Researching for an essay is where some students get into trouble. They don’t know where to look for sources, or what information they need. Again students should refer back to their rubrics sheet, and their professor’s instructions for the project to make sure that they use the correct forms of resource materials (internet, magazines, professional journals, books, etc.), and that the students use at least the minimum number of sources outlined by their professor. For example, the instructions may state that this 3-5 page essay will need to cite at least 5 different sources, with no more than 2 sources coming from the internet. Here is another point that needs clarification. Internet sources do not refer to published materials that are also in digital format online in a database or online library. Internet sources refer to personal or professional websites. In order to meet the cited source requirements for this assignment a student should try to select a variety of reputable source types like books and professional journals. If opinions are sought, then the student can then use one or two personal websites to locate personal and/or group opinions on their topic.
Before starting the research process the student should come up with a list of keywords and specific information that they need to find. This will help to direct their research process and their search for information. To generate a keyword list it is often helpful to brainstorm or create word clusters on the topic and the angle of their paper. For example, if the Social Security topic mentioned earlier is taken into consideration possible keywords could be: