4.1 Learning Goals

You will be able to develop research questions.

Research is a journey to find answers and to find those answers, you need to start with a question. It can be daunting to try and figure out a research topic to investigate. Formulating questions can help with this process. This chapter will give you ways to develop research questions so you can find what you need.

You will learn to determine appropriate sources.

Different projects require different types of sources. Sometimes you might need to cite a musical score or a news article while at other times, you will need to search for peer-reviewed sources. How can you determine when a source is reliable, reputable, and accurate? This chapter will help you to become a more discerning researcher.

You will be able to use library resources to locate and retrieve a variety of information sources.

A great deal of research is performed online, but the choices offered by library resources can be overwhelming. Here you will learn how to sift through different types of sources to find what you need to complete any assignment.

You will learn why academic integrity is a defining principle of academic communication.

You have probably been told to avoid cheating and plagiarism. You were likely given examples of what cheating and plagiarism looked like and told to avoid these serious errors at all costs. Were you ever told why academic integrity is so important? It’s more than giving credit or sharing resources. This chapter will introduce you to the fascinating world of citational practice.