How to Research Your Essay or Term Paper
The Internet is a great resource for both primary and secondary research. At the same time, it is a little overwhelming when your search results come back with 100,000 hits.
What is the best way to use the internet for research? This
page will help you coordinate your research, and provide you with tips on finding basic research facts through our Primary and Secondary Research Links to how to use search
engines properly. Our research assistance site tells you how to start
your research through to detailed support on style guides.
However. as
useful as
we think these materials may be to you, though, we need to offer a few
words of caution.
- There are limitations to these materials. Assignments vary. Different instructors want different things from student writers. What's appropriate and effective in one context, isn't necessarily so in others. So as you peruse what's here please understand that our suggestions may or may not apply to your writing situation.
- Please remember that handouts can give only a fraction of the customized guidance that your schools Writing Center can provide. If you are still struggling, take a step back and ask for help.
Primary and Secondary Research Sites |
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| Reference
Desk Basic facts, figures and every day knowledge. Great starting place! |
Search
Engines The net is too big at times. Use these links to make your job easier. |
Newspapers
& Current Events Find out what happened 5 minutes ago in the world or research current issues. |
| Indexes
and Journals Looking for Journal articles and on-line copies of professional publications? |
Libraries Why leave your room for the simple reference list? |
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Academic Style Guides and Writing Tutorial |
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| Style
Guides Detailed guides to to most of the popular styles from APA, MLA APSA, and more. If you need a basis for writing you next paper, check here. |
Writing
Assistance Where to start, what to write, how do I begin to research? Writing an essay for school or a business report for the office can be one of the most intimidating chores we have to endure. |
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Additional Writing and Research Materials |
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| Envirofacts A national information system that provides an integrated single point of access to data extracted from five major EPA databases.. |
Virtual
Library - Environment |
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