Some hints about library research:

 

  1. Define the issues connected to your question that you need to read about. 
  2. Do a search for articles, books, websites, etc. Look for a variety of sources and evaluate each source.  How reliable is the source?  What bias might the source have?  (Biased sources can still be useful, as long as you acknowledge the bias.)
  3. If you are looking for statistical information related to your topic, there are internet sources devoted exclusively to this.  Among them are:
    1. Statistical abstract of the United States http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/33000.html
    2. FirstGov:  www.firstgov.gov
    3. Google Uncle Sam: www.google.com/unclesam
    4. Factfinder factfinder.census.gov
    5. The White House www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/esbr.html
    6. STAT-USA Internet: www.stat-usa.gov
  4. Read the information you have gathered
    1. highlight, underline and make notes about the important information and ideas you have read
    2. create a reference list as you go, making note of all important reference information.  (You want to be able to find this information again and alert others to the information you have found, and credit others for their ideas)
  5. Review what you have marked as important and identify the big ideas or themes that cut across your reading. 
  6. Coordinate these ideas with the information you have gathered from yourself as a source on your topic and from your interview(s).  You can make a chart like the one below:

Big Idea #1

Big Idea #2

Big Idea #3
  • Quotes or information from text with full citations
  • interview data with quotes
  • personal information
  • Quotes or information from text with full citations
  • interview data with quotes
  • personal information
  • Quotes or information from text with full citations
  • interview data with quotes
  • personal information

 

  1. Organize (order) these ideas and create connections between them that will make for smooth reading.
  2. Write up what you have learned, integrating the three types of sources, and being sure to cite any ideas you get from outside sources (library sources and interviews).
  3. Write a conclusion that analyzes and draws implications about all of the ideas you have discussed
    1. How does all of this connect?
    2. What conclusions do you come up with?
    3. What questions remain?