The Research Process: Starts Here!
Writing a Paper & Research Tips
If you would like help with the research process and/or locating information, please feel free to ASK A LIBRARIAN.
Search Strategies ~ Plagiarism ~ Useful Terms to Know ~ Database Vendor Names for Citations ~ Study Skills
MLA, APA, Chicago: Paper Examples and Writing Tips
MLA, APA, Chicago: Citation Examples
More Info:
Steps in the Research Process
- Create a list of keywords or synonyms. Add to this list as you come across similiar terms.
- Example: I would like information about the history of animal cloning.
Your keywords would be: history AND animals AND cloning
- Create search strategies
from your keywords
- PHRASE: links all words within the phrase
example: "affirmative action"
- AND: narrows your search to include BOTH keywords
example: allergies and cats
- OR: expands your search to include ANY of the keywords
example: "death penalty" or "capitol punishment"
- NOT: narrows your search by excluding one meaning of the word or phrase
example: "Houston Rockets" not NASA
- TRUNCATION: expands your search to include all words starting with the same letters
example: educat* will find education, educator, educational, educated...
- Basic Boolean Searching Tips & Examples (powerpoint)
- Advanced Boolean Searching Tips & Examples (powerpoint)
- Create a thesis statement
2) Identify the best sources of information for your topic
- How much information do you need?
- What type of information do you need and what are the best sources for information?
- One of the best places to start is the TOPIC Guides to get you to the best sites!
- You can find:
- Check out our Research Tutorials for more information!
3) Create an outline to help arrange your ideas in a logical order
4) Research! The Research Starting Guide lists some of the best databases to start out with.
- Research 101: Interactive Tutorial to Using the Library
- How to do Research: the 6 Steps of the Research Process
- Doing Research
- Information Competence & Research Process
- Research Guides & Online Research Process E-book
- 7 Steps to Successful Research
- Ten Steps To a Research Paper
- Research Handbook
- Describes how to select a topic, create an outline, note cards, plagiarism, and footnotes.
- Writer's Handbook
(APA, MLA, Chicago)
- Guide to writing thesis and purpose statement; writing poetry, literature, and play reviews, research paper tips, sample papers, and bibliographies
5) Write a draft, revise, proofread & rewrite.
Check out the writing tips and MLA, APA, and Chicago sample papers below!
Writing Tips
MLA Sample Papers:
APA Sample Papers:
Chicago Sample Paper:
6) Don't plagiarize!
7) Cite
Make sure to jot down the full citation information for all of the sources that you use. Include:
- Authors Name
- Title of the Article or Chapter
- Title of the Publications (Newspaper, Magazine, Book...)
- Editor(s)
- Volume, Issue Number
- Date of the Publication
- Books: City of Publication and Publisher
Noodle Tools (MLA, APA, Chicago) is a citation creator subscribed to my DCCCD Libraries. Set up a personal account and walk through the steps to creating your Work Cited.
KnightCite is another useful tool for MLA, APA, and Chicago. You can only do one citation at a time and must copy/paste the results before creating another citation.
MLA Examples
Online Databases:
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Journal or Magazine Title Publication Date: page numbers. Database Name. Publisher of the Database. Library Used to Find Article, City and State Where Library Located. Date You Read the Article <URL of the Database/>.
More Examples:
APA Examples:
Chicago Examples:
Alphabetical Listing of Databases, Vendors, & Generic URL's
- Academic Search Complete -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- African American Poetry -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- African American Studies Center -
- Oxford University Press - http://www.oed.com/
- Agricola -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Alt. Health Watch -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- American Drama, 1714-1915 -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- American History Online -
- Facts on File - http://www.fofweb.com/
- American Poetry -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- Applied Science & Technology Full Text -
- Wilson - http://hwwilsonweb.com/
- Art Index Full Text -
- Wilson - http://hwwilsonweb.com/
- Art Museum Image Gallery -
- Wilson -http://hwwilsonweb.com/
- Biography Reference Bank -
- Wilson - http://hwwilsonweb.com/
- Book Review Digest Plus -
- Wilson - http://hwwilsonweb.com/
- Business Source Complete -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Canadian Poetry -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- CINAHL -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- College Source Online -
- Career Guidance - http://www.collegesource.com/
- Columbia Granger's World of Poetry Online -
- Columbia University Press - http://www.columbiagrangers.org/
- Computer Source -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Consumer Health Complete -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Contemporary Authors (Literature Resource Center) -
- Gale - http://galegroup.com/
- Contemporary LIterary Criticism (Literature Resource Center) -
- Gale - http://galegroup.com/
- CQ Researcher Online -
- Congressional Quarterly - http://library.cqpress.com/
- CQ Weekly Online -
- Congressional Quarterly - http://library.cqpress.com/
- Current Issues -
- Wilson -http://hwwilsonweb.com/
- Daily Life Online -
- Greenwood - http://dailylife.greenwood.com/
- Dallas Morning News -
- Newsbank - http://infoweb.newsbank.com/
- Dallas Morning News Historical -
- Newsbank - http://infoweb.newsbank.com/
- Dictionary of Literary Biography (Literature Resource Center) -
- Gale - http://galegroup.com/
- Early American Fiction, 1789-1875 -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- EBSCO Animals -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Economia y Negocios -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- 18th Century Fiction, 1789-1985 -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- eLibrary -
- ProQuest - http://www.elibrary.bigchalk.com/
- Encyclopedia Britannica -
- Encyclopedia Britannica - http://search.eb.com/
- Encyclopedia of Religion -
- Gale - http://galegroup.com/
- English Drama -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- English Poetry -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- ERIC -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- ERIC (free) -
- ERIC - http://www.eric.ed.gov
- Faber Poetry Library -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- Facts.com (Today's World News Digest, Today's Science on File, Issues & Controversies on File)-
- Facts on File - http://www.fofweb.com/
- FactSearch -
- OCLC - http://www.oclc.org/
- Ferguson's Career Guidance Center -
- Ferguson's Career Guidance Center Online - http://0-www.fofweb.com.library.dcccd.edu/
- First Search -
- OCLC - http://firstsearch.oclc.org/
- Fuente Academica -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Funk & Wagnall's New Encyclopedia
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- General Science Full Text -
- Wilson -http://hwwilsonweb.com/
- Handbook of Texas -
- Texas State Historical Association - http://www.tsha.utexas.edu
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- Health and Wellness Resource Center -
- Gale - http://infotrac.galegroup.com/
- Health Reference Center -
- Gale - http://infotrac.galegroup.com/
- Health Source: Consumer -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Health Source - Nursing/Academic -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Heritage Quest Online -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- Hoover's Online -
- Hoover's - http://www.hoovers.com/
- Humanities Full Text -
- Wilson - http://hwwilsonweb.com/
- Legal Collection -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Lexis Nexis -
- Lexis Nexis -http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe
- Literary Reference Center -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Literature Online -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- Literature Resource Center -
- Gale - http://infotrac.galegroup.com/
- MAS -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- MasterFile Premier -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- MedicLatina -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary -
- Merriam Webster - http://www.merriamwebster.com/
- Middle Search Plus -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Military and Government Collection -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Natural & Alternative Treatments -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Naxos Music Library -
- Naxos - http://naxosmusiclibrary.com/
- netLibrary -
- netLibrary - http://www.netlibrary.com/
- New York Times -
- netLibrary - http://www.netlibrary.com/
- New Dictionary of the History of Ideas -
- Gale - http://infotrac.galegroup.com/
- New York Times Historical -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- Newspaper Source -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- 19th Century Fiction -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- Occupational Outlook Handbook -
- U.S. Government - http://stats.bls.gov/oco/
- Opposing Viewpoints -
- Gale - http://infotrac.galegroup.com/
- Oxford African American Studies Center -
- Oxford University Press - http://www.oed.com/
- Oxford Art -
- Oxford University Press - http://www.oed.com/
- Oxford Music -
- Oxford University Press - http://www.oed.com/
- Primary Search -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Professional Development Center -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- PubMed -
- National Library of Medicine - http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov
- Reader's Guide
-
- Wilson - http://hwwilsonweb.com/
- Regional Business News -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Religion & Phhilosophy -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Science & Technology Collection -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Scribner Writers -
- Gale - http://infotrac.galegroup.com/
- Searchasaurus -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- SIRS Knowledge Source -
- SIRS - http://sks.sirs.com/
- Stat!Ref -
- STATRef - http://online.statref.com/
- Texas Digital Sanborn Maps -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- Texas Reference Center -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Thomas Register of Manufacturers -
- Thomas Register - http://www.thomasnet.com/
- TOPICSearch -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Twayne's Author Series -
- Gale - http://galegroup.com/
- 20th Century African American Poetry -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- 20th Century English Poetry -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- 20th Century American Poetry -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- Vocational & Career Collection -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
- Wall Street Journal -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- Webster's 3rd New International Dictionary -
- ProQuest - http://proquest.umi.com/
- World History Collection -
- EBSCOhost - http://search.ebscohost.com/
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Recommended Reference Books
in-library use only
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
REF LB 2369 G53
10,000 Ideas for Term Papers, Projects, Reports and Speeches
REF LB 1047.3 L35
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
REF BF 76.7 P83
Useful Terms to Know
- Bibliographic Citation: A written reference which describes the source of the information.
- Bibliography: An alphabetical listing of books and/or periodical articles used as sources for your research.
- Catalog: An index of materials located in a library or in a group of libraries. El Centro's catalog lists those materials located in the Dallas County Community College District Libraries.
- Index: A list of authors, titles and/or subjects listed in a book – useful sources of information on a particular topic. This list is usually arranged in alphabetical order.
- Periodical: Any publication that is published at regular intervals, such as journals and magazines.
- Periodical Index: An index to a group of periodicals. It may cover a wide variety of subjects or focus on one subject area. Periodical Indexes lists articles by the article subject.
- Reference Material: Material referred to for information rather than read from cover to cover. Example: dictionaries, encyclopedias
- Research Paper: A paper written as the result of research done on a particular subject. Information is collected, blended and arranged in a logical order.
- Style Manual: A guide written to preparing your research paper bibiliography. These manuals present the correct format for footnotes, bibliographies, quotations and typing. They will also contain information on how to organize and write a research paper.
The best guide to resources is a librarian who can help you in using the catalog, databases and the Web. A librarian can also assist you in selecting materials appropriate for your needs. Please ask at any service desk for information or assistance!
The El Centro College Library does not guarantee the currency or accuracy of these websites. Links to these sites do not represent an endorsement of the site or of information contained within the site.
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©2006 El Centro College Library
Dallas, TX
Last Updated:
November 7, 2009