Research Resources

Don't Miss These Basic Tips

Creating a Research Paper

Remember: the databases write the citations for you, but sometimes you might need other sites.

  • Ashford
    Are you beginning a writing assignment? Use the resources below to help you get started.

    Helpful topics include: Writing skills refresher; Understanding your assignment; Steps to writing a paper;  How to write a thesis statement; Quoting, Paraphrasing & Summarizing; Grammar & Punctuation 

  • EasyBib
     Generate citations in MLA, APA & Chicago formats for your bibliography.

  • Citation Machine
    Microsoft Office WORD under the References tab can help you create citations.

  • OWL
    This site has information to guide you in writing a research paper.

Citation & Formatting Styles

Evaluating Sources

Look below for information, website links and videos to help you evaluating sources

The world is full of information to be found—however, not all of it is valid, useful, or accurate. Evaluating sources of information that you are considering using in your writing is an important step in any research activity.

Evaluating sources is an important skill and one of detective work. You have to decide where to look, what clues to search for, and what to accept. You may be overwhelmed with too much information or too little. The temptation is to accept whatever you find. But don't be tempted. Learning how to evaluate effectively is a skill you need both for your course papers and for your life.

 When writing research papers, you will be evaluating sources as you search for information. You will need to make decisions about what to search for, where to look, and once you've found material on your topic, if it is a valid or useful source for your writing. 

(source:  The OWL at Purdue)

Use the links below to help evaluate your sources

Check for  Currency, Relevence, Authority, Accuracy and Purpose using the CRAAP Test 

Here are a few videos to help you with the evaluation process of your sources

Plagiarism

Scholarly -v- Popular Articles

Scholarly vs Popular Articles from Vanderbilt University 

News Fact Checking Sites