Searching for sources in a library database or catalog is different than doing a Google search. Before you search, you need to look at your research question or statement and identify the keywords.
Try doing this:
Write or type out your research question.
Identify the main concepts or keywords in your research question.
Keep a list of the keywords that you use
Example:
Should writing assessments from college aptitude tests be used to determine admission into a university?
Keywords: writing assessment, admission, university, college, tests
What to do if you hit a dead end:
The CRAAP test is a series of questions that will help you determine the quality of a source or information that you find. CRAAP is an acronym for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. Ask yourself the following questions as you evaluate your information resources.
Currency: The timeliness of the information.
Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs.
Authority: The source of the information.
Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content.
Purpose: The reason the information exists.
The CRAAP test was developed by the Meriam Library at the California State University - Chico.
Here are some citation sources available to use:
APA Style and Grammar Guidelines
Chicago/Turabian Citation Quick Guide
The Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) has guides for general writing and citation guides for APA, MLA, and Chicago styles.
Citation Generators are tools that take the source information data and generate a citation using the style you need.
When using a citation generator be sure to:
Here are some examples of different forms of plagiarism:
What does not need to be cited?
For more information and tips on plagiarism, visit Purdue Owl's resources:
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Plagiarism
Best Practices to Avoid Plagiarism
Paul Lee, Ronald C. Meyer, & Centre Communications (Producers), & Meyer, R. C. (Director). (2019). A Student’s Guide to Avoiding Plagiarism and Understanding Citations. [Video/DVD] Alexander Street. https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/a-student-s-guide-to-avoiding-plagiarism-and-understanding-citations
Except where otherwise noted, content in these research guides is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.