The best resource to find more in-depth analysis of a subject although it may not be as broad a view as a reference work.

A great place to start your research. They will give you concise, factual information on a particular topic intended to educate, not persuade.

The best resource to find a concise overview or summary of a topic, written by a topic specialist.

The best source for small segments of a topic, current articles on a topic, analysis of current events, and/or targeted research studies.

A material you find online. It can be an online newspaper, magazine or television website, peer-reviewed journals, webpages, forums and blogs. Some other names for online sources are electronic sources, web sources and Internet sources.

Sources in this category include professional, scholarly, and academic peer-reviewed journals or sites.

Are those in which credibility is likely to be high, but which may or may not be formally peer-reviewed. This means that you as a writer must be responsible for judging the reliability of the information contained in these sources.

They also publish information, librarians tend to be very meticulous people, so their information tends to be very accurate.

Documents produced by an industry about that industry.

Sources that detail the official positions of federal, state, or local governments.

Can be a good source of information, if you keep in mind their limitations and reputations.

Weekly or monthly magazines dedicated to reporting on news and world events.

Designed to present information in an eye-catching format.

Produced by virtually all businesses, foundations, and universities. As a rule, such sites contain mostly positive information about the company or organization.

Online encyclopedias that offer general information on a wide variety of subjects that anyone can edit at any time.

Are those where information is likely to be inaccurate, inadequately researched, or strongly biased.

Websites made by individuals for their own reasons. Information from these sites should be treated as unreliable unless it is verified by a variety of higher-level sources.

They are vehicles for a single person’s worldview and opinions. While they can sometimes provide insightful (if often personal and informal) analysis and opinions, they should, like other informal sources, be treated with caution.

Are not really “sites” at all in the sense of research. Tend to be brief, personal, and unverifiable.

The practice of writing down or otherwise recording key points of information.

Capture the main ideas of the source succinctly by restating them in your own words.

Restate the author's ideas in your own words.

Copy the quotation exactly as it appears in the original source. Put quotation marks around the text and note the name of the person you are quoting.

Originated in 1929, when a group of psychologists, anthropologists, and business managers convened and sought to establish a simple set of procedures, or style guidelines, that would codify the many components of scientific writing to increase the ease of reading comprehension.

A process of systematic inquiry that entails collection of data; documentation of critical information; and analysis and interpretation of that data/information, in accordance with suitable methodologies set by specific professional fields and academic disciplines.

A systematic work, drawing on existing knowledge gained from research and/work or practical experience that is directed to producing new materials, products or devices, to installing new processes, systems and services and to improving substantially those already produced or installed.

Research lies in the making of conclusions or generalizations basing on the collected data.

Involved when a researcher conceptualizes his research activity, he uses existing theories and concepts in formulating theoretical framework for his research.

Refers to the moral behavior in the conduct of research and use of its outcomes.

The design and procedures of a study can be replicated or repeated to arrive at more conclusive results.

Research is conducted using methods and techniques that are appropriate to the research problems or objectives.

Research requires careful and precise judgment in analysis and making generalizations.

Research applies analytic procedures in gathering and analyzing data.

A researcher who completes a study presents his findings and suggests further studies on aspects of the problem that were addressed by his research.

A researcher makes conclusions based on findings and explains his findings based on existing theories.

A researcher can work on a problem that can be addressed through observation.

The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential.

The experiment should be such as to yield fruitful results for the good of society, unprocurable by other methods or means of study, and not random and unnecessary in nature.

The experiment should be so designed and based on the results of animal experimentation and a knowledge of the natural history of the disease or other problem under study, that the anticipated results will justify the performance of the experiment.

No experiment should be conducted, where there is an a priori reason to believe that death or disabling injury will occur; except, perhaps, in those experiments where the experimental physicians also serve as subjects.

The degree of risk to be taken should never exceed that determined by the humanitarian importance of the problem to be solved by the experiment.

Proper preparations should be made and adequate facilities provided to protect the experimental subject against even remote possibilities of injury, disability, or death.

The experiment should be conducted only by scientifically qualified persons. The highest degree of skill and care should be required through all stages of the experiment of those who conduct or engage in the experiment.

During the course of the experiment, the human subject should be at liberty to bring the experiment to an end, if he has reached the physical or mental state, where continuation of the experiment seemed to him to be impossible.

During the course of the experiment, the scientist in charge must be prepared to terminate the experiment at any stage, if he has probable cause to believe, in the exercise of the good faith, superior skill and careful judgement required of him, that a continuation of the experiment is likely to result in injury, disability, or death to the experimental subject.

Involves identifying, locating, assessing, and analyzing the information you need to support your research question, and then developing and expressing your ideas.

The researcher has to identify what specific questions need to be answered. Formulation of research objectives and specification of variables happen on this stage.

This stage includes selection and construction of measuring tools and collection of needed data.

In this stage, the researcher organizes and analyzes the collected data with the use of appropriate statistical tools to come up with answers to his research questions.

The researcher draws conclusions and answers the research problem based on the outcome of the data analysis.

A search and evaluation of the available literature in your given subject or chosen topic area. It documents the state of the art with respect to the subject or topic you are writing about.

A quantity susceptible or liable to fluctuations or change in value, level, degree, scale, or magnitude under different conditions.

The stimulus or cause variable chosen by the researcher to determine the relationship of an observed phenomenon.

Response variable or effect that is observed or measured to determine the effect of the independent variable.

A single formal theory.

Includes one or more formal theories (in part or whole) as well as other concepts and empirical findings from the literature.

Describes what contribution your study will make to the broad literature or set of broad educational problems upon completion.

Illustrates what the study will do, which should reflect the statement of the problem.

An important section of a research paper, this includes the coverage of the study, the subjects, the research instruments, the research issues and concerns, the duration of the study and the constraints that have direct bearing on the results of the study.