Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research

Abstract

Research assignments—resulting in final products such as term papers, essays, posters, multimedia projects, blog posts, 3-D models, etc.—are a common requirement in college courses, but they can also be a source of stress when you aren’t sure what to do. This guide is intended to decrease your stress and increase your comfort with such assignments. Throughout this guide, we try to make more explicit some things less often talked about in class in order to “fill in the blanks.” The sections are ordered, more or less, as though you are conducting a research project while you’re reading them—from developing research questions through using sources in your writing. In between, you will learn how to figure out which sources to look for, how to find them, and how to evaluate them. You’ll also find information you may find helpful to help you navigate other questions—copyright, the fair use exception to copyright, and more. Conversation