Beginning The Search

Starting Research

Okay, you have your topic, big question, hypothesis, organizational pattern, your audience and your purpose. Finally, you are ready to access the information highway to find support for your ideas. Step on the gas, you have information to gather!

Where can you go to gather information on your topic?

Possible locations are: the Internet, the library, people (experts).

What kind of information can you get from each location?

Location	Types of information or evidence
Internet	Informational sites, opinions, online reference sites, access to case studies and scientific data through university libraries, location of experts you can contact
Library	Books, periodicals, reference works
People (Experts)	Anecdotes, experience, case studies

What is the best place to go for information?

You might be tempted to say the Internet because you can get information most quickly on the internet. In fact, the best place to get information is from a variety of places. By combining source types, you get the most depth of research.

On the next page, you will explore how to gather information with an eye toward ATTRIBUTION (also known as citing, or giving the right people credit when you use their words or ideas in your presentation).