Research Step Two: Investigate


Lesson 2

Assignment 4-2

Target


Assignment


In this lesson you will conduct your research into your topic.

After you refine your topic, the research can begin.

Collect only information that fits your topic and answers your research question.

Including extra or irrelevant information may confuse you and your reader.

The Library


The library contains various resources:
  • Books - fiction and non-fiction (for using and borrowing)
  • Reference books (which cannot be borrowed)
  • Newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals
  • Videos, CDs, computer programs, and access to research databases and the Internet

Ensure that library material you find is as current as possible. Most often, publishing dates are on the page following the title page or on the library website.

The Internet

Online, you can use many resources, including the following:
  • Online information catalogues
  • Electronic databases (Some are free, but beware—some are not!)
  • Graphs
  • Diagrams
  • Search engines (Google, Yahoo, Firefox, etc.)



For further information on Internet research, click here.  To download and read the entire document, you must select "full resource for printing" and save it to your computer.


Primary Sources offer inside views of an event. They are produced by someone who saw or heard the event. First-hand observation, field trips, diaries, speeches, letters, interviews, news films, sound clips, relics, or artifacts such as furniture, buildings, and pottery are primary sources.

Secondary Sources are produced after an event—sometimes a long time after something happened. Secondary sources such as textbooks and magazines analyze and interpret primary sources. They have pictures, quotations, and graphics. They express opinions or arguments.


If you trust the producer of a secondary source, use it as a source for your research paper.

However, if you think the material is exaggerated or biased, you should use primary sources.
Before you start to search,
  • prepare your list of key search words to make efficient use of your time
  • use the research questions from your RAFTS and KWL charts