Brainstorm Keywords
Before beginning your research, take a few minutes to jot down all of the key words that you can think of that might be associated with your topic. These might be synonyms or related concepts. You might gather other keywords by doing some of these things:
Keep this document with you whenever you are doing research. Add to it as you use the databases. Write down your search strategy, key words and phrases that you tried. It will help you to be able to refer back to see what worked and what didn't.
Establish a Research Question that will lead to a Thesis
All of the issues you are researching are complex and have multiple pros and cons. Your thesis will need to make a claim about the topic and your paper will need evidence to support that claim. Begin by writing research questions that are socially debatable and focus during your research on finding evidence to answer the question.
Take Notes in Your Own Words
To avoid plagiarism and to understand what you read, try paraphrasing or restating the information you gather in your own words. Using the notecards feature in Noodle Tools is one way to do this and keep track of your research.
Document Your Sources
You are required to cite at least three sources of information you used for this paper. Keep track of them as you go along in a Works Cited page of your document, or in Noodle Tools.
