If you are an FCCJ student, and have any problems or need help with your research, please e-mail librarian@fccj.edu or call any campus library.
Steps
in writing a research paper:
1.
Narrow your topic – How do you know if your topic is too broad or too
narrow? Try a couple preliminary
searches in the library catalog
or a periodicals
database. Look at your results
lists. Are you getting hundreds of books or articles on your topic? Or are you
getting little to nothing at all? If
you are getting too much, browse the subheadings within the database to find a
more precise aspect of the topic. If
you are getting too little, you might want to expand your search.
Also, take note of the subject words related to your topic that you find in your
preliminary search. These will come
in handy as you begin to really get into your research.
For instance, if you search “steroids and sports” in the library
catalog take a look the subject headings for the books you find.
Some additional search terms you will find include “Doping in sports”
and “Athletes -- Drug Use.”
2. Get background information. Encyclopedias are great for getting overviews of your topic. They will also help to familiarize you with the vocabulary related to your topic. If any terms are unfamiliar, you can also use dictionaries to get their meanings. See the “Encyclopedias” page for some online encyclopedias you can use.
3. Find books on your topic. Use the “Books” page or go to any FCCJ campus library to search the online catalog for books on your subject. Remember that books are good for background research and historical information, but often you will want to get more up-to-date data from periodical articles.
4. Find periodical articles on your topic. Periodical articles can be either scholarly journal articles or articles from popular magazines. You can find plenty of both from the “Periodicals” page. You can also visit any FCCJ campus library to search the databases and get articles from other print periodicals on campus. Look to see if the articles have a bibliography at the end. This may lead you to more information.
5.
Using the Web for research. Using
a general Web search engine should be your last resort when research a paper for
class. Always use the library
catalog and journal databases first. This
is simply because they contain more reliable information from reputable authors
and are generally easier to search. If
you cannot find what you need and think it may be on the Web, you can use a search
engine to see if what you need is out there.
For tips on searching the Web, try the Search
Engine Watch tips page. You may have to use more than one to fully search
the Web’s resources. Once you
find a page, be sure to evaluate
it, to be sure that the information you are getting is accurate.
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