Hey guys!
Today I’m going to talk to you all about researching for sources. It’s most important for you all to remember that researching takes time. In order to write a good research paper in college you must set aside the time to do the proper research and get the right sources. Your sources must be reliable, quality, and be able to be utilized. In order to find out if your source is reliable you should check the credentials of the author, the article, and whether it has been reviewed. The quality of a source is determined by the whether its up to date, well written, and consistent. The utility of the source can be seen by how on topic it is and whether it reaches its targeted audience. These three factors are very important to consider when determining whether to use a source.
I know you may be thinking that Wikipedia is a big no no in college. This is only somewhat true. Wikipedia is user based information so it is typically good for general information on a subject. The best way to use Wikipedia would be to use it as groundwork and then check the sources cited at the bottom of the article.
Remember that searching and researching is different. Searching is literally typing something into a box and coming up with information. Researching is more long and drawn out. These are very important distinctions. Also remember to cite your sources, keep in mind the difference between APA and MLA. Your teacher will specify what they are looking for and make sure to pay attention to their request as they are different forms of citing.
I know this was a lot in this blog but I hope it will help some! You will do at least one research paper in your time at college and they are usually worth a lot of points. Make sure to prepare for the time commitment and to not trip on little things in the assignment.
Talk to you guys next week!