Do you need books? ______________________ How many? ________________

Do you need journal articles? ___________________ How many? _______________

Do the books or journals have to be scholarly? __________ 

The books or journals that you use for your paper are considered your sources. Do your sources have to cover or be written in a certain time period? ____________________________________________ 

The sources that you use in your research paper have to be cited in a "References" list or "Works Cited" page. Did your instructor assign the MLA style, APA style , or some other style manual? __________ 

The "References" list, "Bibliography", or "Works Cited" page serves three purposes:

1. The reader can easily find the sources that you used in your paper.
2. The reader can evaluate the sources.
3. The reader can verify your research or build on your research and conclusions. 

Alternative search topic: _______________________________________________ 

Write the concepts on the bolded lines below, in order of their importance. 
Under each major concept list alternative (or synonymous) terms for your topic.

( First Major Concept	AND	( Second Major Concept	AND	( Third Major Concept
or _________________ or _________________ or ________________ )		or _________________ or _________________ or ________________ )		or _________________ or _________________ or _______________ )

Developing a list of concepts helps one develop a search strategy. Using And, or, truncation, and parentheses helps in searching library databases and may be used in search engines like Google and Yahoo.

   Example: (physical activit* or exercis* or sport*) and (stress* or hypertens* or wellness) and (reduc* or manag*)

Help Offered

Visit the Writing Center on the 2nd floor of the library for free help in starting and ending your paper and suggestions to improve your paper. Research Labs provide one-on-one assistance with librarians If you cannot make the Research Labs, make an individual appointment with a librarian. The General Reference Desk (2nd Floor) and/or the Marriott Library Multimedia Center are good starting points for your questions about the library, computers, and software

Writing a paper is a process. Doing library research is a process. Researchers begin in many ways. Some researchers find books first, some find journal articles first. Some researchers ask their friends, teachers, mentors, or colleagues for an idea. Some search the Web and some wander in the Marriott Library. Before you begin, it is useful to understand some common terms in the research process. Magazine and Scholarly Journal Comparison The following eight criteria will help you determine whether a particular title is popular or scholarly. Remember, it is important to always evaluate content regardless of the format (print, electronic, online, microform, or World Wide Web sources).   Popular Magazine Scholarly Journal EXAMPLE Newsweek Journal of Social Issues PURPOSE Provides articles designed to inform or entertain Presents news and results of original research to scholars and professionals AUDIENCE Mass audience, general readership Specialized readers or peers in discipline STYLE Non-technical language Technical/specialized language AUTHORS Editorial staff or freelance writers Scholars and professionals in a specialized field PUBLISHER Usually published commercially and sold in large bookstores and magazine stores Usually published by or in association with an academic institution or professional organization ADS Promotes a wide variety of products and services Little or no advertising CITATIONS Most sources are not fully cited Sources are always cited through footnotes/endnotes and bibliographies REVIEW POLICY Usually reviewed by an editor Usually review by an independent panel of distinguished peers in their profession. Also known as peer-reviewed or refereed Library Terms Serials or Periodicals are synonyms for magazines or journals. Peer- reviewed or refereed refers to journals that have an independent panel of distinguished peers in a field of study who read and critique submitted articles. Articles that are accepted for publication must meet high standards of scholarship and conclusions must be supported by evidence. MLA style refers to the book MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers which is available at the General Reference Desk (2nd Floor of the Marriott Library). This book shows how to format a research paper, document sources, and cite sources used in the "Works Cited" page. APA style refers to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association which is available at the General Reference Desk (2nd Floor of the Marriott Library). This book shows how to format a research paper, document sources, and cite sources used in the "References" list. Please review the Glossary of Common Library Terms for a comprehensive list of library terms.