Research Paper Tips
Write your topic as a question.
Example: What are the effects of federal regulations on air quality in major United States cities?
Select the main keywords or phrases for your question.
Example: "air quality," federal, regulation, city or cities, United States
Identify synonyms or related concepts.
Synonyms are different words (or sometimes phrases) with identical or very similar meanings. Since you cannot know what terms every author may use for the same concept(s), it is useful to experiment with different words or phrases.
For "air quality," also consider:
- atmosphere, characteristics, pollution
For "federal," also consider:
- national, central, centralized
For "regulation," also consider:
- rule, directive, guideline, law, decree
For "United States," also consider:
- "United States of America, US, America
Assignment Handout
The following handout is a step by step guide to completing your library research project.
Scholarly vs. Popular
|
Scholarly
|
Popular | |
| List of References | Yes | Usually no references listed |
| Author | Expert or professional and credentials are provided | Journalist, student, or no name provided |
| Reading Level | Advanced, often with specialized vocabulary | Easy to read |
| Purpose | Report research findings | Overview, opinions, or general information |
| Article submission | Articles are reviewed by other experts | Review by editor and editorial staff |
| Article format | Has introduction, methods, results, etc. | Typically no set format |
Scholarly Articles
Also referred to as "peer reviewed," these articles are written by experts in the field. They generally report the findings of research and the information is supported by a bibliography at the end of the article. The author's affiliation is usually stated. Articles tend to be very specific in nature. The peer review process requires articles to be evaluated by other experts in the field before the article is published. This ensures the article is reporting sound research.
Some journals will contain both scholarly and popular articles! Be sure to check each article to see that it meets the criteria for a scholarly article before using it in your paper. Contact me if you need help with this.
Here's an example of a scholarly article:
Harrop, M. (2007, December). Psychosocial impact of cystic fibrosis in adolescence. Paediatric Nursing, 19(10), 41-45
Need Help?
Additional Questions?
Please contact Patsy Palacios for additional help:
Quinney Library Librarian:
Patsy Palacios:
patsy.palacios@usu.edu
