The Research Process: Read and Respond

Starting any research project can feel a little overwhelming, but here's a breakdown of what you can do:

1. Determine your topic (not too narrow and not too broad) 2. Get to know more about it (read an overview) 3. Select a variety of sources (ask your teacher how many you'll need) 4. Take notes and organize them 5. Write your paper (Outline) 6. Write a bibliography

How should you start a research project?

• read an overview of your topic and the subject area

• ask your teacher how many sources you’ll need

• take and organize notes

• choose a topic that’s neither too broad or too narrow

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When you choose a topic that's meaningful to you, one that you really care about, the rest of the process will come more easily. Remember, you might be working on this project for a while, so it pays to be inspired, motivated and passionate about your topic.

Pre-search is all about getting to know your topic a little better. You can read an article from an encyclopedia to get an overview of the topic or you can ask your librarian for help in getting started.

More ways to get to know your topic:

a. If your subject is a “thing,” (event, animal, idea, etc.), find out the who, what, when, where and why

b. If your subject is a “person,” find out about their early life, education, accomplishments and later life

Pre-search is

• Googling a topic and seeing how much information about it exists

• getting an overview of your topic before you dive into researching it

• writing a bibliography recording all your sources

• developing a detailed outline so you know what information you’ll need

Check with your teacher to see how many sources you need. You'll want a variety of sources for your topic: books, encyclopedias, and online or print articles from newspapers, magazines and journals. You can also use sources like films, videos, photos, etc.

Sources are classified into two categories:

Primary sources are documents from the period or subject you're studying, including diaries, journals, letters and interviews Secondary sources are about the subject you're studying, including books, textbooks, articles and encyclopedias

Be careful when selecting your internet sources. You can't believe everything you read and it’s important to find credible sources. Encyclopedias, academic institutions and government agencies generally have the most reliable information. You can ask your librarian for help in determining the best websites.

Read through your sources and take accurate notes. Keep track of which notes came from which source, then organize your notes in a logical order.

Sources can be classified into which two categories?

• documents and videos

• academic and government

• primary and secondary

• books and textbooks

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Whenever using material from one of your sources, you must cite the source using footnotes or in-text citation so the reader knows where you're getting your information and knows that you aren't just making it up. There are different formats for citing texts, including APA, MLA and Chicago, so ask your teacher which one they prefer.

A bibliography is a list of all the sources you used in your paper. It gives proper credit to the authors whose ideas you used. Remember, you don't want to claim an idea that isn't yours! Bibliographies let the reader know where they can find the information you cited and are written according to certain style guidelines that match your citations.

A bibliography...

• is a type of in-text citation

• is a list of all the sources you used

• contains any graphs and charts you referred to

• is a complete list of your footnotes

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When you’re doing research about an event, person or period in history, you want to look for historical sources of information. Some sources are considered primary sources, and others are considered secondary sources. Primary sources are made by someone who was actually a witness to the events described. Secondary sources are created some time after an event. They are information that someone has gathered and shaped. Secondary sources are often a summary, analysis, criticism or interpretation of the events based on one or more primary sources.

Which of the following best describes historical sources?

• People imagine events from the past and write about them to create historical sources.

• Primary sources are works of fiction, while secondary sources are generally nonfiction and both are historical.

• Historical sources come from witnesses and from people who study the accounts of witnesses.

• Secondary sources are historical because they analyze information, but primary sources are not historical.

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Primary sources are always original, first-hand information. They are usually created at the time a specific event occurred. Sometimes, though, primary sources are told later by someone who witnessed the event. What matters is that the person giving the information actually experienced what he or she is telling about. Primary sources give an eyewitness account of what life was like at a certain time. They sometimes show the witness’s opinion about an event. Primary sources can be letters, diary entries, audio or video clips, personal interviews, photographs, property deeds, court records and even objects from a certain time and place.

Thea is writing a report on President Donald J. Trump and wants to include both primary and secondary sources.

Which of the following sources is not a primary source about President Trump?

• a videotaped interview with him

• an encyclopedia entry about him

• a tweet he wrote and posted

• an email from him to his chief of staff

Secondary sources are made by someone who did not experience an event first-hand. Examples include textbooks, biographies, encyclopedia entries, concert reviews and magazine articles in which the reporter had to do research. A secondary source often uses one or more primary sources to create an overall picture of what life was like at a certain time or place. For example, the author of a book about the American Revolution would probably study letters, journal entries and artifacts from that time. Secondary sources are useful because they can give a lot of information at once. In essence, someone has already done a lot of research for you.

Which of the following is not true of secondary sources?

• They were created by a witness to the event being discussed.

• They can give a lot of information at one time.

• They create an overall picture of history.

• They often use one or more primary sources.

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Both primary and secondary sources can contain bias. Primary sources are usually the work of one person. Some primary sources, like property deeds and census records, only state the facts. However, letters and diary entries often include a writer’s opinion about something in addition to the facts.

Secondary sources like textbooks and biographies are often largely factual, but they may also contain the opinions of the author. An author may use primary sources to shape a secondary source in a certain direction. For this reason, it’s important to think critically to distinguish impartial facts from biased opinion.

Which of the following primary sources is most likely to include opinions as well as facts?

• census data

• property deeds

• a personal letter

• a photograph