Begin with your topic

Choose a topic first.

Do not create a narrowly focused thesis statement before you begin your research.Why not? Because you may not find enough information to support your narrow thesis statement.

Instead, think of a research question.

For example

Let’s say for your research paper, you decide to explore the topic of sharks.

Since it’s an argumentative paper, you write your thesis statement this way, “Sharks are a clear danger to people who swim in the ocean, so sharks should be exterminated from the ocean and only allowed to live in aquariums.”

For example (cont.)

You begin your research and find that sharks attack people in the U.S. an average of 19 times per year, and there is only a fatality every couple of years.

In addition, apparently toilets, buckets, and air fresheners cause more human injury per year than do sharks.

For example (cont.)

So in your original thesis statement, you have identified a problem that is not as pervasive as you originally thought, and your method for solving the problem is overly aggressive.

Now you have to re-think both your thesis statement and your research sources.

Research tip: Create a research question.

Instead of starting with a thesis statement, begin with a research question.

For example: “What are some problems in the world associated with sharks?”

Research Question: Problems with

SharksIn your research, you find that the real problem is not the danger sharks pose to humans but the danger humans pose to sharks.

You find that sharks are endangered because their fins are valued as an ingredient in soup.

Now you have a research topic: “sharks endangered because of their fins.”

Resources for Research

Use Academic Search Complete for scholarly articles on different topics.

Use Student Research Center for a variety of resources (articles, books, etc.) that are accessible for a high school audience. Use TOPICsearch to

locate articles on current issues and topics for argumentative papers.

Resources for Research

Use CQ Researcher to locate articles on various issues and controversial topics for argumentative papers.

Use EBSCOhost to choose various databases to search for information from encyclopedias, magazine and journal articles, books, and various other resources. Use Issues and

Controversies to find out information on various current and controversial issues for use in argumentative papers.

Resources for Research

Use Opposing Viewpoints in Context for both pro- and con- perspectives on controversial topics.

Use CougarCat to find books available through the Collin College library.

Use Ebook Databases to find full-text books online.

Research tip: Use one of the nine resources listed before

consulting Google!

Why?

•Because professors are skeptical of information found using a Google search

•Because the information you find using a Google search is more likely to be biased or unreliable than the information you find using a library resource

Begin your research

Let’s revisit our topic about sharks as an endangered animal because their fins are used in soups. We’ll use some of the resources listed previously to find information.

When I research the term “sharks” (without quotation marks) using Student Research Center, I get over 85,000 results!

So I add another search term to narrow my results—”endangered sharks”—and that number drops to 758.

Research Tip: If you get too many results, add one or more

keywords to narrow your search.

When I research the keywords “endangered sharks fins china” (without quotation marks) using Student Research Center, I get 19 results

So I delete a search term to broaden my results—”endangered sharks fins”—and that number increases to 132.

Research Tip: If you get too few results, delete keywords

or use a broader search term.

When I research the keywords “endangered animals sharks” (without quotation marks) using Student Research Center, I get 253 results.

When I change my keywords to “shark fin soup,” I get 26 results.

Research Tip: Vary your search terms to find

different resources. Don’t limit yourself to a single

search term!

When I change my keywords to “sharks killed fins,” I get 128 results.

When I change my keywords to “shark conservation,” I get 1008 results.

Research Tip: Vary your search terms (cont.)

If you can’t think of multiple keywords to use in your search,•Use your research to come up with new keywords.•Ask your professor for ideas for new keywords.•Ask a librarian for ideas for new keywords.

Research Tip: Get help if you need

it.

Research Tip: Read the article abstract if there is

one or scan the article itself.

Why?

Because an article may pop up in your search that has nothing to do with your topic. Just because it is in your results page doesn’t mean it is directly related to your topic.

An abstract is a paragraph that describes the content of the

article.

The abstra

ct

Research Tip: When you locate articles relevant to your

topic, email them to yourself or print them.

Warning: Make sure you read the article before you print it. Why? Because if you don’t, you might end up with a bunch of printed articles that are not good sources of information for your topic—make sure the article is useful before you print it.

Research Tip: Scan articles for useful

quotes.Just because the overall article is not directly related to your topic doesn’t mean that you can’t find useful sentences or paragraphs in the article that you can quote in your paper.

Remember, you don’t have to use an entire article. You can just quote parts of it in your paper.

Scan articles for useful quotes (cont.).

While, I might not be able to use all the information in this

article for my paper about

sharks, I could use

this introductor

y paragraph.

Research Tips

• Begin with a research question instead of a thesis statement.

• Use a library database to do your research instead of relying on Google.

• If you get too many results, add one or more keywords to narrow your search.

• If you get too few results, delete keywords or use a broader search term.

Research Tips (Cont.)

• Try different search terms (i.e. keywords) to find different resources.

• Get help if you need it.• Read the article abstract if there is one or scan the article itself.

• Scan articles for useful quotes.

Questions

• Ask a knowledgeable peer for help.

• Ask a teacher for help.

• Ask a librarian for help.

• Ask your professor for help.

• Use Google to ask a specific question.