Introduction
1-Research Questions
The Purpose of Research Questions
Narrowing a Topic
Background Reading
Regular vs. Research Questions
Influence of a Research Question
Developing Your Research Question
2-Types of Sources
Categorizing Sources
Quantitative or Qualitative
Fact or Opinion
Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Sources
Popular, Professional, & Scholarly
Publication Formats and the Information Lifecycle
Scholarly Articles as Sources
News as a Source
Data as Sources
People as Sources
3-Sources and Information Needs
Sources and Information Needs
Sources to Meet Needs
Planning Your Sources
4-Precision Searching
Why Precision Searching?
Main Concepts
Related and Alternative Terms
Search Statements
5-Search Tools
Library Catalog
WorldCat@OSU
Google Scholar
Specialized Databases
Web Search Engines
Tips for Common Search Tools
6-Evaluating Sources
Thinking Critically About Sources
Evaluating for Relevancy
Evaluating for Credibility
A Source's Neighborhood
Author and Publisher
Degree of Bias
Recognition from Others
Thoroughness
Combining the Factors
7-Ethical Use of Sources
Ethical Use and Citing Sources
Why Cite Sources?
Challenges in Citing Sources
8-How to Cite Sources
Citation and Citation Styles
Steps for Citing
Citation Software
When to Cite
9-Making an Argument
The Purpose of Academic Argument
Components of an Argument
Order of the Components
Where You Get the Components
10-Writing Tips
When to Quote, Paraphrase, or Summarize
Helping Others Follow
Synthesis of Your Own Ideas
11-Copyright Basics
What Is Copyright?
What Copyright Covers
Rights Granted by Copyright
Respecting Copyright
Exceptions to Copyright
Creative Commons - An Alternative
Public Domain and Term of Copyright
12-Fair Use
What Is Fair Use?
The Four Factors
Evaluating Your Case for Fair Use
Common Examples of Fair Use
13-Roles of Research Sources
Thinking About Roles of Sources
BEAM: A Solution That Might Shine
Using BEAM: An Example
Practice with BEAM