1. Research &
Citing Sources
Made Easy

2. Agenda
• What is Academic Research?
• The Research Process – Simplified
• I’ve Got All My Research Done,
Now What?
• Developing Your Research
Paper/Project
• Citing Sources

3. What is Academic Research?

4. Academic research is a process of
searching for information, critically
analyzing information, evaluating
sources of information, organizing
information and composing a paper,
project or product based on the
information and your critical thinking.
Adapted from:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/2/

5. Research Process - Simplified
Organize Yourself
Develop a Topic & Research It
Evaluate Your Sources
Organize Your Sources
Compose/Revise Cycle
Citing Sources

6. WHAT DO I RESEARCH?
• Locate background information using summaries and
overviews in "reference" materials.
• Find books on your topic.
• Use online database services to search for periodical
articles using online indexes and abstracts.
• Research your topic on the Internet using search
engines and subject directories.
• Evaluate, document and organize your resources.

7. Organize Yourself
• Is topic specified?
– Consider the …
• question(s) you are asked to address/create
• discipline through which you are approaching the topic
• specific thing(s) you already know/want to know about the topic
• What are the basic requirements?
– Length of paper required?
– Audience for your research
– Time you have available to research
– What citation format is required?
• MLA – Modern Language Association
– Used in the Humanities
• APA - American Psychological Association
– Used in the Social Sciences
• Ask your instructor any questions at beginning of process!

8. http://bit.ly/ProjectCalculator

11. http://bit.ly/AssignmentPlanning

12. Research Process - Simplified
Organize Yourself
Develop a Topic & Research It
Evaluate Your Sources
Organize Your Sources
Compose/Revise Cycle
Citing Sources

13. Develop a Topic & Research It
• Thoroughly understand your topic
– Know what you are being asked/what you must address
– What interests you the most about the topic?
– Make a listing of questions you would like to have answered about the
topic
– What would capture the interest of the reader?
• Pick issue that can be researched
– Make sure topic is not too broad nor narrow in scope
• Resources:
– http://bit.ly/AcademicResearchESC
– www.esc.edu/library - Go to Resources by Subject then Other Guides tab
– www.esc.edu/writer - Go to the “Research Room”
– Other resources – http://bitly.com/bundles/necacademicsupport/6

14. Identify Keywords
Keywords: Any informative words in the text of a document,
chosen as indicating the main content of the document.
CAUTION
• Keywords and subjects are not the same.
• Keywords are significant words from a document used as an index to
content.
• Subjects are the main focus of a work. Subject headings are assigned
from standards created by catalogers.
• Unless you know the word you are looking for is a subject heading, your
search maybe unsuccessful.
• Therefore, it is a good practice to start with a keyword search!!

15. Understand Basic Search Techniques
Combine Words and Phrases
“Quotation Marks” & (Parenthesis) : allows
for the search of groups of words occurring
together
EXAMPLES
“workplace literacy”
“sleep deprivation”

16. Boolean Phrases
And = a grouping of two specific ideas
(ex. Hurricane and Katrina)
Or = one idea or anther idea (ex. United
states or America)
Not = Only one idea but not any other
(ex. exercise not therapy)

17. Combine Words and Phrases
Using Boolean Searching
Click here for a link to more
AND information about this
search technique
OR
NOT
Source of Pictures: ESC Library website

18. Begin Research Process
• WHAT TO USE -- ESC Online Library
• http://www.esc.edu/- Click on My ESC, then Library and Learning
Resources – go to Find Info Quick Start Tutorial
• All Databases & Subject Guides
• Provides links to all databases based on subject area
• College recommended academic focus websites
• WHAT TO AVOID
• General Google searches
• Avoid certain “sources” i.e., Wikipedia, unsubstantiated sources such as
blogs, statements from non-experts.

19. www.esc.edu/library
http://commons.esc.edu/informationskills/
http://commons.esc.edu/informationskills/re

20. Here is where you
start to find your
research.
Links to a comprehensive annotated listing of
all the databases the library subscribes to –
a one-stop-shopping site for your research.
EBSCOHost The 3 best databases are EBSCO, JSTOR
& PROQUEST.

21. Best Search Sites to Go To
• Jstor – Most Academic
EBSCOHost
• Ebsco – Combo Academic &
Popular
• Proquest – More popular &
academic

22. For more help with the online library
go to a workshops conducted through
the library

23. Research Process - Simplified
Organize Yourself
Develop a Topic & Research It
Evaluate Your Sources
Organize Your Sources
Compose/Revise Cycle
Citing Sources

24. • Step 1 – Annotate & Find
“THE” Quote
• Step 2 – Categorize
• Step 3 – Outline/Mindmap
• Step 4 – Plug-in the Resources

25. Compose
Gather Information
Organize
Draft
Revise
Proof
Get Feedback
Re-proof
Hand in https://bitly.com/UsingResearchPurdue

26. Summarizing, Paraphrasing & Quoting
Summarizing - involves putting the main idea(s)
into your own words, including only the main
point(s)
Paraphrasing - involves putting a passage from
source material into your own words
Quoting - must be identical to the original, using
a narrow segment of the source
Try to use more than one method in all your papers!
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/01/

27. Intellectual property (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property )
Intellectual property (IP) is a term
referring to a number of distinct
types of creations of the mind for
which a set of exclusive rights are
recognized under the
corresponding fields of law.[1]
Under intellectual property law,
owners are granted certain
exclusive rights to a variety of
intangible assets, such as musical,
literary, and artistic works;
APA Format: Intellectual property - Wikipedia, the free discoveries and inventions; and
encyclopedia. (2012, March 15). Wikipedia, the free words, phrases, symbols, and
encyclopedia. Retrieved March 20, 2012, from designs. Common types of
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property intellectual property rights include
copyrights, trademarks, patents,
MLA Format : "Intellectual property - Wikipedia, the
industrial design rights and trade
free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. secrets in some jurisdictions.
N.p., 15 Mar. 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property>.

28. Why Do We Cite?
• To acknowledge the use of someone else’s
ideas/research/information to support your
own ideas/research/thesis
• To show your reader where to find more
information on the topic
• If it’s not common knowledge, your opinion or
based on your own first hand research – you
must give credit!

30. For more specific
information on MLA, APA or
Chicago styles of citation
Click the tabs.
If you are not sure how to cite
your papers this is a good
reference to see how. Here is
some resources to avoid
plagiarism and to make sure
credit is given when it is due.

31. Start to Read your book.
Add to your
book shelf and
pick up where
you left off
later

32. If you need Help you can always ask a
Librarian with the instant Chat or send
them an e-mail or all by clicking on the
Ask Librarian link.
Other Useful
information

33. http://subjectguides.esc.edu/citing

34. http://subjectguides.esc.edu/citing
http://library.acadiau.ca/tutorials/plagiarism

35. http://commons.esc.edu/informationskills/cite/

37. http://commons.esc.edu/libraryblog/2012/03/16/how-to-cite-facebook-twitter-apps/

38. http://www.bibme.org/

39. http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/citationbuilder/

40. http://www.zotero.org/
Zotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use tool
to help you collect, organize, cite, and share
your research sources. It lives right where you
do your work—in the web browser itself.

41. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/