If you are a college student today, you are probably very used to doing online research. The trouble is, not all online research is reliable. Wikipedia is a great start but does not always offer fool-proof information.
Tip #1: You should always use reliable sources.
Tip #2: You also need to get organized. There are three things you should note down when you are researching.
–The first is your source so you can go back and review your information and so you can cite your work correctly.
–Next you need to mark information as background or as an exact quote or as paraphrase. Remember both quotes and paraphrases have to be cited.
–Finally you should know under which section of your research paper outline the information you have is relevant to so you can sort the information as your write your paper.
One source we can recommend is Questia. Questia is a reliable online library that offers books, journals, and articles. Questia also gives you choices for research topics, hints about how to research, and tips for writing your research paper. It also has tools to help you organize. You can keep folders separate by source or outline section, and you can track your research for both review and to find where you might have research gaps.
Here’s how the holidays come back in. Questia just might be an early holiday gift to your from your parents or from you to yourself.
Hope you get all your work done without losing sleep.
