Research process
Be Critical
The research process is part of the composition process. Don't be afraid to let your personal taste and inclinations guide the direction of your research. It's also important, however, to Critically Analyze Information Sources (Cornell).
- What kinds of sources do you need? If you need scholarly articles, search article databases on the library website. If you need movie times, search Google!
- Slow down.
- Is there an advanced search page?
- Can you limit to peer-reviewed articles?
- Can you limit by the year published?
- Can you use any subject terms to get more relevant results?
- Iterative searching
- Learn from the search results
- Too many results? Too few?
- Look at citations from good sources
Cite your sources
- MLA handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th edition, in print.
- Many older editions are also available throughout the UCB libraries.
- Chicago Manual of Style (online).
- Also available in print in many different libraries.
- Citing Your Sources. A brief online guide to the main citation styles and a brief discussion on what constitutes plagiarism.
- Cite Right: A Quick Guide to Citation Styles--MLA, APA, Chicago, the Sciences, Professions, and More (online) Charles Lipson. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2006.
- Many print editions are available throughout the libraries.
Last Update: October 15, 2012 14:16

