Schutz American School
51 Schutz Street
Alexandria, Egypt 21111
Phone: (20) (3) 576-2205
Fax: (20) (3) 576-0229
| Research Project Tips.... |
- Research topics often have no single right answer and no single source of answers.
- Develop a list of terms or search phrases that work. Brainstorm in writing many key words and concepts on a single page or card. Keep adding to (or deleting from) this list as you discover related concepts, larger and smaller terms, synonyms, subject headings, and descriptors.
- Plan your research strategy. If you know little about a topic, an overview article from an encyclopedia or Ebsco can help you understand the extent of your topic.
- Choose Internet search engines based on what you need and the best search engine for the job.
- Choose specialized resources (articles, books, interviews, etc) to develop variety and depth of research.
- There are many notetaking strategies:
- In a research journal.
- In a visual organizer (timeline, web,venn diagram, etc.).
- In a linear style (lists, outlines, columns).
- On note cards.
- By using highlighting and margin notation on text.
- By typing, cutting and pasting in a word processing document.
- You may become frustrated or feel overwhelmed during the research process. We want to help you develop a more complex understanding of your topic. Resist the impulse to just "grab for facts." Allow yourself time to sit back and think about the big picture.
- How does this idea fit in with what I have already read? (Make connections between sources as soon as you see them. Organize your notes.)
- How does it fit in to what I know?
- Does it make sense? (Look for logic errors, as well as checking your own understanding.)
- Which side does this evidence support? (Classify and label it)
- What are the characteristics of this source? How recent? What biases? Is this propaganda?
- What's the point of view?
- What do I still need to find out?
- Did I take the bibliographic information for the source?
Compiled by: Mark McCright
