Searching and Researching Blog Post

As a student, one of the hardest things I have had to do is a lengthy research paper. Usually there is a lot more work that goes into these papers than I anticipate at first. The first step in any research paper is choosing a topic. The second step is usually finding reliable sources and in my opinion this is the hardest part of writing a paper. There are many factors that have to be taken into account when doing this. If the source comes from an internet search, it is important to make sure that this source is from a reliable domain (i.e. .edu and .gov), lists an author with contact information and credentials, avoids broad generalizations and bias, and has been written fairly recently.  Most professors will prefer that you search for peer reviewed articles and books using your school’s library website. These websites are especially useful when searching for books because you can order them online and have them waiting for you on the library front desk. Often, you can retrieve books from other libraries in the area as well. Using your school’s library website to search for articles is also useful because they usually have subscriptions to journals that allow you to access any full text of any articles from these journals. Other than writing the paper, the other main part of your paper that can be very time consuming is the works cited page. I know that I use to be hesitant to use any citations provided online, but if done correctly it can save a lot of time. For instance, when finding a journal article on my school’s library website there is a button you can click to cite the article you are using. After pushing this button you can choose the style you want it to cite in (i.e. APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.). You can then use this citation in your paper, but always double check this citation to make sure it is correct. Overall, there are many ways to make sure you are finding credible sources and once you find a way that works for you writing research papers will become much easier.

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