Why is it so hard to find Peer-Reviewed Sources?
Use the guidelines given by your instructor to help pick your paper topic. If you have a topic that you love, but youre having trouble fitting it into the guidelines, choose another topic. It will be easier on you in the long run to write about a topic that fits the assignment. Its important to be engaged in the topic youre writing about it, but you dont have to love it. Its also good to realize that you can use this research writing assignment as an opportunity to learn about something new. You will be somewhat of an expert in the topic by the end of this process, but you dont have to know everything right now. The easiest way to find a peer-reviewed article is by using one of the Library's numerous databases. All of the Library's databases are listed in the Online Journals and Databases index. The databases are divided by name and discipline. Blog is a go-to place for any student, and it doesnt matter if its their first or last year of studying. It contains plenty of useful materials for everyone. Students can find guides on how to improve their writing and academic performance in general, get useful tips on making their study process more efficient, or learn how to deal with particular issues.
Many people may have a tendency to look for data to prove their
hypothesis or idea, as opposed to really answering their research
questions. However, you may find that the opposite happens: the
data may actually disprove your hypothesis. You should never try
to manipulate data so that it gives credence to your desired
outcome. While it may not be the answer you wanted to find, it is
the answer that exists. You may, of course, look for other
sources of data perhaps there are multiple sources of data for
the same topic with differing results. Inconclusive or
conflicting findings do happen and can be the answer (even if its
not the one you wanted!).
Conflicting results on the same topic are common. This is the
reality of research because, after all, the questions researchers
are studying are complicated. When you have conflicting results
you cant just ignore the differencesyoull have to do your best to
explain why the differences occurred. As you create an outline,
think critically about what you are trying to explain or
communicate in your research paper and what structure allows you
to do that in a clear, organized way. It usually makes sense to
have an introduction and conclusion, but what goes between will
vary based on the contents of your essay.
Unannotated Codes provide only the text of the statute without editorial additions. Unannotated codes, however, are more often considered official and used for citation purposes. Once you are ready to begin your research, you will need to keeptrack of your work. Logging your research will ensurethatyou do not miss sourcesand can explain your research strategy, which you may be asked to do. Researchers can keep logson paper, in folders on Westlaw or Lexis, or in another online citation management platform. This may sound obvious, but its very important to understand what your teacher or professor is asking for before you start writing your research paper. Many students skip this step, and then wonder why they receive a low grade on a paper they worked hard on or were excited about. Its often because they didnt read the instructions. Headnotesare organized by subject into a large outline that allows you to searchheadnotesby subject. This outline is known as a "digest of cases. " By browsing or searching the digest you can retrieve allheadnotescovering a particular topic and identify the particularly important cases to which theseheadnotesare attached. In general, credible sources are the ones that can be considered unbiased and have some sort of evidence to rely on.
How to find sources for a paper - Modern software can help you display your data in ways that are striking and often even beautiful. But the best criterion for judging whatever display you use is whether it helps you and your audience understand your data better than only text, maybe even noticing points that you would have otherwise missed.
If youre a college student, you will probably have to write at least one college-level research paper before you graduate. Writing a good research paper can be daunting if you have never done it before. Were here to help. Even without using those search terms, many scholarly sources you turn up are likely to contain data. Once you find potential sources, skim them for tables, graphs, or charts. These items are displays or illustrations of data gathered by researchers. However, sometimes data and interpretations are solely in the body of the narrative text and may be included in sections called Results or Findings. (That shouldnt keep you from displaying the data in charts, graphs, or tables as you like in your own work, though. See Data Visualization later in this section. ) Of course, none of these signs of validity are magic. A source could have some or all of the traits listed above, and your professor might still find a reason that the source isnt valid. But the more signs of validity your source has, the easier it will be for you to defend it. And if you find a source that doesnt have any of the features I listed above, you probably shouldnt use it. Annotated codes are a great place to start your research. They combine statutory language with citations to related materials like cases, regulations, secondary sources, and cross references to other statutes.
Can you see the differences between the first set of sentences and the second set of thesis statements? It might take a few tries, but work to eliminate words and phrases like I think, or My paper is about. As you write, dont be a perfectionist. Dont worry about finding the perfect words, using the perfect grammar, or crafting the perfect title. There is time to perfect your research paper as you edit. Right now, you just need to write. The outlining stage of producing your argument is a great time to think about bad forms of argumentation you should avoid. If you arent familiar with logical fallacies, take some time to review the most common fallacies; your grade could depend on it!