By Liz Kudwa
Q: I have selected my topic for a research paper due at the end of this semester but I’m not quite sure how to get started. Do you have any suggestions?
A: This is a popular question at this time of year as many students are furiously wrapping up research projects and writing papers. My recommendation is to begin by understanding exactly what types of services and resources are available at your school library as well as your local public library. Most libraries offer some type of orientation or instruction to help students learn about available resources and this is an excellent place to start. Additionally, librarians that work in Reference Departments are excellent resources. The larger libraries in the Capital Area District Library system have public service desks staffed with librarians for just this purpose and the downtown Lansing location has a full Reference Department on the 2nd floor. Conferring with a librarian at various points throughout your research can save you a great deal of time since librarians are very knowledgeable about many resources you will probably need to use.
Once you are familiar with the libraries you will be using, you may want to start by consulting print reference materials or online databases. These will be reliable resources from known sources. To clear up a common misconception, online databases are not the same as the Internet. They are stored in computers or on the Internet and the content of these databases is contributed by reliable providers such as academic journal, magazine or newspaper publishers. Compared to content found on the Internet, which any person can post, databases are much more reliable.
As you are researching your topic, be sure to note each source that you use. It is very important to cite every source and using a book such as MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers by Joseph Gibaldi will be a great help in learning the specific formats to use for your citations. This book can be found in most reference collections at the library.
Elizabeth Kudwa is the Head Librarian at the Leslie Library,
201 Pennsylvania Street, Leslie, MI. Contact her at 517-589-9400 or by e-mail at
kudwae@cadl.org.
