question if necessary based on further research)
 * apply steps for obtaining and evaluating information from a wide variety of sources and create a written plan after preliminary research in reference works and additional text searches
 * follow the research plan to gather information from a range of relevant print and electronic sources using advanced search strategies
 * record bibliographical information (author, title, page number, etc) for all notes and sources according to a standard format (MLA)
 * differentiate between paraphrasing and plagiarism and identify the importance of citing valid and reliable sources
 * evaluate sources to determine reliability, validity, and accuracy by examining their authority objectively
 * marshal evidence in support of a clear thesis statement and related claims
 * provide an analysis for the audience that reflects a logical progression of ideas and a clearly stated point of view
 * use graphics and illustratins to help explain concepts //where appropriate//
 * use a variety of evaluative tools to examine the quality of the research and use a style manual (MLA) to document sources and format written analysis

===You can always visit the library website for useful resources and links to database and other tools used in class.===