Term Paper 3
HUFLIT

UNIT 3: Research for information
The research you need to do will be different for each assessment.
The steps on this page will help you focus your research and make
it more effective.
+ Analyze and understand the task
+ Develop a search strategy
+ Collect information
+ Evaluate information

1. Understanding what you need to do
Before you start your research make sure you understand what the
assessment is asking you to do.
Check the assessment type
Check what type of assessment you need to do. Is it an essay, report,
presentation, or case study? Knowing this will help you understand
what sort of information you need to include and how to write the
assessment.
Understand the task
Next, analyze the assessment task to make sure you understand what
you are being asked. Look at the task and identify:
Instruction words – These words tell you what to do. Do you need to
analyze, discuss, evaluate, summarize or something else?

Topic words – Topic words tell you what to write about. What you
need to analyze, argue, discuss, and so on
Limiting words – These narrow down and focus your topic. This
might be a certain time, place, or part of a topic.
2. Collecting information
Research is something we do all the time. Whether it's researching a
recipe for dinner, where to go on holiday, or what phone to buy, it's
all research. The steps below will help you focus your research.
Start with what you know
Once you are clear about what you need to do, think about what you
already know to help you figure out what to focus on:
What is the assessment topic?
What information do you already have?

What extra information do you need to find out?
What questions do you have that will help you respond to the
assessment task?
You could try using a mind map to brainstorm this information.
Develop your search strategy
Decide where to look. This will depend on the type of information
you are looking for, e.g. definitions, examples & explanations, visuals,
statistics, in depth analysis, research etc.

Sources might include:
+ course materials – check to see what information you can use for
your assessment. Your course might also direct you to other
information sources such as key websites, guides and articles
+ recommended readings or set texts (if your course has any)
+ Open Polytechnic Library – Your library has many great resources
for you to access including:
+ e-books – accessible anywhere/anytime, including recommended
texts for your course
+ print books – can be posted to you free of charge
+ research databases for access to articles – journals, newspapers,
magazines and more
+ recommended websites.

Evaluating the sources
+ The name of the organization (or person) who created the site, and
some basic information about that organization (or person)
+ The date the information was posted
+ The qualifications of any person whose opinions are cited: an
explanation of how the information was collected.
+ The purpose of the site (To inform? To persuade? To sell
something?)
+ Any advertisements on the site (What is being advertised? Why?)
+ Any links to other sites (Visit a few of the sites. What are they like?)
+ Strong or emotional language that may indicate a bias. Sometimes
you will be looking for opinions, but you should be aware of the
point of view of the site. In addition, some sites with exaggerated
language could actually be ironic or intentionally humorous.

Search tips
+ Use keywords from your assessment topic, to generate search
results (don't just type in your assessment question).
+ Expand on this list by thinking of related terms and synonyms. Your
topic may be described in more than one way.
+ Check the limiting words in the assessment task to help refine your
searches.
+ If you need help with your research, contact the Library and
Learning Centre.

3. Evaluating information
The next step is to decide what information is best for your
assessment. You need to evaluate it carefully to check its quality and
that it is relevant and useful.
4. Keeping track of what you find
Keep a list of everything you read, including information that you
decide not to use. That way you'll remember what you've looked at
and won't waste time going back to resources that weren't useful.

When to stop
There is no rule for how much research to do for an assessment. But
you can probably stop if you:
+ have backed up all of your key points with relevant, credible
sources
+ aren't getting new ideas
+ aren't finding information that will help strengthen your topic
+ are running out of time to write the assessment.
You'll then be ready to plan your assessment and start writing.

Exercise:

Good luck!