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Cheryl Delson, Instruction Librarian
cdelson@ivc.edu

2. 1) Get the Assignment
2) Choose a Topic
3) Exploration & Background of Topic
4) Focus Topic
5) Find more Specific Information on Topic
6) Evaluate Information
7) Write your paper
8) Create citations and bibliography (works cited)
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4. Suggestions:
* Choose a topic that INTERESTS you!
* State your topic as a QUESTION.
* Think about the different aspects of your topic
– who, what, where, when & why.
* Be FLEXIBLE with your topic, it may change a
lot or a little as you find information.
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5. *Write down the broad category of your
topic
*Brainstorm KEYWORDS for your topic
*Think of SYNOMYNS for your keywords
*Try to NARROW down a large topic,
using who, what, where, when & why
questions.
*Search Strategies
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6. *Introduce you to a topic
*Provide terminology/keywords
unique to the topic
*Provide important names, dates,
places and events to your topic
*Lead you to other sources
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7. * Narrowing….
* Is there a time period?
* Is there a geographic region?
* Is there an aspect of the topic that is interesting?
(historical, political, psychological, artistic,
sociological, etc.)
* Is there any people or groups involved?
* Broadening….
* What discipline does your topic fit into?
* What is the broader aspect of your topic?
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8. * Information timeline (when do things get
published)
* Scholarly vs. Popular
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9. *Credible websites
*Evaluating information for
*Appropriateness
*Currency
*Scholarship

10. *IVC Writing Center
*IVC Reading Center
*OWL at Purdue
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11. *Avoid Plagiarism
*Give credit where credit is due
*Communicate research
discoveries with other scholars
*Support your topic
*IVC citations page
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