LibGuides: Social Issues in Japan Through Online News: Getting Started

Writing a Research Paper

We would like to help you get started with your research paper or other assignment. Here are a few suggestions and things to consider:

    1. Make sure you understand the assignment. Check with your teacher for clarification if you are unsure.
    2. What kind of information sources will work best for your assignment? Has your teacher asked you to use specific kinds of sources, or asked for a specfic quantity of sources? Consult the chart on this page for more detail about kinds of sources and how to approach them.
    3. Use this guide and other links through the Crossett Library web site to collect books, articles, and any other relevant sources on your topic.
    4. When in doubt, check with a librarian for assistance. We are here to help, and we enjoy hearing about your work and helping in any way we can.

Here are some other web links with more useful information:

The OWL at Purdue: An excellent companion for writers
The OWL is a web site based at Purdue University that contains a lot of information about writing- from grammar and punctuation to style guides, information on how to cite your sources correctly and a helpful section for writers for whom English is a second language.
What do we mean by citation?
If you don't know your MLA from your Turabian, check out this guide to citation.
How do I read a call number?
When it comes to understanding those pesky letters and numbers that librarians like to put on books, this guide will help to give you a sense of direction when navigating the stacks.

Types of Information Sources

When we begin a research project, we need to consider what kinds of sources are most appropriate. Different kinds of projects suggest different types of information sources. To choose the right resources, we need to consider such factors as who wrote it, how objective is it, how well-organized is it, how current is the information, and how well does it fit the assignment.

Consult the following chart to get a sense of different kinds of information sources and how to approach them:

How current?	Information Sources	Factors to Consider
Seconds / minutes	The Web, Radio, Television, Internet News Services, RSS	Does it present only one side of an issue? Is coverage in-depth or superficial? Does it seem professional? Is the web site trying to sell something?
Day(s)	Television, Newspapers, Government Reports, Listserv	Who is presenting the information? Is there any obvious bias? Is this a news account, or a piece of creative writing? Does the author offer evidence to support a claim?
Week(s)	Popular Magazines
Month(s)	Scholarly Journals	Is this journal "peer reviewed"? Is there an abstract for the article? Does the abstract suggest that this article will be helpful for my research? Is there a bibliography that might suggest other sources to consult?
Year(s)	Books, E-books	Is this book too general, or too specialized? Is the material out of date? Can I find out additional information about the author through an online search?
	Reference sources--handbooks, some encyclopedias